After having booked myself into what can only be described as a horrendous hotel a few years ago in Rome I was rather concerned about the quality of hotels there. Since I was in charge of booking the accomodation in Rome and it was a birthday present for my partner I had my fingers firmly crossed that Merulana was not going to let me down. I had done my research online and the pics looked good, but then again don't they always?!

I was absolutely gobsmacked that Merulana did not disappoint, in fact was above and beyond what I could of hoped for. It was absolutely delightful and so very homely. It was also extremely clean with the unusual but comforting aroma of peaches - strange I know!

It is well situated about a 5 minute walk from Termini station, just down the road from the awe inspiring St Mary's Basilica and right near stop number 4 for the Blue Line of the Hop on Hop off red double decker City sight seeing Bus - a must for your first day. Merulana is also about a 15/20 min walk from most of the attractions, the Colloseum, The Forum and Palatine, the Trevi Fountain and well pretty much most of the places you want to go.

The Hotel itself is great, I really liked the fact that there was no check in desk and once you are given your entry card you come and go as you please and it is really like coming home every time you return, not a hotel. The rooms are exactly as they look in the photos and are spotlessly clean and have been decorated in a beautiful yet very way. My partner and I were so very impressed.

The breakfast was lovely, not a big spread but plenty of variety and I thought really sweet. The milk however tasted a little strange tasting, perhaps it was goats milk? We suggest you buy your own little bottle to keep in your fridge. There is a supermarket just around the corner near the Basilica.

There are plenty of restaurants nearby although most of our eating out experiences were a little strange, and while the food was mostly okay the service disappointingly was really very bad.

I will however recommend you visit 'La Cuccuma' a tiny little place just down the road on the opposite side at Via Merulana 221, they were really lovely and the food although simple was great. You have to get there early as it fills up fast. The sign of a great place clearly! There is also a great coffee shop on the corner near the Basilicca - the newest looking one near the market stalls.

You also have access to the internet and wireless if you so desire so you can research your day trips etc. My only criticism is our bathroom was a little small and our shower was leaking all over the floor but once we worked out how to fix it with a towel it was fine, I suspect it was just ours though not all of them. Still we were there to see the sights you not spend all our time in the bathroom so it was fine!

I cannot reccomend the Merulana Inn enough, my only hope is with this glowing review that next time I want to go there it is not fully booked. I only wish there were Merulana's everywhere, not just Rome!!! Fabulous value for money and a real home from home.

I stayed here for two nights and absolutely loved it!

The hotel itself is only one floor of the entire building, so it's very small but this adds to its charm,as does the modern decor. Rooms aren't amazingly big, but they definitely aren't too small either, and they are equipped with everything you need (tea/coffee making facilities, good sized flat-screen tv) as well as being modern, very comfortable and clean. And the bathrooms, although fairly small, are absolutely spotless!! Breakfast, as has been said before, is basic, but there is still plenty to fill up on and the continental buffet is constantly being refilled before items run out.

The hotel is run from another building, but is looked after during the morning/early afternoon by an attendant. Although she speaks very little English, she is very friendly and made a big effort with us.

As the hotel is not manned all the time it means if you arrive late there may not be anyone in the building to let you in, however this isn't a problem. We arrived in the evening, but just called the phone number on hotel sign outside the main door and were promptly let into the building remotely.

The hotel is in a fantastic location, very close to Termini station, walking distance from the main attractions (eg. Colosseum, Trevi Fountain) and the beautiful Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore at the end of the street.

Will definitely be staying here on my next trip to Rome!

After searching for quite some time I found the Merulana Inn. Taking into consideration that Rome accommodation is on the pricey side the Merulana seemed to be good value.

The hotel is easy to find from the station and only a few minutes walk (just look out for the purple wall plaque). The entry is not conventional as the door is activated remotely at a sister hotel. After a quick call to the sister hotel we were let in. At this point I think my boyfriend thought 'where the hell has she brought me' as the hall way and staircase is a little drab and office bocky. Then the door opened to the hotel. I then got the thumbs up from an impressed boyfriend who described the hotel as 'the best hotel we have stayed in so far'! This hotel is clean, modern and value for money. Its serviced by a lovely woman in the morning who serves breakfast and cleans. This hotel is a steal only because it is not manned otherwise i think it would be in the higher price bracket, if you are more of an independent traveller looking for top quality accommodation then this is the hotel for you.

Pros: Clean, Modern decor, good value for Rome prices and breakfast included

Cons: On arrival the water was off, called sister hotel to report and got a man who really didn't care, no apology or compensation. After a bit of a disgruntled 1st night this was all forgotten when spoke to house keeper in morning just because she was so nice!

Tips: ask for a cappuccino at breakfast, much better than the bog standard coffee served. Don't use the cake shop on the square unless you want to pay £7 a slice! Visit the Vatican on a Wednesday the Pope makes a personal apperance for his weekly service.

As agreed with the previous reviews, the hotel is a very small hotel which is really run from its parent hotel - and so everything is monitored and run via the cameras planted in every corner of the hotel. The rooms are very clean and modern with the television being equipped with great channels. The lady who watches the place (Faye (sp?)) makes the breakfast in the morning and cleans every room in the hotel; and she does a wonderful job. However after 3pm she is gone from the hotel and back to the parent hotel to take care of those rooms. The hotel is very well located near Roma termini and we did all of rome by foot i.e. Colosseum, spanish steps, vatican city. A few bad points about the hotel is the ancient elevator which seems to struggle going up and down particularly if you have heavy luggage. Although breakfast is provided alot of the food that is made has come from preserved packages (particularly the fruit), the oj is just orange syrup. Apart from those minor things, the hotel was very good and very conveniently located in Rome.