Spent a week in Rome in March 2008 with a friend and I must say our trip was successful partly thanks to the wonderful and friendly staff of Garda Hotel. Everybody was very professional and understanding even though there were a few blunders from our part regarding our reservation and paying of the room in the end. Luckily everything got sorted out and we're very thankful to Claudio for his helpfulness (he's really wonderful and a great concierge ;)).

The hotel itself was clean and simple, rooms were spacious and the bathroom well-lit. It's a hotel people; you shouldn't expect it to have all the same luxury you can find at home. We were pleased with our room, it had the basics we needed for a good holiday in Rome - and it's not like you spend a lot of time in the hotel anyway.

The location was wonderful, only a 10-minute walk from the Spanish Steps and from there you could walk almost everywhere. It was great for not having to take the subway or the bus every night to get back to our hotel, it's really just a walking distance from many main attractions.

Should I ever go back to Rome, I would definitely stay here again and would recommend this hotel to others as well.

Hotel confirmed one rate in writing and charged me another (higher) price when I went to pay the bill. Said they couldn't do anything about it. Left me feeling pretty bad about it and well taken advantage of by people who seemed so friendly at first...

Stay somewhere else. Go out and eat a proper breakfast and skip the Garda's cheap breads.

We have just returned from a great 3 days staying at Hotel Garda, which is in a great location for sightseeing with the main sights only a short walk away.

The room was very clean and the hotel was well maintained. The entrance is not immediately obvious as the hotel is situated on the top floors of a building on Via Lombardia. However, just bear this in mind and keep your eye out for number 30 and it is not a problem at all.

The hotel was excellent value in comparison to others that I could find in a similar area, and the service was great. All staff were friendly and could speak English very well, and were eager to help with advice on sightseeing and provide very good restaurant recommendations. The restaurant Piccolo Mondo just around the corner (left out of the entrance) was superb.

As far as the reviews before mine criticising the breakfast...If you're expecting a full english, you won't find this in any hotel here, the breakfast served at this hotel is typical and sufficient. A selection of fresh croissants, brioche, fresh rolls, french toast are available along with juices and excellent coffee! This was more than enough and according to my guidebook, was typically Italian.

Rooms are not huge, but in my experience this is the case in most capital cities on this sort of budget. Not luxurious, but good value and a perfect base to return to after a long day of sightseeing! I would definitely return.

The breakfast consisted of cold croissants and grapefruit juice. The coffee selection was good but I had to have a follow up breakfast after I left.
I was not allowed to have a person in my room for a few hours. I had booked a single room and my guest had to pay off the front desk guy off to stay with me for a couple of hours. He was more nosey and strict than my own mother.
The bathroom was neat and clean as was the room.