Hiberia Hotel, Rome

When In Rome…
=============

When we decided to go to Rome we initially looked for a package deal, however, it soon became clear that this wasn't going to be practical and it would be far better to organise it ourselves.

The first thing we did was to look for accommodation, of course this can be a mine field, some were just too far away from the centre and some just had awful reviews on tripadvisor.com (an invaluable ...
...of searching we came across this hotel, it was pretty much in the centre of the tourist attractions and had good reviews so we decided to book it, we were not disappointed. The hotel is three star (Ciao's description says one star for some reason).

The outside of the hotel is very nice, a traditional six storey building like most in Rome with a rusty clay look. It is on a corner. You can't miss it as it's got a large sign outside with ... more

When In Rome…
=============

When we decided to go to Rome we initially looked for a package deal, however, it soon became clear that this wasn't going to be practical and it would be far better to organise it ourselves.

The first thing we did was to look for accommodation, of course this can be a mine field, some were just too far away from the centre and some just had awful reviews on tripadvisor.com (an invaluable resource).

Eventually, after an hour or two of searching we came across this hotel, it was pretty much in the centre of the tourist attractions and had good reviews so we decided to book it, we were not disappointed. The hotel is three star (Ciao's description says one star for some reason).

The outside of the hotel is very nice, a traditional six storey building like most in Rome with a rusty clay look. It is on a corner. You can't miss it as it's got a large sign outside with a clock on it.

When we went in we were greeted by a very friendly man behind reception who welcomed us to the hotel and wished us a nice stay. He took our details then pointed out the main attractions and how to get there on a large tear off map that he gave us. A porter then came and took us to our room and gave us a quick rundown of the hotel.

We were given a key card with a chip on it, which I like because I can just leave it in my wallet when we are out.

Our room was on the second floor, we were very pleased with what we saw, the room has a traditional look about it but closer inspection reveals that everything is modern. The room contains a double bed, well it's actually two twins they made up as a double and they'll split it if you request. The bed itself is quite hard, but not too hard.

There is a minibar in the fridge and there is a charge for any you drink, we didn't bother and used it to store some alcoholic drinks we bought (beer is expensive in Rome).

One of the most important features of the room is the air conditioning, the unit was by the window in our room and is on even when you are out of the room if you wish, which is great when you get back after a hard day sight seeing and feeling really muggy. It can even feel too cold.

The bathroom is a reasonable size, the shower itself is excellent, I wish we had one at home, it's a power shower and has small jets all down your body that you can turn on if you wish, and you'll certainly come out feeling very refreshed.

Despite being by a reasonably busy road the windows block on almost all of the noise, it must be triple glazed. It was easy enough to get to sleep, although that was probably because we had done so much every day.

My only criticism of the room is the lack of wardrobe space, there was one small wardrobe, although we worked around it.

Breakfast in the hotel is a continental buffet and is very good, I didn't miss my bacon and eggs at all. You can have as much as you want, ham cheese, hard boiled eggs, jam, orange juice, coffee etc…

You can change your traveller's cheques at the hotel, however they charge 5% commission, we found an exchange that did 2% but that was closed a lot and some charged silly amounts.

There is a bar in the hotel, although we didn't use it, instead preferring to have a drink out.

The hotel is situated on the Via XXIV Maggio 8. The location is excellent for all Rome's attractions and most are within walking distance.

On the whole we were very pleased with the hotel.

We paid £300 each, for a week in August, sharing a double room. This was paid on departure from the hotel.

What To See:
==========

There's a lot to see in Rome, we had a week and that was just enough to take it all in.

The Colosseum is the most famous of all the ancient monuments in Rome, and the good news is that it's pretty much around the corner from the hotel. It's probably about a ten minute walk to get to there from the hotel. On your way you will walk alongside the Forum, a vast area of ancient ruins. Entry to the Colosseum costs nine Euros and it includes entrance to the Palatino (the highest part of the Forum). The Colosseum feeds the imagination.

Vatican City, to get there easily and save your legs a little head down to road to the Via Nationale and catch the No. 40 bus, they come along all the time over the river and the last stop is a road away from the Vatican.

The Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps are within easy walking distance from the hotel. The Trevi Fountain is good, it's always very busy. The Spanish Steps are a let down however, they're worth seeing just to say you have.

I hope you enjoy your visit to Rome, we certainly did and this hotel made us feel right at home.

Thanks for reading. 

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