We just returned from a fantastic 10 day trip to Rome, a very pleasant vacation which was made even better by our great accomodations: SixtythreeB&B!
Honestly, you can't go wrong with this place: the rooms and bathrooms are newly renovated and super fresh and clean, they look exactly as they are shown on their website. They do not have some room amenities that we may expect as North American travellers, like alarm clocks, iron and ironing board, facecloths, or a telephone in the room -- so if you need any of that stuff, just bring your own as we did. Breakfast is laid out for you every day, our fellow B&B guests were quiet and courteous (there are four guest rooms in total sharing the one communal kitchen), and at five stories up you're far above the sounds of the street below. Speaking of which, we heard absolutely no train noise, and very little street noise at night. We brought earplugs just in case, but didn't have any need for them whatsoever.
Best of all, you're very close to Termini Station which makes touring around Rome via bus or metro a snap -- it's really a perfect headquarters for a Rome tourist. It was also great for arriving in from the airport -- 8.50 Euro train trip from FCO to Termini. Termini is also handy for an early morning newspaper or a late-night snack run (gelato!).
We augmented our breakfasts by going down to a market about three blocks south east of the B&B. There you can find all the fresh fruit, veggies and eggs you could want.
Also, just a half-block south of this place is a very fine little restaurant called "All'Acquario" (see photo) with very good food and service at a reasonable cost (three courses for two people with wine, under 50 Euros). I recommend this place very highly in general, but especially as a great option if you feel too tired after touring around Rome all day to look for dinner beyond your immediate neighbourhood.
And finally, a word about the neighbourhood. I think at first glance the neighbourhood around Termini might cause some concern for some people. Certainly the buildings are old, graffiti seems to be everywhere (see photos), and there's definitely a lower income/multi-ethnic feel to the place. These are often red flags to your usual middle class travelers, especially North Americans.
However, one must put things into context. The buildings are a little rough around the edges because guess what?... this is Rome. Most of the apartments in this area are probably a couple of hundred years old. The graffiti is not gang-related, it's nothing more than random tags of young would-be artists, and when you look closely at the people on the street at night it's invariably just some scooter-kids gabbing into their cell phones, local businesspeople walking home from their stores or fellow tourists coming or going from Termini Station.
So don't let what you've read about Termini and the immediate neighbourhood put you off. From my experience you're very unlikely to find trouble there unless you deliberately go looking for it.
So stay at Sixtythree B&B, eat at All'Acquario down the street, and enjoy the convenience of the Termini Station.
We found our favourite days were when we would take a bus (1 Euro) out to a further away destination (like the Villa Borghese) and then spend the day walking through Rome back to SixtyThree, winding our way through all the sights.
One last word about our experience with Rome B&B's. In North America, B&B hosts usually live in the home and are all about *hosting* you in their home, making big fabulous breakfasts for you, catering to your needs, etc. In Rome, they just make sure you have some continental breakfast fixin's available to you in the fridge, and you are on your own. We met Gaetano once or twice in the 10 days we were there(great guy, excellent English) and saw Aleksandra a few times as she would come and clean up rooms and the breakfast area every day (no English). But don't expect anyone to act as a traditional host here, they don't even live on location, you are renting a room only. But for the 65 Euro per night we paid, how on earth could you ask for anything more?!?
Please feel free to email us if you have any questions about our trip.
