We found this hotel through a Rick Steves guidebook. I was bitterly disappointed in this hotel, given that we have had good luck with other R.S. recommendations. We are pretty laid back travellers and travel alot, but this hotel was way below par.

During our 4 day stay, the Morpheus was under construction. No communication was provided of construction prior to our arrival. It would have been fine, but they put us in a room right by the front door, where construction was happening all around us - right outside our door and above our heads.

We were at the end of our trip, so we were pretty flexible with breakfast arrangements and european bathrooms. But the offerings at breakfast were pretty dismal (cold coffee each morning) and there were broken fixtures in the bathroom and even mold in the shower cubicle.

To top it off, we had a cluster of teenage girls staying on our floor who were oblivious to other guests. When we'd had enough of their running back and forth between rooms and shouting to each other through the walls, we asked them to please just be aware of other guests. We were ignored. We brought it up with the hotel, who did nothing to help. As I said, we are pretty laid back, but they were running and shouting late into the night.

When we asked for a recommendation for a restaurant in the area, we were directed to a local restaurant around the corner toward the Termini (NOT Est! Est! Pizzeria, which was v. good). Out to two weeks in Italy, it was probably the worst meal we had. It was dry veal and microwaved (frozen) ravioli. When we asked for the bill (3 times over a 45 mins period), we were shouted at by the waiter.

The only saving grace to this hotel is location. But I am sure there are better places to stay in the area.

The 3 night stay at MORPHEUS B&B was dictated by the weather. Original chosen booking was at the sister hotel Antiteatro Flavio but the room had been rain damaged and the offer to move to the newly renovated 5th floor at Morpheus was too good to resist after a 3am get up.

The Morpheus was only a street off Via Nazionale and about 5 mins stroll from the Metro Republica or Cavour. Even walking to/fro-Termini station at a pleasant pace with luggage trolley/rucksack was only 10-15 mins with sly glances into the shop windows! So location of the Morpheus is great.

As mentioned the 5th floor of the Morpheus is brand new, so new infact that it was just finished and some work was still being carried out in the reception area and curtains in the room were only put up the next day. (The windows had shutters so it wasn't a problem.) Another suprise next day was the bathroom fittings went in - soap dish etc. As it was new everything was spotless there was endless hot water so no scrimping and running out of hot water as read in some reviews. (I think the original 4th floor Morpheus is going to get the same renovation treatment as the staff were starting to move up onto the 5th.) It was all to a very high standard for a B&B and it is very luxurious for the price paid.

The rooms are carpeted and have radiators which is lovely in the winter -a really cosy feel. There is air conditioning which will be a bonus for summer stays. Reading about other accomm reviews in Rome always throws up issues about size of rooms and lack of space. How much room do you need to sleep? The rooms were not vast but not small and cramped either. There was enough room to have a 2-seater sofa to create a sitting area to watch TV.

The only drawback was the lack of tea/coffee making facility so bring your travel kettle if you like your brews! Rooms have an empty frigo and a safe which are real bonuses, so you can stock up with water and fruit etc from the numerous little grocery shops or the big Spar on Nazionale which sells everything.

Breakfast is taken in the room which means you can take your time, lounge about in your PJs and breakfast in bed if you wish! there is a good choice of typical continental breakfast with a range of drinks, fresh (not packaged) crossaint, bread roll, cakes, cereal, soft cheese triangle, butter, jams and honey.

Maria who prepares breakfast is great and really looks after you, she is the one who will get you up at whatever time you request and brings the breakfast tray, so be nice to her if you want your brekky at 6am so you can make your early morning flight!

All the staff at Morpheus are friendly, full of advice especially Tiberak who is on the reception most days, if she doesn't know the answer to your question she finds out on the internet for you, eg. admission prices/times to Vatican Museum - every last sunday in the month is free admission

Walking to Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Quirinale and Coloseum, ~Imperial Forum etc are all within 15 mins from B&B but of course distractions are in every shop window and menu board of the numerous pizzerias, trattorias, bars and cafes.

Heading across the river to the Vatican City area is not a problem either with a choice of walking if you really must (as if you haven't done enough walking already!) or hop on the bus or best and quickest - hop on metro at republica and hop off at Ottaviano (for St. Peter's or Cipro (for Vatican Museum)

The location of Morpheus can't be bettered if you have a couple of days in Rome and want to do the usual sights and as walking in the city can be wearisome after the first day! The numerous bus stops and metros are just round the corner.

The lift serving the palazzo is a relic but is a novelty and totally safe to use. Just make sure you close the doors and gate as it won't work otherwise.

Windows are original and single glazed with shutters but this doesn't shut out the city noise which can prove irritating if you are a light sleeper or need a good night's sleep for travelling the next day. So bring some earplugs incase your room is roadside rather than courtyard. Rooms are prepared daily and towels changed every 2 days. So, all in all what more can you ask for from a B&B?

I would come back to stay here and would have no reservations recommending it to people.

My husband and I stayed at the Morpheus B&B in Rome for 4 nights from 10/12/08 – 10/16/08. To sum it up… we got what we paid for. We bought our stay through hotels.com for $195 a night with all fees and taxes. That’s a cheaper hotel in Rome. Be careful, most hotels don’t have a private bathroom. Our room did have a private bathroom.

What we liked:
•Breakfast included in price and delivered to your room (no fruit though)
•Decent size room for Europe
•Hairdryer (annoying to use)
•Friendly/Helpful receptionist that spoke pretty good English.
•Extra pillows and blankets in the cabinet
•Close to Colosseum and Via Veneto
•Across the street from a great sandwich shop. Best one we found in Rome.
•Hotel doors never lock. You can get in anytime.
•Has decent size lift
•Can use the microwave if needed

What we didn’t like:
•Never changed our sheets or towels
•Stains on floor, chairs and blanket
•Cramped bathroom. Bidet in front of toilet so your feet are basically in the shower while using the toilet.
•Very uncomfortable toilet seat.
•Sewage smell right outside main door.
•In an old rundown building on the 4th floor.
•Uncomfortable beds.
•TV was old and didn’t always work. Only English channel was MTV
•Very small stall shower
•Tricky room key
•Our outlet in the bathroom was hanging out and broken and they never fixed it even though we asked.
•Noisy area right outside of the rooms where the staff makes breakfast. The breakfast was basically made in the microwave.
•Could smell people smoking in other parts of the hotel
•Poor water pressure and lost hot water at times

For the price, this is a good bargain right in the heart of the historic district of Rome. It is on the 4th floor of an old building, and so the rooms are small. It was somewhat of a squeeze for our family of four. But they are clean and functional, and the beds were comfortable. The refrigerator didn't work great and the shower stall would have been too small for a very big person, but these were not problems for us. The staff is helpful and some of them speak good English. The breakfasts were adequate (a hot beverage and your choice of croissants, bread, cake, etc.). You are within easy walking distance of major attractions (Coliseum, Forum, etc.), the metro, restaurants, and supermarkets.We did a lot of online searching before booking this hotel, and we were happy with our choice.