Hotel La Pace - Rome/Naples, Cassino

...up at this 3 star hotel for 3 nights in July 07 at the end of a two week self-drive tour. At 75 Euros per night bed and breakfast, this was an average price. However, the standard of accommodation at this price varies so much in Italy and we had already seen the good and the not so good. First impressions were good as he hotel is situated in a quiet, mainly residential area and you could park outside to check-in.

The best way to describe ...
...There is restaurant in the hotel which is open for lunch and dinner and a pizzeria open in the evening

The rooms are reached via a large staircase or a typically small lift. The corridors are marble and the rooms themselves are clean but typically old-fashioned Italian - dark wood and shutters. We had an en suite shower room with fairly new fittings and satellite tv with BBC World.

Our room didn't, but some are advertised ... more

We weren't sure what to expect when we rolled up at this 3 star hotel for 3 nights in July 07 at the end of a two week self-drive tour. At 75 Euros per night bed and breakfast, this was an average price. However, the standard of accommodation at this price varies so much in Italy and we had already seen the good and the not so good. First impressions were good as he hotel is situated in a quiet, mainly residential area and you could park outside to check-in.

The best way to describe the reception area is higgledy-piggledy, with it's cabinets of war memorabilia and plenty of chairs/tables to enjoy a coffee which is available all day - this area is non-smoking. At the side of the reception desk there is a PC with free internet access. Apart from the reception staff, not much English is spoken but our few words of Italian were enough to get by. Checkout is 11am but this can be extended and there is a luggage storage room.

The included breakfast - served in the bar area behind reception between 6.30 and 10.00 am - was nothing to write home about but was adequate with pastries, yoghurt, juice and coffee. On two of the days there was also cheese and meats so perhaps we were just too late on the first morning!

There is restaurant in the hotel which is open for lunch and dinner and a pizzeria open in the evening

The rooms are reached via a large staircase or a typically small lift. The corridors are marble and the rooms themselves are clean but typically old-fashioned Italian - dark wood and shutters. We had an en suite shower room with fairly new fittings and satellite tv with BBC World.

Our room didn't, but some are advertised as having views of the Abbey of Montecassino. We did have a balcony overlooking the secure car park (locked around 11pm) to the hills beyond. The car park only has room for approx 8 cars but there is a further area behind, where we parked one night with no problems. There is also access back into the hotel from the car park so you don't have to walk around to the front of the building.

There is plenty of information in the reception area about Cassino and the surrounding areas during the war. This is provided in various languages including English, French and German.

There is shopping nearby and the receptionist was happy to advise people on the best places to buy various things. The town is fairly spread out with wide avenues and open spaces mainly due to the rebuilding that was necessary post-war. As well as the local shopping, there is a large supermarket around half a mile away situated in a small centre with a few other shops, a garage and McDonalds.

The main attraction in the surrounding area is the stunningly rebuilt Abbey of Montecassino, situated high above the town. It is well worth a visit but I would advise to check opening times - it closed for lunch around 12.30 when we visited. About halfway up the winding road to the Abbey is the Polish War memorial and cemetery and there are also Commonwealth and German war cemeteries nearby and a War museum with it's own restaurant . Whilst most local attractions are war related, there is a heavily advertised large water park within a few miles.

We used this hotel as a final stop/base to explore the surrounding area before flying back to the UK from Rome Ciampino which is less than two hours away via the motorway. There are beaches within an hour's drive and some very pretty/towns villages on the way. The hotel is near the main Rome-Naples highway (non-motorway).

Overall, I would describe La Pace as adequate - certainly not the best hotel for the money, but nowhere near the worst! 

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