Alle Tamerici - Ladispoli, Italy     

My husband and I stayed at Hotel Alle Tamerici for 1 night during our honeymoon between Italy and Germany. We booked the hotel through Expedia as it was located relatively close to the Da Vinci airport, and we had an early flight to catch the following morning. When we landed at the airport, we caught a taxi outside and asked him if he could take us to the hotel's address which we provided in writing. He told us that he could; however, it took him almost an hour to locate the hotel. After asking three sets of people for directions and once trying to drop us off in front of a flat that had cardboard and plyboard over the windows, he finally got us to the gate of the hotel and charged us 60 euros for the catastrophic taxi ride. When we told the receptionist at the front desk, she stated that it should have only taken 20 minutes to get to there from the airport and that they had a special driving service which could have taken us for only 40 euros. She assured us that she would arrange for this service to take us to the airport the next morning, and that the price would be charged to our room bill due to the taxi taking all of the remaining cash we had on hand (she stated that there were no ATMs in the immediate area, and that this was the best alternative). Other than the awful taxi situation, the hotel itself was very lovely. It is surrounded by security gates and walls that separate it from the rest of Ladispoli. Ladispoli is fairly bare and grim-looking, but the hotel and its landscaping was gorgeous and very well-done. Right outside one wall, the beach is just a few steps away so that you can hear the ocean all evening. When we reached our room, we were quite pleased; the accomodations were clean, cared for, and very modern in design. The single room was somewhat small, but very comfortable as was the bathroom. After putting our luggage away, we were able to get dinner in the hotel restaurant - also very modern in design. The restaurant staff, though very small, were wonderful! The waiter serving us also maintained several other tables simultaneously, yet our food was served promptly, and our drinks filled without us having to ask. They also brought free sampling of appetizers to the table, which included a type of fried fish that was absolutely delicious. The remainder of the meal was also very good. The evening remained quiet, and the hotel grounds were very peaceful. However, we had difficulties again with the driving service when we got up in the morning. A new staff member was at the front desk who informed us that we had to pay the driver directly for the service rather than having the amount added to our final bill. We told him the conversation we had had with the other woman the night before, and eventually - after arguing - agreed to add the service cost to the final bill. However, they charged us 50 euros rather than 40. Overall, the hotel was very nice and clean with some of the staff members being quite polite and competent. However, the distance of the hotel from the rest of Rome coupled with the dinginess of the surrounding area and the awful taxi services make this a hotel that is only worth staying at if necessary. We would only stay here again if it was for just an overnight. All in all, not anywhere close to being the best part of our time in Europe!

We did not want to stay in an airport hotel near Rome, but needed somewhere not too far away for our first night as our flight arrived early evening. After combing the internet, I found the Hotel alle Tamerici and we had a very nice stay here. As there were three of us (including our 5 year old son), we booked a suite with two rooms. The suite was great, very modern, striking furniture and colours, very clean, our own little building all on one floor, away from the main block. Beds were very comfortable and the whole place was very peaceful. The only thing that was slightly disconcerting was the bars on all the windows, presumably for security. It was dusk when we arrived, and we were tired, so went straight to the restaurant. There was only one other party, and I think we were the only hotel guests. There was no written menu, and our limited Italian made it interesting! But the food we had was very good, based around seafood, with a very nice prawn and orange starter, then pasta with king prawns, and tuna main course. Our son had pasta with tomato sauce. Food is evidently aspiring to be gourmet, and the restaurant is very chic. Next morning, we could get a better overview of the place. It is essentially a walled compound on the edge of Ladispoli town, overlooked by flats. A lot of money has been spent landscaping the grounds, but its location feels slightly uncomfortable, as if it doesn't really fit with the rest of this pretty ordinary town. Breakfast was buffet style, nice croissants, ham and cheese etc, and of course in Italy, very good coffee. The hotel is well placed for the black sand beach just across the road, and the WWF Palo Laziale oasis nature reserve is adjacent. Nice for us as birdwatchers were the migrant birds drawn by the hotel's well manicured lawns, and we saw 3 Hoopoes (really exotic looking Mediterranean birds) fly in off the sea when we walked on the beach. So, all in all, a nice place, bit lacking in atmosphere but then we were the only guests. Staff were friendly and helpful, and it does present an alternative to the airport experience at Rome, but only really for those with their own transport.