Coming in from the street, this "albergo" (hotel) seemed rather sketchy. But after buzzing in and becoming more comfortable with the safety of the place (3 separate locked doors to get to a room), the place was a lot more pleasant. The young guy that worked there was incredible, giving us the lay of the city and telling us what to watch out for, even suggesting some reasonably cheap places to eat.

The room was nothing incredible (we were in a room without a bathroom), but it did have a mirror and a sink which was good. The shared bathroom was nothing especially beautiful but was kept fairly clean and was working perfectly. The location nearby Termini was for us backpackers a blessing, letting us unload quickly after getting of the train. There is no sign out front, but you can look for Pensione Catherine (it shares the same building). Rome isn't as huge as it looks on the map, so although the hotel looks like it's out of the way, you can hoof it to the other side of the city (Vatican) within an hour.

Less than a block away on the opposite side of the street is an incredible internet/phone cafe that was ridiculously cheap (a euro an hour for internet - you can even pay by minute/page - and ten cents a minute to call home to Canada).

We stayed at Hotel Cressy for a long weeekend in March 2006. On arriving at the hotel we recieved a warm welcome and were orienated to the city by being talked through a map of the sights.

We had booked a double room wih an ensuite bathroom. The room was very clean, quiet and comfortable. The location was great for our short stay and the price really good too.

We would definitely stay here again and would recommend it to others looking for somewhere with all the basic necessities, somewhere that is really good value.

We are a family group (2 adults and a teenager) and stayed at the Cressy Hotel in September. I would highly recommend this Pensione. Clean, friendly and very convenient. It is located a very short walk from the terimini train, metro and bus station. You really can walk to all the big tourist sites except the Vatican which is short local bus ride. The street is full of cafes and resturants and laundettes and on the weekend there are vege and clothing markets outside your door. Roberto our Host was wonderful. Roberto speaks excellent English if your Italian is not so good. Roberto had maps and advise on local buses and places that were 'must see' and cafes and wine and where to be careful of pick pockets and all those bits of local knowledge that enriched our stay in Rome. We all threw coins in the Trevi fountain (very corny I know) and wished to return to Rome again - and would stay at the Cressy again.

Hostel/pension for budget travellers. It's located on the fifth floor in a shared building, but there is an elevator available.

If all you will be needing is a bed and a shower, Cressy will do just fine. It's affordable, clean, has friendly staff and is in a perfect location, just one street away from Termini train/bus/metro stops.

There are dorm rooms, rooms with shared bathroom and rooms with bathrooms.

Good:

+ location: very close to Termini
+ neighbourhood: lots of affordable restaurants nearby. Supermarket, snack corner and internet cafe within 20 meters.
+ friendly staff
+ clean bathrooms

Not so good:
- no TV, no airco, no telephone
- only one electrical outlet in the room
- only cash payment possible