City Guest House

The City Guest House Hotel is an inexpensive hotel that provides an excellent base for anyone wanting to explore Rome. I booked it because it was reasonably priced and looked like it was close to the metro station. We weren't disappointed as the metro station was only a 5 minute walk away and the tickets can be bought from machines at the station which are easy to use, 4 euros for 24 hours - metro travel is a bargain and you can also use the metro ticket to use the tram and buses. The metro takes only about 10 minutes to the centre of Rome which was ideal but it does shut at 10pm. The hotel room was spotless with clean towels and linen. The bathroom was a nice size and clean. We also had a balcony. It was the perfect place to stay without paying the expensive rates of the city centre hotels and was nice and quiet away from the busy tourist areas. The staff were very friendly and very helpful when we asked for directions and info about the tourist attractions. The breakfast was good with breads, ham, cheese, cereals, yoghurts, juices and hot drinks available. The restaurant next door to the hotel was very nice but you may need to book, they managed to fit us in at the last minute late at night but that was fine and the food was excellent. The hotel is located in a residential area where the locals don't speak much English but this added to the Italian experience. There weren't many other tourists around which made a nice change. Was a relief to get back to the area after spending a whole day in the centre surrounded by other tourists! Also, the restaurants around the hotel were alot cheaper than the restaurants in the city centre. We paid around 30 euros for 2 courses plus drinks by the hotel, which was an absolute bargain! Basically, if you want a decent clean, cheap place to stay with easy access to the city centre, this is the place for you!! I would definitely go back and recommend this hotel to my friends!! :o)

Kimberly Walter, Wiltshire, England
Young Couple (18-35)

Queues for local bus to Anagnina Metro was chaos and had a little bother with the Taxis at Airport and got dropped off about half a mile from the hotel at a cost of 30 Euros, after a lot of hassle and bartering (don't even bother with the hard looking blonde woman!!) Luckily a group of friendly locals pointed us in the right direction.  Print off the map from the alpharooms website to show the taxi driver but you need to be dropped near Numidio Quadrato station.  Hotel was what you'd expect for the price.  Clean room and bathroom with no other facility, but it's just a place to sleep!  Staff very friendly and helpful and breakfast was basic continental, but plenty to eat.  The Metro is just a 5 minute walk and you can buy your ticket at the little local coffee shop on the way and it's about 15 minutes to the centre of Rome.  The Chinese-Italian restaurant around the corner is good for beers and very reasonably priced food.  On return to the airport, the receptionist called a taxi when we were ready, which knocks off the booking charge and it was only 14 Euros!  Recommended for cheap trip.  Second via alpharooms to Rome and as long as you're central or near a Metro Station it's fine.  Ciampino airport needs to get its act together as the transfers can be a bit chaotic especially at night.

CHRIS BONAR, Tyne & Wear
Mature Couple (36+)

We were going to stay in the middle of Rome but saved a lot of money by staying here. The metro station is 3-4 minutes walk away, and take about 10 - 15 minutes to get to Rome. Metros run every 5 minutes from early morning till 9.30 at night. These are very reliable and cheap at 1 euro each journey or 4 euro for unlimited travel in 24 hours. A bus replaces metro after 9.30 into the night. City house is basic but very clean, tidy and serves its purpose as a base to explore Rome. Breakfast was nice on the top of building with unlimited drinks and cereals, as well as cakes, biscuits and yoghurts. Staff very friendly, and willing to help were ever they can. Streets around guest house have a little litter, but some cheap eating places. Try the Chinese / Italian restaurant that lies 1 minute walk away. Struggle with English but very very good cheap food.
Watch Rome for pick pockets, especially on crowded busses and the metro. We lost phone and purse. All in all a good trip and certainly would go back to City House for a good base to explore Rome, especially if you are coming in from Ciampino Airport.

