We chose Hotel Galeno mainly because of it's price; a real bargain for a hotel in Rome which includes a breakfast, and quite a good one at that!

The hotel is situated near the Embassies; quite far out of the centre and from the main attractions, however we did walk every day. It took between 30 and 45 minutes depending on which way we went! It was an easy walk from the train station though, upon arrival, but watch out for Romanies as they seem quite keen on pick pocketing!

Our room was quite small; quite an interesting take on the word 'bedroom' as it was mostly a bed, but was clean and well-furnished! The ensuite facilities were simple, but also clean. Our room was a ground floor one, which wasn't very nice when you opened the curtains in the morning to see the cleaning trolley!

The area seemed very safe and quiet which was a bonus.

The breakfast was excellent, full continental; with croissants and a choice of coffee, tea or hot chocolate and other such goodies.

Staff seemed helpful, but we didn't have much contact with them.

We just returned from a two week vacation to Italy. Our first three days there we spent in Rome and stayed at the Hotel Galeno. A three star and on the cheaper end of hotel rooms in Rome but I would highly recommend it. Had no issues at all. The staff was very nice - most of them spoke English. Clean, safe - off one of the main streets in Rome. When you pull up you will see a sign - HOTEL GALENO - walk thru the gate down a cobble stone path - turn left and there it is. We would definately stay there again - with in walking distance to lots of restaurants and the Porta Pia.

Just for those who are thinking about spending some days in Rome, I recommend you not to go near this hotel. It is four days since we arrived and our experience in this hotel is as follows: the room was tiny (even for European standards!), one of the so called bedside tables was broken, the air condiotining was non existing (although it seems that there are some rooms that have, we were not lucky enough to have one) but they left a fan in the middle of the room which was broken as well (so imagine Rome in July without some cool air!), we couldn't open the windows because the first day we killed five giant mosquitoes and we were afraid of opening them, the doors in the shower were broken and it was a miracle not to flood the bathroom every time you tried to have a shower, in three days staying there, the room was tidied up once, the breakfast was served at your table and it was not that bad though it lacked cereals or fruit. Also, one day (as the hotel is part of a block of flats), there was a party in one flat and the music didn't stop until late at night...a nightmare!. Apart from this, the staff was friendly. For all these reasons, I warn you about this hotel, I hope that the next time we go to Rome we can find something a litlle bit better for the same price, because we only wanted to stay there for the night and a relaxed shower, and that was too much for this hotel.

Before booking any hotel, I carefully read all reviews. Having travelled quite a lot, I tend to pick up the statements that are most consistent throughout the reviews to pinpoint the actual facts instead of personal opinions. This usually gives me a good idea of what to expect. having read all the reviews of Hotel Galeno, I felt it safe to book the room through Lasminute.com.
Firstly, the rooms are cheap. I booked a double room for 5 days, including a weekend, and ended up paying £180, including breakfast. I thought this was quite cheap, and as such, didn't expect any great luxury in this 2 star hotel.
We found the Hotel very easy to find. On the main road, there are signs pointing to Via De Villini, on which the Hotel is located, and we didn;t ecperience any troubles getting there either. It is a 15 minute walk away from the Termini station. Hacing seen the picture of the front gates and the path to the front door, we found it very easily. The front door you see from the gate is the entrace to the block of flats, but there were signs at that door pointing to your left (left side of the house) where the entrance to the hotel was. We were early, checking-in time is at 14.00, and we arrived at 11-ish, but the staff at the desk happily asked the cleaners to do the final clean up while we checked in. All the staff spoke great English as well.
The room itself was not small, I'd call it cozy, or homey. It was clean, very clean in fact, the bed was comfortable, there was a telly wit the basic Italian channels (but who goes to Rome to watch telly in a hotel, really!) and shampoo samples, soap, two sets of clean towels and lots of spare toilet paper. It was obvious the room was old, but it was comfortable and big enough for two people. The toilet had a shower (which had a showercurtain which could be pulled in front of it, the space was not big but it was used well) a toilet, a basin, a sink and a mirror. Also, our towels and shapoo and soap got changed / refilled every day, our bed was made everyday and the rubbish taken out. The cleaning staff don't speak much English but you don't really get to see them, they are very discreet. We didn't have a hair dryer, but every time we asked for one from the staff, they happily provided one.
The room did have green, fitted bars in the window, but these didn;t bother us. You could still open the windows and they were there for our protection, the window opened to a courtyard that was also used by the people who lived in the flats above.
Having left our grear to our room, we asked for a place to eat. they recommended this great restaurant (where we ended up eating every day, the value for money is great [pizza = €7, pasta =€6 etc. and the service is awesome) and gave us a map to the city and also giving us some valuable adise on where to eat, what to go and see, and most importantly, what to avoid.
Breakfast was good in my opinion. It's not a buffet, you sit at the table and the staff wiull bring you a tray of goods. You get to choose between coffee, tea or hot chockolate, and also you are provided with a white roll, yogort, a sweet croisant, juice and pre-packed melba toast. It kept us going until lunch time easily, and we like to eat! The toast itself proved to be a good snack to take with you if you decided not to eat it at the hotel.
The location itself was very good too, it was off the main road and therefore quiet. It is located close enough to the central to either go by foot or to take the metro, which is also quite close. We weren't bothered by people in next rooms, either we had really quiet neighbours or the walls were not paper thin, but we also had a good nights sleep. There also is a small market close by and the previously mentioned great restaurant.
In conclusion, I would say Hotel Galeno is a good value for money and a great place to stay. The staff speak English well, and those who do not (the cleaners, and some of the breakfast staff) speak enough to get understood. Always remember that in Italy English is not spoken as commonly as in some other countries. The location is brilliant for rest and for access to central. If you are looking for a luxury hotel with too much space and for some strange reason plan on spending a lot of time inside your hotel room while in Rome, you might want to look elsewhere. Otherwise, it is a great place. I will definitely go again.

P.S A bit for Finnish people:
Hotellissa on toissa aivan loistava suomalainen tytto, joka on painonsa arvoinen kullassa. Loistavat neuvot ja hyva tyyppi! iso kiitos avusta!