My stay at Hotel Villa San Pio was not what I expected, especially for the prices the hotel charges. The hotel has a lot of potential but I found it to be a little dirty and worn and everyone needs to be aware of its location before they book it.

My room was on the top floor, it was very spacious and it had a wonderful balcony with a gorgeous view. We spent a lot of time on that lovely balcony because our room reeked of sewage!! We had to keep the bathroom door shut as much as possible otherwise the stench was unbearable, however, trapping the smell in the bathroom made showering a terrible experience. I usually look for boutique hotels with a little character, but this one was just plain run down. The bed/bedding seemed to be ancient and the tv was ridiculously small, maybe 13 inches? Definitely did not look like the pictures on the website.

I didn't really like the location of this hotel either. It wasn't really close to anything and walking to any points of interest really is an arduous task. I thought it would be a little off the beaten path but it felt more like staying in the 'burbs. Another problem that made me crazy was trying to take taxis back to the hotel. Previously we stayed at a hotel near Piazza Barberini and it was much easier to tell the cab to drop us off at the landmark, but there are no landmarks anywhere near the hotel and most of the cab drivers had never heard of it, so just getting back became an ordeal.

However, they do offer a fabulous breakfast; do take advantage of that if staying there.

We stayed here on recommendation of friend.
We loved it.
Quiet neighbourhood, great restaurants closeby (don't eat at hotel - not worth it).
Find the keyhole, the oramge grove park, and head down into town.

My husband and I stayed in Hotel Villa San Pio for 3 nights in May 2006 and loved it so much we returned in May 2007. We enjoyed it more the second time as the first time the weather was a bit overcast and not warm enought to eat in the garden thought the conservatory is very pleasant. Breakfast in the garden was a lovely experience. There is a buffett breakfast and the waiter brought our tea or coffee to the table, whatever type of coffee you wanted.

We requested a room with a balcony on our second visit and it was lovely sitting out on the balcony unwinding after a busy day walking around Rome. The hotel was within walking distance of the sites of ancient Rome and we got a taxi to the Vatican city on our second visit as we had prebooked a tour and needed to be there at 9.30 a.m. The previous year we caught the open top bus at the Circus Maximus and got on and off at the Vatican.

We found the staff to be helpful and pleasant and would love to return again in the future.

If you are a large party who like a drink and a good time this is not the hotel for you. Not only is is massively overpriced, they shut the bar at 10pm some nights. They made us feel unwelcome, were unhelpful to an elderly relative. The rooms were beautiful, a great size, the breakfast was nice, the grounds lovely, but the atmosphere of the hotel ruined it.