We stayed 3 nights at the San Giusto at the end of our month long sojourn in Italy. It wasn't the worst of the hotels we stayed in (not by far) but it wasn't the best either. The front desk staff was dismal, not rude but not personable either. The rooms were tiny but clean. We had problems with the electricity going off and got rather used to showering and eating in the dark, romantic no! Although the hotel is not centrally located it is easy to find and close to the metro. There are several resturaunts within walking distance with good food at reasonable prices. The breakfasts were fresh and the service excellent. Although there is an elevator it is only accessable after you climb a flight of stairs.

I searched on expedia for a package that was affodable and the hotel to have a decent star rating and low and behold I came across Hotel San Giusto. As my husband and I compared the different hotels in Rome this one seemed to be our best choice, given the price range we were looking at. Upon our arrival at the hotel we were greeted with the aroma of cigarettes, stained couches and the most pleasant concierge in Italy, not! I'd never met someone so expressionless in my life! After checking in, my husband had to carry our 5 piece luggage up a spiral staircase by himself. Where was the bell boy? Do they know what a bell boy is? We made it to our room, which was clean but old and very dark. The bathroom was clean with a large window, I think it was the brighest room in the hotel, I didn't pay money to give the locals a peep show! The shower itself was super smallI and in order to get hot water you had to let it run 5-10 minutes. The drainage in the shower was not good, we needed to keep an eye on the water to ensure it would go over the divider. At times while showering we would have to shut off the water and let the water drain out, to put the shower on again. As far as the bed, it sunk into the middle and the A/C, we had no idea how to control it and how in the world could I forget about the Madonna over our bed.

The following morning we woke up to enjoy the continental breakfast offered. I'll give them credit, it wasn't bad, they had cold cuts, cereal, fruits, etc..except that they seemed to serve the same thing day in and day out, ever heard of variation! How about eggs, pankcakes, waffles, etc.....Oh, and how could I forget the aroma of cigarettes, delightful early in the morning.

Don't plan to sleep in and expect privacy in the hotel either. You can hear everything that goes on in the hallway and other rooms and if you haven't given your key to the front desk by a certain time in the morning the reception calls you constantly to find out when you'll be turning your key in to have the room cleaned. And if you are planning on staying in a bit later, expect an attendant to come knocking on your door needing to check the refrigerator for usage, who cares if your in bed in your PJ's!

After a few days at the hotel, my husband and I realized that the cleaning crew were not changing our sheets, they were just making the bed. We tested our hypothesis by marking the pillowcase only to find the same case on the pillow everyday of our stay (We stayed 2 weeks). Our towels were also just re-hunged and re-folded.

Unexpected Charges: You want them to hold your passport in the reception area, expect to pay. You need them to call a taxi, expect to pay. It seemed as if you needed any help from any one of the empoyees, expect to pay.

As far as the location of the hotel, the metro was around the corner, a grocery store downstairs, there was a bank around the corner, a pharmacy was nereby, there were approximately 2 bars walking distance (one which stayed open late) and 2 great little restaurants nearby. The area was fairly quiet, except for the occassional siren or ambulance but thats just like any other city.

I only hope that I can make your decision easier. You've been warned, advised, cautioned, by staying there you go at your own risk.

I stayed at the San Giusto Hotel for 3 nights hoping for a romantic break in Rome. Rome is a lovely city - it's a shame the same can't be said for this hotel!

Don't get me wrong, the hotel isn't absolutely horrendous, but there is no way that it should be rated 3 stars. The exterior of the hotel looked shabby, but I didn't let that put me off ... and first impressions of our room were pretty good too. However, it soon became apparent that the window in the room had been opened prior to our arrival due to the fact that the room reeked of damp. The reason for this soon became clear when I took a shower - the cubicle doors didn't shut properly, so water flooded the bathroom floor and seeped into the carpet. I tried to open the wardrobe and the door fell off its hinges, and I then tried to open the dresser draw which collapsed! I have to say, we found it quite comical, it was a bit like Fawlty Towers. The last straw came when our electricity failed twice while we were getting ready to go out - we nearly missed our tour as a consequence.

It's not all bad though - the room appeared clean and the bed was comfortable. The maids cleaned the room every day and changed any towels that we left on the floor. We also found the breakfast to be very good (continental - bread, cold meats, eggs, cereal, fruit etc). The mini bar drinks were priced quite cheaply.

The location of the hotel is fine - just 10 mins on the tube to the Colosseum. Yes, the area it's in does have a lot of graffiti, but so does most of Rome.

We had a fabulous time in Rome and didn't let the hotel ruin it for us. I would highly recommend the company Discover Rome Tours which has English speaking tour guides - their tours were informative but light hearted.

All in all, I wouldn't recommend that you book a room in this hotel. If you've already booked, however, I wouldn't worry - as long as you've got a sense of humour it's bearable!

My friend and I returned from Rome a week ago. We stayed in San Giusto. Before that I read many reviews and was a bit confussed since they gave such a different impression of the hotel. I myself was very happy with the San Giusto. The price was very good (last minute) - we paid EUR 335 for five nights for a double room. The hotel was nice and in a very good location. It takes about 7 -10 min by metro to go to main places in the centre of Rome. Breakfast was lovely, good selection of food, pleasant environment. Receptionsts were friendly (except the older man who was just doing his work - no complains about him) and smiling. The room was a bit small and, I should mention, not very clean (dust and some small things under beds or on the closet) but overall it was pretty good and had everything that's needed.
I would hardly recommend to go there and will probably chose it again if I go to Rome next time.