Hotel Palladium Palace, Rome

I stayed at this hotel in February 2007 having had to hastily rebook somewhere after BA cancelled flights at the end of January.
I had read a few things about the hotel on the tripadvisor website (excellent source for hotel information) and having weighed up the positive and negative comments I decided to go with it. We ended up paying about 45 Euros between us a night for a standard double - very reasonable in Rome.
Lets start with ...
...by all accounts. This hotel is about 5 minutes walk from the Terminii but in fairness we did not come across any problems at all and in the end it was a blessing to be so close as our coach transfer was to and from the terminii.
From the outside it looks like your standard continental city hotel - nothing special. The reception (open 24 hours) was relatively clean with a nice marble finish and we were seen quicky and the check in was very ... more

I stayed at this hotel in February 2007 having had to hastily rebook somewhere after BA cancelled flights at the end of January.
I had read a few things about the hotel on the tripadvisor website (excellent source for hotel information) and having weighed up the positive and negative comments I decided to go with it. We ended up paying about 45 Euros between us a night for a standard double - very reasonable in Rome.
Lets start with the location. I had read in various places that the Terminii was not an area that you wanted to be too close to. A lot of undesirables hanging round there by all accounts. This hotel is about 5 minutes walk from the Terminii but in fairness we did not come across any problems at all and in the end it was a blessing to be so close as our coach transfer was to and from the terminii.
From the outside it looks like your standard continental city hotel - nothing special. The reception (open 24 hours) was relatively clean with a nice marble finish and we were seen quicky and the check in was very easy. The receptioninst spoke English, was very friendly and we were made to feel very welcome.
The room was a good size (we went for a standard double) with a comfy big bed (this was actually 2 single beds pushed together). There are better rooms available but we were on a budget. The room had the standard Phone, TV, trouser press etc. The bathroom was very clean and well stocked although our shower did not have a door! Now usually I would have been down to complain, but given we had a lovely room with a little balcony, we didn't want to risk being moved to a lesser room and so decided that we could live with putting a towel outside the shower...in the end there was not too much spillage anyway.
The balcony was a godsend as we were on the 5th floor and my girlfriend is a smoker! The view was nothing spectacular as the hotel is in quite a built-up part of the city.
Although we were there in February the weather was warm and so I did use the air conditioning unit, this is important for anyone travelling during the summer months as Rome can be like a furnace.
Breakfast was ok, nothing more nothing less. It was what you would expect from a continental breakfast with the option of frankfurters and some bacon that looked more like just the fat. Put it this way, there was enough food there to get enough energy to fuel all the roman walking for the day!
Breakfast was also served until 10 which was a bonus as we are not the earliest risers. If the weather was nicer there was also the chance to eat out on the terrace and there was a bar open (til midnight I think) which had panoramic views of Rome and was an unexpected luxury.
There was also a gym downstairs but I cannot comment on this as we did not use it, I know it had a sauna though which is unusual for a 4star.
Attractions wise, well one could argue that the whole of Rome is an attraction as there is so much to see and do. But for the touristy spots I would say the following apply and this is walking Colloseum - 30 mins, Roman Ruins (35 mins), Trevi Fountain - 30 mins, Spanish Steps - 35 Mins, Pantheon - 40 Mins. Vatican - get the train! The Metro system is actually ok, not too expensive and a must if you are going to the Vatican. Be prepared for long queues and on the sunday when we went we missed last entry which was about 12.30

Overall, I highly recommend this hotel as the price is great for location and the staff are friendly and amenities more than adequate. Be ready for some walking to get to the touristy spots but with the amount you've saved staying here you could probably afford a cab! To be honest though you cannot be close to everything, but being close to the Terminii makes everything else a lot more accessible. 

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