This was our first visit to Italy. I chose a hotel solely from the reviews on Trip Advisor and we weren't disappointed. We stayed at the Spring House in a triple room for 4 days and then went onto Florence for 5 days. Our hotel in Florence was a 4 star hotel and was not as nice as the Spring House which is a 3 star hotel. Here's our review:
THE GOOD: The staff were fantastic! They spoke English very well and were very interested in our satisfaction not just with the hotel, but also with our stay in Rome. They were the best staff we encountered in our entire stay in Italy. The breakfast was excellent. We actually looked forward to breakfast each day. Hot food, fresh fruit, good selection of baked goods, cold meats and cheeses, tomatoes/mozzerella, cereal, yogurt, three types of juice and cappacino's made to order were on the menu each day. The cleanliness was a real highlight. We remarked how clean everything was (we even walked the floors in our bare feet). The location is great not only because you are literally a block or so from the Vatican Museum, but you're only two blocks from the Cipro Metro station. We bought passes and between the buses and the Metro, we were able to get anywhere in the city with no problem at all.
THE BAD: There are a few things worth mentioning, but they are all related to our American hotel expectations and were not unique to the Spring House. The first is the size of the room. It was tiny. Although we had a triple, it was the size of most American single rooms. The bathroom was a very small and the shower was possibly the smallest I've ever encountered in all my travels. We got used to it and the fact that the room was spotless and maintained that way each day was more important than the size. The second is the standard European "light air conditioning". Our air conditioning worked well, but you couldn't make it colder no matter what the setting. While the room was considerably cooler than the hot July days in Rome, it wasn't near the level of air conditioning that we're used to in the U.S. Once again, it was the same type of "light air conditioning" that we encounted in restaurants, shops, etc.
THE UGLY: Nothing hit the UGLY list with the Spring House.
OVERALL: The next time I get to Rome, I'm booking at the Spring House. As I mentioned earlier, it was better than our 4 star hotel in Florence. I highly recommend it.
Bonus Tip: While in Rome (if you're visiting during the summer months) visit Tiber Island. It's a real locals evening event with Arts/Crafts and alfresco dining. No English on the menus or spoken by the waiters, but it's worth the wonderful food and experience that you'll have.
