I had a very unique experience in Rome since it thunderstormed the day we arrived and we were absolutely soaked by the time we got to the hotel. I found it very difficult to find, but it was constantly raining on us. If you want my opinion, take the subway to the Ottaviano stop, take the bus 32 NORTH to Ponte Milvio. People never heard of the hotel or the surrounding areas. Don't be scared to ride the bus for over 15 mins...just ask locals where Ponte Milvio is and make sure they know you DO NOT want to go to the hostel, where 2 locals ended up taking us. It is on the same road and most tourists on that bus apparently look for the hostel. The hotel itself is nice, very fair for the price. It is quite away from city center though. It was our first time traveling to Rome and in retrospect, i'm not sure we'd stay here again because it was so far awawy.

It is about 15-20 min bus ride (where the stop is about an 8 min walk from the hotel) on #32 to the Ottaviano stop. From there, Rome is very accesible. But it is impossible to go back to your hotel mid-day b/c of the amount of travel required to go back and forth. We were young travelers (22 and 25) and we spent all day touring Rome so it wasn't too big of a deal for us. The hotel is clean, nice, quiet, and the rooms were comfortable. Compared to the other hotels we stayed at during our trip this was one of the better hotels.

Breakfast is good. It had an assortment of drinks (i.e. pineapple, orange, and grapefruit juice) coffee, milk and water. They had yogurt available along with biscuits, breads, and even cereal. But the best part were the cold cuts and cheese that filled us up until lunch. The breakfast area was nice and clean as well.

One of the people who reviewed the hotel is right. Nobody checks for bus or public transportation passes. But I would get one for peace of mind b/c if you're caught there is a on-the-spot fine and an additional fine. Playing dumb won't work i've heard. When I was in Rome they decided to do work on the subway at night and closed the subway at 930pm instead of 1130pm. This was a huge problem b/c we had dinner near the Pantheon one night and had no way back home. So check for any closures b/c locals told me this was going to be occuring for at least a year. It is worth looking into so you're not stuck lost with no way home except for a very expensive cab ride to a very far hotel.

Rome is wonderful. I recommend having the tour of the Vatican as I learned a great deal from the tour. It is costly, we paid 45 euros for entrance into the Vatican and the tour along with St. Peter Cathedral, but well worth it. Take a walk around St. Peter square at night. It was a pleasant walk and nice to just relax in the square the has so much history.

Rome is amazing and I wish you the best. Safe travels...

We visited the Farnesia Hotel and had a wonderful short break to Rome. The hotel was very comfortable, clean and warm. The hotel staff were helpful and friendly. There was a good continental breakfast available in the roof top restaurant. We used the limousine service to and from the airport. The cost was 70 euros as there were four of us travelling. This seemed a little expensive but the driver was courteous and punctual. It certainly saved a lot of hassle. We used the tram and buses to get around the City. The No 2 tram was ideal to take you into the City to the Plazza del Popola. We also used the No 32 bus to the Vatican and the 271 to the Colesseum. We paid 11 euros each for the bus/tram/metro ticket for 3 days. This was excellent value. We pre-booked a guide to take us around the Vatican City and this was a really worthwhile experience. The hotel is about 20 minutes out of Rome City Centre. We ate at a restaurant recommended by the hotel and had two excellent meals served by delightful people. The break involved lots of walking and was a very pleasant stay all round.

We stayed in the hotel in November 2004. We had some difficulty finding the hotel after an adventure on public transport from the airport, a taxi from the city centre might be best for the initial trip. The room was a reasonable size and very clean. The area is a little off the beaten track but this makes it quiet at night. We felt safe throughout our stay. Breakfast was ok, not great, not bad, typically continental. The staff were helpful and we were able to leave our cases in the hotel during our final day after we had checked out.
There were a few local bars which were very reasonably priced compared with the city centre. One by the Milvio bridge provided snacks (practically meals!) free of charge with your drinks - great if you are on a budget!
Rome has good public transport, mainly trams and buses. We would walk 5 minutes across the Milvio Bridge each morning and catch a tram into the centre from where we would explore by foot. For us the morning journey in and evening return were part of the experience but if you are less mobile go for a location closer to the city centre. It would take about 25 minutes from leaving the hotel on foot to arriving in the heart of the city. This is great if you want to spend all day and the evening enjoying this fantastic city as we did. If you want to spend time in the hotel or go back to a base during the day another location would be better.

Overall we were very happy with the hotel; safe, clean and good value but we would probably stay in a different area next time, closer to the centre. There would be a price to pay of course. This hotel is a good compromise.

Just returned from a fantastic trip to Rome. Can highly recommend the Hotel Farnesina at Ponte Milivio. We had booked the hotel's limousine service which cost 55 Euros one way from Ciampino airport. The driver was there to meet us when we got off the plane despite a 45 minute delay from Glasgow. The journey only took 30 minutes.

On arrival at the hotel the staff were very friendly and helpful. There was no language barrier and the check-in was quick. The room was very clean and modern, very boutique style. Facilities were excellent, air-conditioning, telephone, mini-bar, TV, and hairdryer, power shower, nice clean fluffy white towels. The view from the room was of the church which is a landmark in the area. Breakfast was served from 7.30am-9.30am and was the usual continental style. However one bonus was the delicious cafe lattes and the view from the rooftop terrace.

The area surrounding the hotel was lovely. Lots of great restaurants, bars and ice-cream shops. Plenty of authentic Italian atmosphere.
Getting into the centre of Rome was no problem either. Get a ticket from the local newstands for the bus/metro it costs 1 Euro and this lasts for 75 minutes. Catch a No 32 bus the last stop takes you straight to the Vatican or get off at Ottaviano which is the nearest metro station from there you catch the underground train to Spagna (three stops down from Ottaviano) which lets you off near the Spanish steps or go on further to Barberini (four stops from Ottaviano) which is near the Trevi Fountain and Via Veneto for the Hard Rock Cafe. All the major sites are of walking distance once you are in the centre. Must say the Vatican was the highlight of our first trip to Rome. You must see the Basilica, Sistine Chapel and climb to the top of the Cupola (Vatican Dome) the view is awesome. However you must be quite fit even if you do take the lift up part of it. The open top bus tour is great value at 26 Euros they even stop at the Bocca Della Verita (mouth of truth) made famous in the film Roman holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck which is a must too!