Roma Park - Rome, Italy     

Me and my boyfriend (in our 20's) stayed at the Roma Park Hotel for a long weekend and enjoyed our stay. I will be honest, if you are not on a budget or are looking for a 'lovely' hotel, then this hotel probably isn't for you but as a young couple wanting an inexpensive trip, it suited us fine - don't expect too much though. Firstly, we got a taxi from the airport (Ciampino) which cost us 50Euro. We did feel that this was expensive as it wasn't a long journey but apparently that is what is expected. The hotel is in a slightly run down area but i didn't feel it necessary to spend time there as we were staying at the hotel as it was cheaper than the city centre ones. It felt perfectly safe. The hotel itself was pleasant. It was in need of a lick of paint etc but if you're not planning on spending that long in the hotel, i don't see the problem. The bed was comfy, the shower was great and the staff were friendly and helpful. I wasn't too impressed with the breakfast mind - tinned fruit and watered down juice (there were other options but i'm not a great breakfast person myself). On the Saturday, we caught the bus into the centre which was a bit confusing and took about 25-30 mins (bus stop 1 min from hotel). Firstly, you have to book tickets in a newsagents (REMEMBER: buy Sunday tickets beforehand as the newsagents are not always open - recommend buying in bulk). We didn't find it very clear where to get off the bus but a kind man helped us on our way. On the Sunday, we caught the tube (as we didn't have bus tickets). The hotel staff told us that they would not recommend walking to the tube station as it is uphill but i disagree completely. It was a 5-10 minute walk on a small hill. If you are healthy, it is not a problem at all. I preferred catching the tube, i found it more relaxed than the bus. Had a great time in Rome, seeing the sights, eating in lovely restaraunts and altogether enjoying the atmosphere.

The hotel was one of the nicest we stayed at in Europe, although that isn't really saying too much. The hotel was about 15 minute taxi ride from the train station and about a 40 minute ride to the airport. This hotel is NOT located near the major tourist sites. If you are going to Rome to be the normal tourist, this is not the hotel for you. The walk to the Metro (subway) is approximately 15-20 minutes thru graffiti-walled streets. We never stayed out after dark, as we didn't want to have to take the 20 minute walk back to our hotel in the dark. Maybe it was safe to walk, but we didn't really feel that way. The hotel staff was semi-nice. The hotel bar is pretty much a joke. The showers were pretty small, but we experienced that all over Europe. All in all, the hotel itself was ok, but we hated the location.