Craig Miller, Nottingham
Group of Mature Friends/Couples

Simple hotel simple decoration but very clean.
The minimum you need was available.
Not far( 5min ) from the subway and than 15 min to the city center.
So perfect hotel for those who can live with a min of luxery not far from the city center with a low price

Vanhaelen, Braine l'Alleud/Belgium
Mature Couple (36+)

Excellent. very pleasant friendly atmosphere, nice rooms and exceptional nice atmosphere in the breakfast room!
Quite a way from the centre of Rome but the Metro is just around the corner so you can be there in no time. The big advantage of being out of the centre is that the eating out is far cheaper (and better!) Would happily recommend this one

Stephen Jackson, Hull/England
Mature Couple (36+)

Would definetly recommend this place.  It was very easy to get to from Ciampino, very easy to get into the centre. The price was very good for a clean, friendly hotel within easy reach of the city centre.  The staff were very friendly and helpful. The room was fine, bed was not the best but the fact that we never made it up for breakfast means it wasn't that bad. Theres not much in terms of facilities (internet access and a coffee machine) but if your just looking for a base to explore Rome from then you can't really go wrong here. The tube stopped running at about half eleven so we got taxis back from the centre most nights and never paid more than 17 euros but normally about 14 so around a tenner. We tried a local restaurant that the hotel recommended and it was fantastic food and a lot cheaper than the centre.

Charlie Gale, Liverpool, England
Young Couple (18-35)

A clean and tidy place to rest your weary head after a busy day walking the sites in Rome. Breakfast is the usual continent type, and of fair quality, with bread jam/honey/butter; cereal and milk; hot drinks and fuit juices.
Rooms have individual heating cooling controls, which work! I usually find alot of hotels to be too warm, this made a pleasant change.
Each floor had a comunal vending area with seating, where drinks and snacks can be purchased, but why as the are shops/bars/cafes near by to partake of proper coffee and provisions

For a short city break I would recommend this hotel, longer stays might be better in a higher rating hotel.

TRANSPORT
The Hotel is very convenient for public transport 1e per trip on the metro (or 4e for a day ticket)
For Ciampino airport using public transport: 1e for Metro to Anagnina at end of Line A and 1e for Cotral bus to Ciampino (and 1e for you baggage) Allow at least 1.5 hours as Cotral bus takes 20 minutes and runs every 40 minutes allegedly, as it doesn't keep to the time table. People were packed on and some were left as no room!

Andrew Saunders, Banbury England
Mature Couple (36+)

Just back from a 4 night stay in the City Guest House and thought it was a fantastic place for those on a budget. Its situated about a few minutes walk from the Metro station 'Numidio Quadrato'in a residential area.

We arrived into Ciampino Airport and caught the link bus to Anagnina (cost €1 each) which is situated just outside the arrivals hall. Then we caught the Metro to Numidio Quadrato (cost another €1 each) and walked the short distance to the accommodation. I'm not a seasoned traveller at all and have no Italian but found it a really easy way to get to the accommodation without paying the high taxi charges.

Because its not in a touristy area you really feel that your living in the real  Rome with locals going about their daily business - we found everyone to be extremely friendly and helpful at all times.

The City Guest House itself is impeccably clean with all the basic amenities. The room we stayed in was a nice size with a double bed ensuite and once again, really clean and well maintained.

Breakfast was a choice of cereals, croissants, bread rolls, yoghurts, spreads, jams, juices, coffee (if you want a cappuccino just ask at the counter) and some wonderful sweet cakes.

If you're after somewhere that offers great value for money in a location that lets you get around all the main attractions at ease (by using the Metro system)
then this is the place for you.

Some people may be put off by the geographical distance from the city centre but this wasn't an issue for us as in a 4 day break we got around the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Sistine Chapel & The Vatican, the Pantheon, strolled around Piazza Nuovana and Campo di Fiori, San Giovanni in Laterno and of course all the main shopping districts!

If you're on a budget, and want somewhere that's clean and in a safe area then get yourself to the City Guest House!

