Ritmo Blues B&B

The room was freezing at night, when it was around 10°C outside, because guests weren't allowed to switch on the heater. I got sick during the stay. There were flies in the room, and the bathroom drain gave off a strong sewage smell. The room conditions were very poor, and the hotel fell well below basic standards, worse than a simple hostel in my view. I wouldn't recommend staying here.

We were glad to leave as soon as we could. After a serious argument with the host, communication stopped, and we both caught colds. The radiator finally warmed up on the morning we checked out, and there had been warm water the evening before, the day after the confrontation. On Christmas Eve, I messaged because the room was still cold when we returned around 18:30, during the stated heating hours, and there was no warm water for a shower. Since the host lived downstairs with his family, I didn't knock on their door that evening out of respect, even though we had good reason to be upset. He came up shortly after my message, yelled at us, called us liars, told us to leave if unhappy, and said we'd ruined his Christmas. He even tried to cover my pregnant wife, who was lying in bed, with a quilt he'd brought. We stayed calm. Later, he replied through Booking with a sarcastic message that the hot water wasn't meant for washing clothes. His explanation for limiting the heat was that, as tourists from Serbia in Eastern Europe, we were used to central heating and cheap gas, which shouldn't be expected in Western Europe, including Italy. He said the room had one small radiator beneath a high ceiling, and heating was only on daily from 16:00 to 21:00. He also mentioned once giving an American tourist the air conditioning remote in summer and said that wasn't clever, while insisting the AC had no winter mode. The location is handy, just ten minutes from Termini train station, for arriving, leaving, and getting around on foot or by subway. The accommodation is in a lovely old building. But people who looked suspicious were constantly gathered outside the building and along the street, which made us uneasy, especially with a woman alongside. We had booked six days and arrived on Saturday 20th December, leaving Friday 26th. Based on the positive comments about host Sabino, we had expected a lovely stay in the city. After what happened, we left with very different impressions. If you're willing to risk humiliating treatment and manipulation, including distorted accounts that could provoke a careless reaction while abroad, you can stay here. My wife and I won't return.

The owner was friendly and knew the area well, so he could help if you wanted to go somewhere. The train and metro stations were nearby. There were several secure doors, which felt reassuring since the neighborhood can feel a little creepy in the evening. That's normal for an area near the station.

The owner was kind, helpful, and very accommodating. Our room was small but clean and perfectly adequate. The hotel is close to the train station for a quick transfer, and there’s a metro station nearby, so getting to Rome’s sights is easy. I recommend it :)