Hotel San Marco - Rome, Italy 

Good Little Hotel
Posted: Tue, May 13 2008
I took my 77 year old Mother to Rome to see the Vatican & St Peters Basilica. I booked the rooms through Expedia, requesting a smoking room for my Mother as she is a heavy smoker. Unfortunately it is a non smoking hotel (not made clear on the Expedia website), but after emailing the management , they said that they would provide a room with a balcony. On arrival the lift was 'broken'. This caused panic in me as Mother can hardly walk through the longterm effects of smoking, so couldn't climb stairs at all. Thankfully the 'bellboy' operated the lift for my elderly mother (the inner door would not close automatically so they stopped most people using it unless supervised) and my son and I walked up the stairs. They could not have been more helpful or politeand the lift was repaired quite quickly. Our rooms were clean and well sized and the balconies were a bonus, my Mother really appreciating the opportunity to smoke but complying with the non-smoking rule indoors. On our first night I asked the Receptionist (a non smiling gent but very helpful) to recommend somewhere to eat and he gave me a business card for a pizzeria in the next road which also gave 10% off the total bill. The pizzeria staff were friendly and welcoming and lots of locals were eating there which is always a good sign, we certainly enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. The hotel is close enough to Termini to walk to, but far enough away to feel safe and in a relatively quiet street. The breakfast was also generous and filling with a wider choice than the average continental breakfast. If I return to Rome I will ensure I stay at this hotel and would certainly recommend it to family and friends