Patrick Kelly, Tyrone, Ireland
Young Couple (18-35)

My 14 year old daughter & I were travelling on a very low budget & for a very short space of time. The visit was prompted by the idea of spending some 'quality time' together & picking up flights for 3p !!
I then began my search on the internet for the cheapest accomodation I could find within Rome City Centre. I found the reviews very helpful & they gave me the confidence to book.
We arrived in the early hours & ,as mentioned in other reviews, the area did look pretty dodgy ! However the hotel was absolutely fine. The room was very clean & modern looking, all in white. The shower room was the same.
The breakfast balcony was lovely & the sun was shining. You could eat as much as you wanted, cereals, bread, croissants, cake, tea ( even Earl Grey my favourite), coffee & juice.
The metro was only a few minutes walk away & it took us approx 20 mins into the centre. The trains were very hot & crowded & if I returned to Rome , with more money, I would probably try to stay closer to the centre.
The reception staff spoke good English & were very helpful, advising me on places to go & the vending machine in the hall was a good idea as there were no tea & coffee making facilities in the room.
In conclusion I would say that this place offers very good value, clean accommodation & I would be happy to recommend it to others on a similar budget.

Carol Hustwick, York, England
Other

For a couple who didnt have a lot of money to spend on accommodation, this was a great place to stay.  The staff are very helpful, and speak English if your Italian is not that great!  It is close to the metro line, but it does take about 20 mins - 30 mins to get to the centre of Rome.

Cat Edwards, Cheltenham, England
Group of Mature Friends/Couples

I stayed at the City Guest House for four nights with a couple of friends in August. We booked it because it was much cheaper than the other hotels on the site and it didn’t sound too far from the centre.

The hotel was clean and the staff were friendly and helpful, most of them spoke English. We had booked a triple room and I was expecting it to be quite poky, but it was pretty spacious. Our room also had a balcony and air-conditioning, which was great because it did get hot. The breakfast room had a terrace and it served the usual continental breakfast and close to the hotel was a small shopping centre and couple of nice restaurants.

The hotel was about ten minutes from Termini on the Metro (from Metro stop Numidio Quadrato, near the hotel), so it was easy to get around. The only problem that we had was that Metro Line A stopped running from 9pm because of building works and was replaced by a bus service, which just made it a bit more complicated getting around.

Chris, Sheffield
Group of Young Friends/Couples

LOCATION - The hotel is quite a way out of the heart of Rome, however the public transport links mean this is not a problem.  There is a metro line (underground) 350m from the hotel that has you at the major sites of Rome within 5 minutes.  The metro also ensures reaching the hotel is easy from the airports or the rail terminal.

GENERAL AREA - Upon arrival it looks as though the area may be a bit 'dodgy', don't let the first impression fool you, the area was fine and seemed very safe, the locals were friendly and helpful where they could be.  With being located in a largely residential area of the city the shops and restaurants near by tend to be a lot less expensive than in city centre.  There is a great Chinese restaurant 50m away from the front of the hotel that is extremely cheap and provides a great fruit salad to everyone after a meal free of charge and a collection of interesting free gifts!

HOTEL - A very helpful reception that is manned from 7.30am until 11pm each day, all English speakers.  Outside these hours you let yourself in to the hotel via the key to the external door you are supplied with.  Reception also have a safe that they will store your belongings in if required.  The rooms are spacious and clean and have A/C and a TV that is of limited use as it has no English channels (however, you are in Rome - who needs a TV?).  Breakfast is 7.30 to 9.30am and is adequate, a buffet consisting of : cereals, breads & jams, croissants, yoghurts, tea, coffee, fresh juice.

OVERALL - A good hotel at a great price :-)

Ian Johnson, Wigan, England
Young Couple (18-35)

My Wife and myself had a short break recently and on arrival were greeted by friendly english speaking receptionist who gave us a map and explained how to get around rome, the hotel was basic accomodation but clean and tidy, the continental breakfast was fresh and of good quality, i would definately recommend this hotel for those on a budget our stay was most enjoyable.

Derek Gilbert, North West
Mature Couple (36+)