Bella Roma at Bargain Rates (San Giusto Hotel)

Member Name: zoe_page_1

Product:	San Giusto Hotel
Date:	10/02/03 (126 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Rooms, staff and breakfasts

Disadvantages: None

This was our first hotel in Rome. We stayed at 2 not because it would mean that I could write two ops, but because Lastminute.com was only offering this one for the first 2 nights of our stay. I really wanted to stay here after having read about it on the net, so I booked those two nights anyway, even though I knew it would mean moving hotels.

WHY I BOOKED

I like posh hotels. I mean really like them. But I’m a student, I do a lot of traveling on my own and I can’t always justify spending even £75 per night when I know I could have got a room down the road for half that price. Last week’s trip was a little different though – for once I wasn’t going on my own, and you can always get more for your money with a twin room than a single one. I was also taking my mother as an early mothers’ day present, so I wanted somewhere a little less dive like than my usual choices. I searched the net and discovered this place. One click on the photo of their breakfast buffet on their website and I was hooked. Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day, and from the look of what they would be offering, it appeared it might even be my only meal of the day while I was there. I found a cheap price on lastminute and booked without even thinking about it. That one picture had sold the place to me.


GETTING THERE

The Hotel is on the outskirts of the city, but still only a 5 minute ride from the main Termini metro station. It is located just off a Piazza (not the square I was expecting, but a busy roundabout), only seconds from the Bologna metro station (line B, the blue one). We taxied from the station when we arrived, and even with surcharges for luggage and it being the middle of the night, it was less than 10 Euros. The address and all contact details are at the end of the op. Several bus routes – in Rome often more suitable than the metro - also serve the hotel. There are no attractions near the hotel as su

ch, but most of the “big” ones – the Vatican, the Colloseum, the Trevi fountain – within a 30 minute trip. There are cafes and restaurants within the immediate vicinity, and a huge supermarket directly behind the hotel.



THE HOTEL

The first thing I noticed was the row of flags flying outside. I know it’s silly, but that always signifies a decent hotel to me. The place was brightly lit and welcoming, unlike the rest of the city at 10pm in winter. The receptionist was obviously expecting us as I was greeted with a warm, “Miss Page, is it?” as we stepped through the door, and we checked in within minutes. He wanted both our passports but I think this is standard procedure for Italian, or at least Roman hotels. With just a quick glance at the lobby (lots of comfy sofas, tables with free newspapers, a bright fish tank, lots of free leaflets and maps) we headed up to our first floor room.


THE ROOM

The room was exactly as I had expected from the website descriptions and photographs. There was a small entrance hallway (which for some reason contained the wardrobe), a large bedroom and roomy bathroom. I was pleased to see the bedroom had separate twin beds as I’d requested – much as I love my mother, I have no desire to sleep on top of her at night. This can’t always be arranged, and often continental style double and twin rooms both boast the same twin mattresses on a double bedstead, so the hotel automatically got bonus points from me for having arranged it.

The room also offered two bedside tables, and two reading lights, but rather oddly these were controlled by the same switch, which sort of defeated the object of letting one person sleep while the other read as far as I was concerned. There was a huge mirror in the main room as well as the one in the bathroom, a desk and chair and a minibar which reasonable prices – from £1 for a beer or so
ft dr
ink. The TV was small-ish but still watchable, and supplied us with French, German and English channels as well as Italian ones. My only complaint here was the choices – we got CNN as I’d expected, but for the German ones we got Sat 1, a pants channel no one really watches. I can only assume it was the cheapest on offer.

The beds were extremely comfy and made up with sheets and blanket/cover things. There were 2 spare pillows and a couple of blankets in the wardrobe if we’d needed them. The windows had everything imaginable – external shutters and blinds, internal inner, outer and sun-blocking curtains. A little over the top perhaps, but making the room suitable no matter what the weather. There were also a few radiators and an air conditioning unit, allowing you to maintain an inside temperature of whatever you desired. There are no safes in the room but valuables can be left at reception.

The bathroom was the largest I’ve ever seen in a hotel – it had cool black and white tiled floors (the bedroom and hall areas had soft carpet), and sparkling white basins, bidet and toilet. The shower cubicle (no rooms have baths as far as I know) looked a little grotty on the outside was perfectly clean when you got inside. We got free shower caps, soap and shampoo, and the thickest, fluffiest towels ever. A hairdryer was installed next to the sink, and both the bathroom and the bedroom had bins – something I often find to be missing from hotels.


THE BREAKFAST

Served from 7am-10am, the breakfast buffet is laid out in the hotel restaurant. No other meals were on offer while I was there, but I have it on good authority that they are in summer, when the roof terrace is also open. The staff were extremely efficient, refilling baskets and jugs when they got the slightest bit low, and ensuring tables were cleared as soon as the guests left. The buffet included rolls, cheese, ham, sausage, ja
ms, honey
and butter. There were cereals and yogurts and fruit and eggs and tomatoes. Finally there was a huge plate of pastries – croissants, pain au chocolat and various things I don’t know the name of. The drinks section included jugs of still water and milk, and orange, grapefruit and pineapple juices, and tea, hot chocolate and various types of coffee were available from the kitchen. The food was always fresh and tasty, and perfect for me, but they weren’t offering any cooked breakfasts as far too many Brits expect when they’re abroad.


EXTRAS + PRICING

The hotel isn’t all the great when it comes to facilities – a 24hr reception, bar and restaurant seem to be it – but they make up for this with their staff. Extremely friendly and helpful and speaking excellent English, they were some of the best I’ve encountered in the industry. They accept all major credit cards (including American Express which is not always the case in Europe) and offer currency exchange facilities. The hotel has single, twin, double and triple rooms spread over 4 floors and there’s a lift if you can’t do stairs / are laden down with luggage. The room cost me EUR 70 per night, roughly £45, which I though very reasonable for 2 people in a 3 star hotel in a city. Roughly the same price as a Travel Lodge, but much nicer. Do shop around though, because booking with the hotel directly would have cost me more than twice that amount. Lastminute was the cheapest offer I found, but I’m sure this varies depending on the time of year you go, and number of people in your party.


Hotel S Giusto
Piazza Bologna, 58
ROMA
00162
ITALY

Tel (+39) 0647 824769

www.leonardihotels.com/S.Giusto/


Definitely recommended for the price – at less than £25 per person it’s an utter bargain for the level of care and attention they offer. The rooms are nice, the
staff friendly
and the breakfast fantastic. What more could you want? I haven’t tried them but if this is booked up I’d also look into the other hotels in the chain – all are in Rome, and can be accessed via the above link minus the /S.Giusto bit.

Summary: