My boyfriend and I stayed at the Principe di Piemonte over Valentines week 2008, and had a fantastic stay. The hotel room was simple, but immaculately clean everyday - comfortable bed, small but adequate marble bathroom (with fantastic shower!) and TV which had a couple of English channels if you want it. We had a room on the top floor (would very much recommend this ... book direct through the hotel to ensure it) and had a lovely little balcony with a small table and chairs. The staff were absolutely fantastic - they couldn't have been more helpful. The gentleman on reception during the day is an absolute credit to the hotel - he helped us arrange taxi's to the airport, helped us understand and work our way around the Metro - (a very cheap way of getting around the city - a day's ticket costs just four Euro's, and can be used for 24 hours from purchase; incredibly simple once you get the hang of it!) and he also recommended resturants nearby, and advised us on any other questions and language difficulties that we had. On arrival, the area around the hotel looks pretty rough - graffitti on the wall opposite the hotel, but that is no reflection at all on the hotel itself.

The hotel provides a very good but simple breakfast (the best croissants I have ever tasted!, as well as rolls, cereals, juice, tea and coffee) which is available every day until 9.30am. Seemed an early cut off, but did help us make the most of our day. Breakfast is available to Room Order in, if leaving bed is a bit too much! The hotel also has a TV/ waiting room which came in very handy on our departure day, as we were able to leave our luggage at the hotel in the morning (check out is at 10.30am) and make the most of our last day. Again, the gentleman on reception organised this for us.

There are some fantastic little resturants around the hotel - The Crazy Sheep is lovely for a more romantic evening meal, and there is a Pizzeria which does take away service just around the corner - I'll never eat Domino's again! :) Resturants around the hotel are fantastic value, and the food is brilliant, but be aware of resturants closer to the Colosseum etc ... food is not so good, and double the price - quite a few places will try charging you five euros for a small bottle of Coke for example.

I would advise getting a taxi from the airport if you can - it cost us about 55 Euro's for a twenty five minute journey, but it was definitly worth it. Driving in Rome is amongst some of the most dangerous I have ever seen, and public transport is fantastic ... unless you are very confident and have driven in Rome before, I'd suggest doing it that way instead. The main attractions i.e The Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, The Forum etc are all quite close by. If you want to walk to them you can (we did this on the first day to see a bit more of the local area), but its a good 40 minute walk away. An alternative is to get on the Metro on Manzoni (station about a five minute walk from the hotel) and all the main attractions are then just a few stops away). Would certainly recommend the Metro if you want to go to the Vatican - takes you over the River, fantastic view, and costs next to nothing in comparison with taking a taxi there.

A few words of warning though - firstly, expect to be hassled to buy items from random street sellers. Those with street stalls/barrows will normally not bother you unless you approach them (and in which case, you can haggle them down!), but especially around the Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps and Rome Cathedral, there are a lot of men trying to sell various items that will just come up to you and pester. The Italian Police are very much a visible force however, especially around these areas and as soon as they appear, these street traders will rapidly disappear. Also, on several locations around Rome, but especially at the Colosseum, there are men dressed up in the Roman Centurian uniforms. If you have your photo taken with them - even on your own camera, they will charge you 10 euros per photo .... can work out very expensive if you dont know about this in advance! Also, Ciampino airport is a nightmare. Incredibly unorganised, and tiny - would not recommend planning on spending a few hours wandering around or anything ... there are about five shops. Food is good though (as you wou;d expect in Italy!), and not too badly priced either.

Overall, we had a fantastic stay, Rome is a beautiful, beautiful city, and I'm planning on returning to Rome and this hotel in the summer with my girl friends. It really did make our trip. :)

We booked a 2 night stay during January 2008 via Fleetway Travel. It cost us just over £100 each including flights and Bed and Breakfast for the 2 mornings.

We flew with Ryan Air from Luton and and all was spot on. We landed at Rome Campino airport and transfered via terravision to the Termini in Central Rome. This transfer was seemless and no problem at all - it was good value at approx £8 each return (this was booked via the Ryan Air web site). Once off the coach drop off point walk straight through the station and out the other side - there are plenty of official taxis there as well as a few unofficial one's that i would stay away from. From my personal experience i would stay away from the underground and get a taxi to the hotel (Approx 8 - 10 euros) although it is only a 10 minute walk but it can be hard with luggage!

The hotel is in a pretty shoddy area (but i found all of the outskirts of Rome to be very dirty and plastered in Graffiti everywhere) - but we walked around both days and nights and did not have any problems at all. The hotel staff are fantastic - as soon as we arrived (12 Noon) our room was ready and the gent on reception gave us maps and spoke to us about transport etc. The hotel is very small and the guys on reception also double as bar staff and breakfast helpers. Our room was on the first floor and it was totally fine - fresh towels and toiletries every day. The room was fine space wise and the bathroom and shower were spot on.

If you turn left out of the hotel and walk approx 5 mins then take the first main left turn and there are 3 restuarants that serve great pizza's and Pasta - 2 of them are owned by the same guy and he is a comedian to say the least - but he does provide free puddings / ice creams to try!!

We booked a city "hop on hop off tour" with viator.com (Rome Open tours) - this was great value at £12 each for 2 days. The bus goes all over the city and you can get off and on at any of the 15 stops. The bus departs from the Termini which is a 10 mintue walk left from the hotel.

As for Rome itself - is is well worth going, we visited the Vatican Museum (14 euro's each) - but get there for 9am to avoid the queue's - it is wort going just to see the Sistine chapel - but be aware if you try to take any pictures you will be told to stop!! even without the flash on - me and my girlfriend did this a few times and we were warned by 3 different security guards!! When you get to St Peters be aware that the museum is another 5/10 mins walk from there - through the pillars and follow the rather average signs. St Peter's is well worth seeing and the size of the place is simply amazing. We also visited the Colosseum / Pantheon / Trevi Fountain (beware of the rose sellers and "proffesional" photographers.) One of the funniest things is seeing the "Bag" men doing runners when the police are about on the approach road to St Peters - it is like a bit of "Cat and Mouse". We used the public bus to get to the Vatican Early before the tour bus started and that is very easy to use - turn right out of the hotel to the square - buy a 1 euro pass (valid for 75 mins from purchase) there are many bus and tram stops in the square - just make sure you get on the right one!! Ask at the hotel for bus numbers etc - as with all public transport keep your valuables safely inside you clothing - we were warned to be careful as there are loads of pickpockets on the trams/buses.

Rome has a fantastic city centre and the culture / history of the builidings is truly amazing.

At the hotel the breakfast is a purely continenal affair with just juices / bread etc - so dont be expecting a British Fry up!

Overall if you are after a budget trip to Rome i would highly recommend this hotel.

We found the staff and in particular the reception personnel very welcoming and helpful. On the basis of other reviews we reqested, in advance, a room on the top floor....a good move.
The walk to the 'Stazione' is a bit far but manageable on a cool day. Nearby dining out is great, but the general environment is quite untidy to say the least.
Rooms are clean and well serviced and continental breakfast more than adequate. Walking back from the Stazione is easier, mostly down hill, and saves a 45 euro taxi fare for the short distance....or catch a tram which stops almost at the front door.
The proximity to transport and the city centre overrides any short comings in luxury.

My wife and I stayed here in 2006. It was our first overseas experience and we could not have been happier.

The greeting on arrival was enthusiastic and in English (one of the owners is from Australia). We were given a complete breakdown of what to see and where to go commiserate with our limited stay.

The room was clean and comfortable with an excellent ensuite.

On the whole one of the best experiences we had throughout Europe.