Guest House Arco dei Tolomei

The hosts were wonderful, and the location was great. Our room was dark, though, so I would have liked to spend a little time on the terrace. It was empty, and could be a nice place to sit if it were set up for that and guests were allowed to use it. The house and rooms could use some TLC, maybe just a fresh coat of paint.

The shower was the one thing that kept this from being a five-star stay. It takes ages for the hot water to come through and the temperature to settle, and the pressure is low with a small shower head. Once you get the setting right, leave the handle alone and switch it off, then the next showers should be fine. It's fine for washing, just not for relaxing. Everything else was perfect for me. Marco, the owner, and George, who helps around the house, were warm and spoke English. My room was pretty and comfortable, and I loved opening the window onto the piazza. Breakfast every morning was a treat. The accommodation is in a fabulous part of Rome, Trastevere, and easy to reach from Termini Station, with buses nearby and a five-minute walk. I'll stay here whenever I'm in Rome.

We plan to come back to this lovely guest house. Marco and his wife Giana were so caring and went out of their way to make our stay special, from the crystal water glasses and nice toiletries in the room to breakfast in the beautiful antique dining room, with paintings on the walls. There was fresh bread, cheese, eggs, yogurt and homemade jams. The location is also handy, about a four-minute walk from the Jewish ghetto. For Israele food, Bella Carne was an excellent restaurant to try. On the corner, Beppe E I suoi Formaggi is a cheese shop said to be one of the greatest cheese food shops in the world. You can taste cheese with a bottle of wine outside and watch the crowds go by, then walk to Piazza Navona, which is right there. We had a wonderful experience staying in this ancient Roman Palazzo.

We went to the Bruce Springsteeb concert at Masimo Circo, and this place in Trastevere was perfectly located. Marco, his wife and the staff member whose name I didn't get were all friendly and hospitaable. Marco also gave us excellent reccommendation for restaurants and places to visit. The room had flowery wallpaper in a traditional Roman style, and the shower was decent. Breakfast each morning was wonderful, especially the fresh homemade jam. I enjoyed it so much that I forgot to make a video clip! I'd book again if I visit Rome.