Domus Victoria

The room was clean, the bedding crisp, and the bed was one of the most comfortable I've slept in. But the room is small, and the shower felt tiny even to a petite person. Breakfast wasn't fresh or anything special. The staff member on the phone and the woman bringing breakfast were both polite. The metro is just a few steps away at vittorio emanuelee station, with connections across Rome. The balcony photo on the booking site is misleading: it's a tiny shared balcony for an apartment with five rooms, and it doesn't look nearly as pretty or well kept as the picture. Finding the place was difficult, and getting the key was even harder. There was nobody to greet us or talk to in person, which is inconvenient on a first visit to the country. We dragged our luggage around looking for the key box on another street and block. We stayed three nights and were asked to pay thirty bucks in tax at checkout, but weren't given a receipt despite asking.

We had a pleasant, easy stay for our Saturday-to-Monday visit. The room felt fresh and clean, with a lovely view over the city and park. The bathroom was small but fine for a short trip. Staff were friendly and helpful, even if they didn't always speak English. The hotel is opposite a metro station, and contactless payment for €1.50 gets you near sights like the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and Vatican City. You can also buy tickets. A supermarket, patisserie, and bars are within walking distance, and there's a row of restaurants about ten minutes away on foot. We had no complaints about the location, cleanliness, or facilities. On arrival, watch for the large door and buzzer. Once you've spotted them, getting in is straightforward.

This was the worst place we stayed in during three weeks. The outside walls were covered in graffiti, which made me worry about safety while my husband went to find the keys. Once inside, we found the door to Domus victoria. The tiles were all broken, and we had to carry our luggage up a flight of narrow, dirty stairs to the elevator. Some stairs were broken too. The elevator was so small it could fit only two small people, with no room for large suitcases. Two taxi drivers had told us the area was unsafe, and I wanted to leave right away. We had booked a week, but stayed because we wouldn't have been able to get a refund. After the first night, we came back to find the cleaning lady had moved our suitcases onto the single bed we weren't using. My neatly folded coat sweater had been taken off the suitcase and hung up. The next morning, I couldn't find my vitamins in their container. My husband and I took everything out of our suitcases, but they weren't there. Then my husband opened a side tanke drawer, and there they were. The cleaning lady had rearranged our things without permission. I was totally upset and told her, although she couldn't speak English. The toilet seat was broken, so we had to hold it every time we used it, and the shower was much too small. I don't know how anyone could leave a good review. DON'T BOOK THIS PLACE. The girl there isn't friendly or helpful, and watch your things around her.

There are many restaurants nearby, but check for a service fee. Remember to add 3,5€ tax for each day of your stay. To find the guest house, look for the huge gate numbered 138; the entryphone is on its left. It's a flat inside a large apartment building, about a ten-minute walk from Roma Termini. You can walk almost everywhere apart from the Vatican, and nowhere else is more than a 45-minute walk away. Hosts were friendly and very helpful. Rooms were cleaned daily, and there were sweet breakfasts, fridges in the rooms, and all the facilities listed on Booking. My favorite spot was the little kitchen balcony, where you could eat breakfast or have wine and a cigarette in the evening. Just be kind and share it with the other guests. If noise makes it hard for you to sleep, ask for a room facing the building's interior. Street-facing rooms are extremely loud, and earplugs don't make it easy to fall asleep. There isn't air conditioning, but there are large ceiling fans, which are enough if you're only in the room mornings and evenings.