Ciak Hostel

For the price, you get a decent stay: it was clean, near the Colosseum, and well connected by public transport. The air conditioning was amazing in the summer. The neighborhood wasn’t the best, and you’ll need to bring your own locker lock since they don’t provide one. I had a nice stay.

The location worked well, with the tram a block away and the Colosseum about a 20-minute walk. There weren’t bars or party spots nearby, so expect to walk if that’s what you’re after. The hostel looked decent, seemed clean, and had new mattresses, but I got bed bug bites. After talking with staff for a while, I received a refund for one of my three nights, which should help cover laundry and the usual anti-itch cream. I don’t blame the hostel, since you never know who brought the bugs in, and when I left, staff were looking into it. Hopefully they’ll get the problem sorted soon. Don’t rely on breakfast: they put out what may be hard-boiled eggs and a couple of pieces of bread, and once they’re gone, that’s it.

This is a quiet place to sleep, rather than somewhere to meet people. The staff know their stuff, and there’s a nice area for cooking and eating. Breakfast was excellent, and the hostel is walkable from Termini, with metro and tram stops nearby. It’s a decent walk from the Colosseum. There are lockers too. Just don’t believe the kitchen signs about pasta parties on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, they didn’t have any :(

The bathrooms stank, the towels were dirty, and reception felt unfriendly and stingy with running cards. The whole place was old, filthy, smelly, uncomfortable, noisy, and muggy. Pretty much everything I’d want to avoid in a hostel. I’ve never stayed somewhere this awful. Avoid it at all costs.