My husband and I stayed at the 3-star Hotel Giorgi when we travelled to Rome in September 2009. The hotel is situated on Via Magenta just less than 5 mins walk from Termini station and approx. 50mins from Fiumicino airport (for international flights), which is convenient especially if your arrival is late at night.
Getting there
Take the Leonardo Express from Fiumicino to Termini for 11 Euro per person (30mins)
or take the regional train from Fiumicino to Ostiense and change to metro (Piramide) to get to Termini for 6.5 Euro altogether. This takes 50mins, but it's very well signposted and easy to find your way to get to Rome city centre. The regional trains run more often than Leonardo express which comes at every 30 mins.
When you arrive at Termini, you need to train right at the exit and cross the car parks and a main street to get to Piazza della Indipendenza. Via Magenta is on the first street to your right.
On arrival
On arrival, we were greeted by an old Italian man at the reception desk. You will need to show your passport and fill in the necessary paperwork to check-in. The old man proceeded to tell us in good, but rather fast(!) english about all the best places to visit in Rome, what to avoid and recommended places to eat. It was rather amusing to follow, but it makes for a nice welcome! He'd also gives you a city map of Rome that marks out all the main attractions to see in Rome.
Our room
We were given a twin bed room on the first-floor, which easily slept four. The rooms have been recently refurbished and looks quite modern. It has a large ensuite bathroom with a basin, two toilets (normal for Europe) and a shower. You'd get given towels - these are quite thin and seems a bit like tablecloths, so you may find it is not sufficient for your use if you are used to using soft and thicker towels. We'd also found that where you stand in the shower it was a bit blocked, leaving you standing in a puddle whilst having a shower so the plumbing system is not so good.
The room had a TV (all Italian channels) and a fridge cabinet underneath. You'd get given free bottles of complimentary mineral water. There was a walk-in wardrobe in our room where a safe was also available. There was a telephone to call the receptionist and acted as an alarm if you requested the reception to wake you up at a certain time. It also has the usual dressing table and a small dining table.
There was air-conditioning in the room, but it is centrally operated and you needed to ask the receptionist to switch it on. The air conitioning when it was on made the room quite comfortable to sleep in - not too hot or cold, but you do need to get use to the noise at first.
The view
There's not much to look at outside. Our room faced the street, which was surprisingly quiet despite being near to the main hub of the city. Each morning we got woken up by the sound of church bells, but I think this is inevitable as Rome is full of churches!
Breakfast
The breakfast room is on the first floor past the lounge area. The breakfast bar was small, but it consisted of a continental buffet of cheese, ham slices, pastries, bread, yoghurt, selection of cereals, juices and fruit - pretty basic, but enough to fill you up with a full stomach until lunchtime. The staff were very friendly and brought you tea or coffee. You would need to get there at least half an hour before the breakfast finishes at 10am (opens 7am), because otherwise you'd might find that there's not much choice of breakfast left.
Getting around
As mentioned before, the hotel is conveniently located near Termini train station, which is also the main bus station that serves the city centre and surrounding areas. It is also relatively within easy walking distance to the main sights in Rome (that's located in the North East section or Colosseum and the Roman Forum. For example, it takes approx 20mins to walk to the Colosseum. It costs 1 Eur for a ticket lasting 75 mins to travel on any metro or bus routes.
Local eatery
There are lots of eating places around the hotel because it is situated near to Termini. Invariably if you eat at the station (mainly fast food, including McDonald's) it is a little more expensive. The receptionist recommended Florian's Cafe, which is located on Piazza della Indipendenza just round the corner from the hotel. We went there on two nights and enjoyed the meals. You can get a pasta and secondi, plus water, for two for 25-30 Euro.
Local amenities
Apart from those just mentioned, there's a BNL Paribas bank on Via Cavour that takes Visa cards and you could withdraw money. Most of the shops are in Termini and you could get an international telephone card from the Tobacconist stores.
Checking out
We'd just handed our key card at the reception desk (you'd also need to do this everything you leave i.e. go out of the hotel; even if you are just stepping outside to buy something! And pick it back up when you go back). You could leave your luggage in a small room, which is locked, if you still have a bit more of a day to spend in Rome before catching your flight.
Overall impression
We'd enjoyed our stay immensely and would recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind forgoing a bit of luxury, and just want a comfortable and convenient place to stay, whilst on a budget.
