San Francesco a Ripa Apartment

The staff were fabulous, friendly, and helpful, and check-in was quick and simple. The hotel is staffed around the clock, so handing in your room key card whenever you go out wasn’t a problem. We could walk from Trastevere Station in about 20 minutes, and it’s only a 10-minute walk into central Rome. There are mini markets and a larger Conad just minutes away. Bars and restaurants are about five minutes away in lively Trastevere, close enough to enjoy but far enough that late-night revellers didn’t disturb us. Our room was small and basic, but light, airy, and clean. The bathroom was a good size, and the linens were changed daily. There’s a mini fridge, though it didn’t get very cold. There were no tea or coffee facilities, not even a kettle, so after four days I was desperate for a cuppa. We also had a room safe, but it kept giving us an error. Reception said the instruction card should have been there, but it was missing, and maintenance had left for the day. After some googling, we found the reset button and got it working ourselves. We were at the rear of the hotel, facing a church that rang its bell for about 30 seconds at 7, 7:15, and 7:30 each morning, so no early alarm needed. Our double room had just one glass in the bathroom and no other cups or glasses. We also had a small ironing board but no iron. We could have asked for those, but they seemed like basic things to have in the room. It was a really convenient stay, and I’d definitely recommend the hotel.

The hotel is small, handy for everything in the area, and the service was amazing. The staff made sure we felt at home. I’d definitely recommend it.

Trastevere is a lively neighborhood with loads of places to eat and drink, and we liked escaping there after afternoons in the city center, where flag-waving tour guides were pushing people around. The area felt safe, although you do hear some street noise, which is part of city life. From the hotel, most of the big tourist sights were about a half-hour walk away. There’s also a tram stop and bus service if that feels too far. We stayed four days and found it a perfect base for exploring Rome. The room was small but comfortable and clean, with a nicely sized bathroom, just what I expected from a reasonably priced city hotel. Tea and coffee facilities would have been handy, but with cafes and bars all around, it wasn’t really a problem. The welcome was exceptional, warm and friendly, and in perfect English. The staff even listened kindly to our poor attempts at Italian without laughing. Everyone was helpful, kind, and courteous. It’s probably the friendliest hotel we’ve stayed at in years. Stay here, you won’t regret it.

My recent stay was one of the worst I’ve had. We paid around $300 a night for a very small room, tiny even by Japanese standards, with rock-hard beds that felt made for a child. The toilet was broken, so we fixed it ourselves. Then the towel rack broke when we took a towel off, and right after that the bathroom window curtain fell when we opened it. When we asked for things like extra towels, we were repeatedly told to go down to the lobby and get them ourselves. The rooftop bar was supposed to serve dinner and cocktails from 6 pm-11 pm, but whenever we asked, we were given to understand it was closed, with no explanation. Several amenities shown or implied were either out of order or closed without any advance notice. The walls were so thin that I got a noise complaint for playing music in the shower, something I’ve done in other hotels without a problem. Overpriced, under-equipped, poorly maintained, and a real let-down for what it cost and what we expected.