My husband and I stayed at this hotel over the May bank holiday weekend for our first trip to Rome. The hotel was booked via a travel agent and we paid around £100 per night B&B rate, which although seems a little pricey for a 3 star, it is truly a great central location and I would suggest that the modern decor rises above a 3 star, and is closer to 4 star.

Our check-in was dealt with smoothly (straight away given a map of Rome showing all the touristy bits), I was very impressed with the lobby. The lift is rather dodgy, I'd recommend walking the stairs if you can, at least one day we were there it was out of action. We had a newly refurbished room with a large kingsize bed and large bathroom including jacuzzi bath, all with wood or slate floors and marble accents. The shower pressure could be dodgy at times but that was my only complaint. It's also nice for a 3 star to offer toiletries and sewing kit etc. There was air con in the room as well as a minibar, hairdryer, TV and modem point. Be careful as you leave the hotel though - it is on a rather narrow street and mopeds are always whizzing past, as well as cars. Also if you are in the refurbished wing on the 3rd floor you may get a lot of noise from the roof terrace of an evening (scraping tables and chairs, loud voices etc) - just let reception know and they will try to do something about it.

The breakfast was OK, not great. The breakfast room was rather small and couldn't cope with busy periods. Coffee was lovely though and the croissants weren't bad. Toast and rolls were available, although we weren't keen on them, and a bit of ham and cheese. Orange and grapefruit juice were offered, as well as museli and cornflakes (but not as we Brits know them!) and some yoghurt. Fruit salad (think Tesco's tinned) was also available, as was an egg boiler, although you need to bring your own watch - or, like one guest, as someone else to clock watch for you!

There is no restaurant so you have no choice but to go out for lunch and dinner. This isn't a problem though as just 5 minutes will get you to a bank of restaurants when walking towads the Pantheon. Make sure you look at menus first though, we got fleeced by a terrible place in the Piazza Venezia for lunch (it looked like a 10 euro a head maximum place but they managed to change 55 euros for a couple of cokes and two cold margherita pizzas - beware!! Always ask for 'la lista', the menu!). Also go to a Despar if you can, equivalent to a 7-11 or Co-op, water there is just 30 cents for 1.5 litres, rather than 1.5 euros for 500ml by the Vatican!

We didn't use a single bit of public transport whilst we were there. The location of the hotel is a comfortable 25 minutes' walk to St Peters, literally 5 minutes to the Pantheon, 5 minutes to the Piazza Navona (Fountain of the 4 Rivers), maybe 10 - 15 minutes to the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. It's a bit of a trek to the Colosseum but not difficult - just cross roads giving the drivers big evils and stare them down! (That won't work with mopeds though... they're nuts...) I'd also recommend a walk along the Tiber River, it's quite peaceful compared to the tourist traps mentioned above.

We didn't realise there was a bar there until our last night. Not hugely overpriced, which was nice, 3 euros for a can of Coke and 4 - 5 euros for a bottle of beer, pretty good really. The bar was served either by a porter or the chap on reception so service was variable. There's more space than you realise at the back beyond reception, go take a look, it's lovely.

A comfortable hotel, ideal for a city break where all you need is a comfortable place to sleep at night after a filling meal of spaghetti carbonara, and the odd nightcap.