Frankly speaking I’d like to start with the end: only due to confidence, steadiness, patience and at the same time insistence of Chief Manager Alberto (I apologize to him if I write his name incorrectly) our vacation had a happy end.
So, let’s start our story.
My sister and I arrived to the Veio Park Hotel on 5th , September. It looked very nice from the road because it is located a bit deep in the private little park (not on the busy road – it is important who likes to sleep in the peace). There is a lot of safety place for car parking in front of the building and at the same time there are a lot of green trees there to make a pleasant shade. The building itself looks very nice and well-conditioned. In the room there are all necessary conveniences including a safe ( it’s important for my story).
We left our luggage in the room, placed documents and money into the safe and ran to Rome. Here I’d like to notice that the way to Rome is not so difficult as I had read in tourist sites while I was preparing my trip. 5-10 minutes by bus (201,223 and one more)to La Giustiniana station, then 20 minutes by train to the station Roma St.Peter using the same ticket for 1 Euro. We walked around Rome all day. It was wonderful. In the evening we returned to the hotel, asked in the restaurant a teapot with hot water, drank in the room our “Russian tea” and went to sleep. I even couldn’t imagine what the next morning may hold!
Next morning we went to have breakfast and I opened the safe to take my money to pay for the hotel. Breakfast and payment took about 20 minutes (breakfast is rather rich and various for Italy). We were hurry because in three hours we should be in the port Chivitavecccia to check in for Mediterranean Cruise. Coming back to the room we started to pack our things and at one moment I’d like to pack my passport and couldn’t find it. At first I wasn’t very nervous thinking that it fell down somewhere but in some minutes I couldn’t find all my money!!!!!At this moment I remembered that before paying for the hotel I took my passport and money from the safe, put money into the passport and went out from the room. We were hurry and I couldn’t remember if I put them into the safe again! At this moment I noticed that the window was opened (we opened it in the morning ourselves and didn’t close it going to have breakfast). Terrible thoughts immediately came to my mind – STOLEN! Panic and horror seized me – in the foreign country without passport, without visa, without money, without Italian language. What is more that made me fully frustrated - my Cruise that I had been preparing for six months might go kaput((
Of course, first of all I rummaged all my and sister’s luggage, I looked under the beds and into the dustbin but nothing….My sister was running around me and screaming “call the Police, call the Police…” I went to the reception and told them about my awful problem. It was so fortunate that Chief Manager Alberto turned out a patience and clever man. He asked me several questions about our morning. In spite of the fact that I was very nervous I noticed that he was very surprised with the event. I was able to recognize that it is the first incident of such kind in this hotel. But I didn’t have any explanation for the mystery – my passport and money disappeared. We returned with Alberto to the room and again checked up all the bags in it. At the same time my sister ran around the hotel and watched all the dustbins looked under the benches hoping that thief took money but threw out my passport (it is usual practice in Russia because they needn’t to have evidences). I wanted nothing besides my passport! The time melted away and with each minutes we were far and far from our Cruise. My sister got tired to run around the hotel and came back to the room. In her hand there was only little lady handbag. I was sure that she checked up it several times. Only wise and insistent Alberto guessed to make her open it. She resentfully opened it and with words “there are only MY docume….” pulled out the transparent envelope with….my passport…..Her passport was in the absolutely even envelope in her bag,too. I didn’t kill my sister and didn’t kiss to the death Alberto only because we were extremely pressed for time and had to run to the train. Only 20-30 minutes more and our dreams about Cruise might be broken down at all! We looked really crazy from our happiness that moment.
Certainly I apologized to the staff and now I want to do it again because I suspected of them. My “bad girl” sister also feels guilty towards them and asks excuse. As she explains at first she took her passport from the safe and then she decided to check the safe up, saw “her” passport again ant took it,too. Money was inside and she couldn’t see them…Thanks God, it was found the man who had precise mind at that moment– Alberto.
Seriously speaking I fully recommend this hotel, especially who travels by car and wants to have good conveniences for the reasonable price. Those who use public transport should be ready to spend about 30-40 minutes to take Vatican but to save 50 Euros (minimum) per day. I live in Saint Petersburg and every day spend one hour to get my job and one hour to come back home, so 30 minutes couldn’t frighten me:))
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC