Grand Palazzo Carpegna is a very grand looking hotel in quite an unusual location, set 100 yards back from a busy main road. Saying this, it is quiet and set in some nice gardens. The check-in was friendly and no problems, however upon entering our room and looking for some rest after a fairly tortuous journey to Rome (explain in a mo!) there was building noise much to my annoyance, having brought this to the receptions attention they said it would stop in 10 minutes it took well over half an hour! Not a good start! The hotel is very grand, rooms were nice, comfortable and clean, although i have to say the hotel had an emptyness, lonely and vunerable feel about it. Breakfast i think was poor and not really catering for the tourists at all, cold meats and yoghurts and a poor selection in bread. The location was ok, it is not in the centre (be warned!) but only 5 minutes from the underground which is very handy and reliable and most importantly policed well. It is easy to get about in Rome and the sights are undeniably awesome. Colosseum, Vatican, Palatine Hill, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountains. We went to Rome mainly to see all these great places but we wont be going back ever! Reasons are, we got an early morning flight, you then had to wait half an hour for your bags, then queue half an hour for a shuttle bus into Rome (which wasnt sheltered and dropped you off in Romes Central station, can be quite intimidating!) Shuttle bus was the only real reasonably priced way of getting into Rome. Luckily for us it was sunny when we got there! The central station isnt tourist friendly for me, in the end i had to ask 2 police officers where to get underground tickets and which line to get to our hotel, all this with our heavy bags! So you can imagine how i took the building noise.
If you dont like Pizza or Pasta you are in real trouble in Rome we didnt find anywhere that looked to be cooking decent food with a varied selection, for a major tourist city such as Rome this was appalling.
All in all, Rome a great city, steeped in attractions and history and glad we went but not for the tourist i feel, been told its bedlam in the summer what with the stifling heat too!

I stayed at this hotel for an entire month for a study abroad with my school. The staff is generally very friendly (there were a few bad apples I'll admit). The hotel is clean and comfortable (especially the beds) and the maids are extremely nice. The food is AMAZING. The overall look of it is very elegant and clean. The outside is just as beautiful. There are trees and benches to sit outside that overlook a park. The location is great. It is right next to the supermarket. I would buy water here because it's too expensive at the hotel. It is also next to an internet/phone place where you can get a phone card right across the street. The metro is only about 2 blocks away. I liked the location because it was sort of tucked away behind a driveway of rows of trees. I didn't mind having to take a train just a few short stops to major places. There are tons of buses nearby too. Overall, a great experience.

We arrived into Ciampio and caught the terravision bus to termini and the metro to cornelia (line A). This was cheap and hastle free. When you come out of the turnstiles take the escalator on the left and veer to the right towards Via Aurelia. Turn right at McDonalds and the hotel is 2 minutes along the road on the left. The hotel is up a long drive......(it can be confusing the first time you do this!)

Our check-in time was 2 pm, we arrived at 2.40 and our room wasnt ready. We went to the bar which was very quiet and nice. It did take around 20 minutes from entering to getting a drink - although there was only one other guest in there. After 3 trips back to reception, our room was eventually ready at 4pm.

The receptionist has really nice. She told us about the hotel, gave us a map with places of interest highlighted, spoke about getting about; buses, metro and the costs/times, etc.

The room wasnt the biggest but had a plasma TV and plenty of storage space. The bathroom was modern and clean. The room was cleaned well everyday and towels were changed twice per day! The view was nice, over the park and had big shutters and air conditioning. The bed was really comfy!

Breakfast was nice; bacon, egg, cereal, fruit, pastries, meats and cheese.

We didnt have dinner in the hotel, probably because of the bad service in the bar when we first arrived.

The hotel is very busy, as well as tourists, it is also a conference centre.

We had read many reports about things being stolen from rooms and therefore didnt leave anything lying around - everything went in the free safe - we had no problems.

It took about 5/10 minutes to walk to the metro and it was 5 minutes to the vatican and 10 minutes to the centre of Rome. We generally headed towards 'Spagna' - the Spanish Steps and had dinner and did some shopping around there. The metro is so easy, clean, cheap and convenient. The longest we waited was 2 minutes. Get an ice cream at the trevi fountain - the best ice cream I have tasted.

If you are heading to the vatican, go early in the morning. You need to go through security when you go in and by the afternoon this can take well over an hour.

We went on a tour of the excavations under the basillica. This is booked through the vatican and you need to do it well in advance as there is limited space. The tour guide was great. Esentially it is an underground street that was filled in to provide foundations for the basillica. It has now been excavated and contains to bones of St Peter (apparently!). From here you can then visit where the popes are buiried and visit the basillica.

We also booked a tour through the vatican for the vatican museums and sistine chapel. You skip the queue and it costs half of the price of what other tour companies cost you. By 1pm, it was roasting and very busy (25,000 people a day!). The tour guide was good but it wasn't really my thing - the crowds and heat made it torture!

We joined at tour at the Colleseum to beat the queue - 10 euro extra but well worth it!

I booked this hotel very last minute thru a web site that offers a service of booking a hotel based on a short description without knowing the name etc. It said it was close to the Vatican - It wasn't when I got the details through. I was a litle worried but once I got off the plane at Ciampino airport I asked at the information booth the cheapest way to to the city. Easy! Saved us an expensive taxi journey and got there by Atral bus 1.40 to Angina Metro station and gott he Metro for 1 euro each to Cornelia station. It was a kind of a 'trial by fire' in a new place on public transport but we managed it. Please note the station name, and as you exit through the turn stiles turn left and ascend those escalators in the direction of Via Aurelia. Lets just say we got a little lost.....

As for the hotel itself, it was easy to spot once we got off the metro. Turn right at McDonalds and it's a few minutes walk on your left. It's an impressive building. I read that it has been recenlty refurbished and we could certainly tell. We had a standard double with no problems with it. No view to speak of but kept the shutters down to keep the heat out anyway. It's only a place to lay your head really. That said, we ate there the 1st day and the food was fine. Not my best meal in rome, but OK. the staff were very attentive and never rude (except on reception they always seemed a littel standoffish) There is a very romantic courtyard there too where we finished each evening there with a romanic drink to reflect on the day.

We were there 3 nights in total, and with the metro being so close by there was no stoping us. Metro closes at 10 though so from Piazza del Popolo it cost us 18 Euros back to the hotel on a Sunday night. Also the taxi drivers didn't seem to really know the hotel but they know the way to Cornelia Metro Station as a last resort.

1 thing I would suggest if you you plan to visit the Vatican is to choose a good tour company. 1 that skips the 3 hour queues. We ended up using the same company for another couple of tours while there.

Great hotel. Fascinating city. Will deinitely be going back!!