We stayed in this hostel recently for three nights. The hostel is in a good location if you are coming in by train as it is 5 minutes from Termino station.

The first thing you are faced with is a 69 step climb up to the hostel although there is a lift it is claimed the lift is faulty...

The people at the front desk seemed friendly enough and theygive you a map of Rome which came in very handy.

The rooms themslves are boiling hot, no air conditioning. There is a fan but it didnt make a blind bit of difference in the stifling Rome heat. The covers on the bedding were filthy so i slept in my sleeping bag sheet.

The bathrooms well there is one with three showers and three toilets one for men and one for women and i never managed to get in the shower on the first attempt it was always busy.

The breakfast served was adequate, it was rolls, juice and cereal which is better than some hostels i have stayed in.

I would recommend you dont stay here if you do not like sleeping in the boiling heat.

All in all, an ok place, though the kitchen and internet facilities didn't seem to be enough for everyone, and my bed squeaked terrrribly! Room was spacious. The elevator didn't work and it's up a couple flights of stairs.

Stayed for 4 nights in a mixed 8-bed dorm. Paid €17 per night, which was very cheap.

Hostel is located in a relatively dodgy area very close to Termini, along with a lot of other low-cost accommodation. While the feeling of personal safety was a bit low when wandering back to the hostel late at night, there was never any real cause for concern (note there is a police station about a block away).

Dorm itself was big and airy. Window could be opened to allow fresh air. Beds had thin mattresses and pillows. Those I can live with, but a problem was the doona which was thin (perfect for summer) but being a Roman winter (just above zero) it was inadequate.

Shared unisex bathroom facilities were okay, with separate shower cubicles and toilet cubicles. Both were adequately clean at all times, excepting for the toilet floors in the evenings which were sometimes a bit messy from all the traffic.

Problems here were:
- The hot water in the showers, which sometimes petered out (2 of 4 nights) during a shower, leaving you to finish with tepid water.
- Shower cubicles don't have any benches for you to put your stuff, only a couple of hooks on the wall. As another review suggested, it's not a huge problem as you can hang everything off these two hooks and cover it all with your towel, which might get a few spashes of water.
- Shower cubicles are small. You can either get dressed inside the cubicle with a wet floor or wrap a towel around and dash back to the dorm.

The reception is located on level 2, and the lift doesn't work, so you will need to lug your bags up a couple of flights of stairs. Staff at reception speak excellent English (I think they're all native speakers) and while at times a bit curt, they will help you with whatever you need. Also on level 2 is the internet room / locker room, and kitchen, dining, and lounge. The internet room has 4 computers, but I never got to test out the ease of connection as their registration system had problems while I was there. I got the impression that the internet setup is a bit flaky overall but the prices were close to the cheapest in Rome that I saw. No wireless. Kitchen, dining room, and lounge all seemed adequate, and provides nice spaces to break out into.

Apparently there's also free breakfast (hard bread rolls with spreads and butter), and free pasta in the evenings (didn't try).

Overall, pretty good for the low price, but those requiring a decent internet connection, travelling in winter, or requiring perfect bathroom facilities will need to compromise or look elsewhere.

I stayed in the Alessandro Hostel from sept 5th to sept 9th 2007. This was the first hostel I had ever stayed in because this was my first trip to Europe. I didn't know what to expect. When I arrived at the Termini, I searched for the hostel, but couldn't find it immediately. But when I found it, I was greeted by two great people at the front desk that made everything clear and were very nice. The hostel has a great communal room to watch movies and chat. It has internet access, although only 2 out of the three computers were working. And it has very clean rooms that are spacious. I staying in a mixed dorm with about 8 beds.

The best thing about this hostel is the location next to the termini, and the free food. We had free breakfast, which consists of unlimited juice, cereal, and bread. Not the most amazing breakfast, but it was free. The other thing that it offered was free pasta at night. To get the pasta you just sign your name on a list before 6pm so they know how many plates to make, then you come back at 7 and eat. Pretty good too. It saved me a lot of money.

Overall this hostel was great. I later staying in over 20 other hostels on my trip and remember the alesssandro as one of the best.