Zidan Guest House

I only stayed one night, but the room smelled like rat poison, especially under the bed the desk worker, who I assume was the owner, assigned me. I moved to another bed. In the morning he opened the door, yelled at me, and said I now had to pay for two nights because I'd switched beds. There were three beds in the room and I was its only guest, so I can't see a reasonable reason for him to be angry. He kicked me out an hour before checkout. I'll have to check my card later to find out whether he charged me double or even more. His attitude had been disrespectful from the start.

The price is low compared with other places nearby, and you can tell. The kitchen is very basic, dirty, and kind of disgusting. It's closed until 1 pm, so there's no warm breakfast in the apartment. You're also not allowed in before 8:30. I suspect that's because it's Zidan's bedroom, though I would've found that less weird if he'd mentioned it when I arrived. I was surprised to find him sleeping on the couch when I went in for water. Guests have to leave the building around 11 am to 1 pm for “room cleaning,” yet the rooms never seem clean. The walls around my bed were filthy, and a booger stayed on the wall about 20 cm from my face for all four nights. Maybe the required break is so Zidan can have a couple of quiet hours. You can't really hate on Zidan, but “his hotel” has some strange rules to know about before booking. For the price, it's not the worst budget place I've stayed. If it had been the second-cheapest in the area, I'd have given it one star; the low cost saves it an extra one. If you can afford somewhere else, go there.

The location is good, and it's fine for a shower and a place to sleep, but that's about it. You get very little for what you pay. My main concern was the room door: it had no key, so anyone staying in the guest house could walk in. Odd.

We had tasty croissants from the cafe next door for the included breakfast, and the dorm was roomy, with large lockers and a comfortable bed. The owner handles the place on his own and cleans thoroughly every day, so ignore the bad reviews. It's very central, within walking distance of anywhere in Rome, and buses run regularly if you already have a ticket. If you're arriving at night, email ahead so he knows and can let you in. Definitely recommend it for budget travel.