A piece of heaven in Rome...My Mom and I just returned from a stay here, and it was amazing. We had them arrange a car and driver to pick us up from Ciampino Airport, and it was the best 33 Euros we spent. When we arrived at the huge wooden doors in a little residential neighborhood, we wondered how it would be, but Anouk met us at the door and immediately made us feel welcome. She escorted us into the lovely courtyard, and then up to our beautiful room. We had a sitting area with couch and computer (unfortunately they were having problems with their wireless internet, but usually it's available for free right in your room!), a marble bathroom, comfy bedroom with duvets, tv, safe, fridge, and wine drinking supplies. Anouk spent a good half hour with us explaining on a map what was within walking distance, and how to use public transportation to get where-ever we wanted to go. When we had trouble with our ATM card, she was extremely gracious. I would highly recommend this hotel, and hope to go back and stay for at least another five nights in the near future!

Once again ,we had a very enjoyable stay at this excellent bed and breakfast , where nothing is too much trouble for those that run the establishment and those that work in it. After a day wakking around Rome this was the ideal place to return to, our room was warm and cosy with so much space to just sit in and relax. The addition of free internet access and a PC/TV in the room was very useful for us too.

My husband and I stayed at the Casa Della Palma in October 2006. As usual for us when we travel, it was a whirlwind trip - but this time, I ended up wishing we had more time to spend in & around this beautiful B&B.

When we arrived, Alessandro & Dana spent about 30 minutes with us going over transportation in the city and other helpful information. They have a map and info sheet that gives recommendations for dining, bus stops, etc in the immediate area. They arranged airport transportation for us and were generally very supportive and helpful, but without being intrusive or annoying. Also, they spoke perfect English.

The rooms (we were in 2 different ones, 45 then 44) were really beautiful: lots of room, very modern decorating, and generous bathrooms (except for room 45's shower which was tiny! -- but in this room, the toilet area was separate which was especially nice for couples). My favorite was our second room which had a giant marble tub. I don't normally take baths, but after a day of walking around Rome it felt sooo good. The beds were also fairly comfortable compared to others we've had in Europe. A computer with internet was available in room 44, and there was a shared computer available for room 45.

The whole place is spotlessly clean and smells of fresh laundry and sunshine. Room 44 had a big window/door that opened onto the front patio, which was a beautiful courtyard with palm trees and benches. Again, wish we'd had more time to enjoy this. There was also a rooftop terrace. As another review pointed out, you had to go through the hallway of an apartment building to reach the courtyard and the hotel entrance.

I will comment on the location, as I know it was a concern of mine when booking. Some of the reviews on this hotel, and many others in the San Lorenzo area, seem to suggest that the area is unsafe. I respectfully disagree. There was a lot of graffiti -- it's a huge problem all over Rome -- but we never felt the area was remotely unsafe. Italian women were out alone late in the area (no, not that kind of woman either) and things stayed busy till after midnight. It was a vibrant, authentic, and fascinating university area - think East Village NYC, or any urban college community. It was actually a relief to get away from the central historic area in the evenings, which started to feel like Universal Studios Roma after a while. The food was more authentic and cheaper here too. While the staff in the stores and restaurants spoke a little less English here than in the touristy sections, almost everybody spoke some English and were very encouraging and helpful when we tried out our phrasebook Italian.

The drawback to the area was transportation. While it was not exactly remote, it was a 30 minute direct bus ride to the Trevi Fountain / Spanish Steps area (bus 71), a 30 minute direct tram ride to the Colosseum (tram 3), and a 1 hour direct but very windy bus ride to the Vatican. You could also connect to the rather limited subway system via bus 71 or by a 10 minute downhill walk. I think if you are the type of person who likes to go back to the hotel a lot during the day, or if you are very intimidated by public transportation, you should fork out the extra money for a centrally located hotel. Otherwise, seize the opportunity to experience a more authentic side of Rome, and just take daily field trips into the historic centre.

Overall, a wonderful stay and probably one of my all time favorite B&Bs. HIGHLY recommended.

Photos are attached, but also check out the website at[--] -- the photos are very representative.

We had the most wonderful 5 day stay at Casa Della Palma. Our previous holiday was in a luxurious 5 star hotel in Geneva, but our holiday in Italy needed to be more budget than luxury. Casa Della Palma may be exceptional value for money for Rome and well suited to the traveller on a budget, but it is really a beautiful, luxury B&B with real character and charm. I had a good feeling about the place when I booked it because any correspondence I received from Alessandro, the owner, was always so helpful and friendly. He gave detailed advice on the best ways to reach Casa Della Palma from Ciampino airport and was keen to make sure we weren't ripped off by the local Italian taxi drivers (as usually happens to me when I go to Rome). On our arrival we had a 30 minute sitdown with the lovely, friendly Anouk who made sure we knew where everything was, where to eat, where to visit, which places were closed which days, which restaurants were nice.. etc. etc.. She could not have been more helpful. Casa Della Palma may be 2 miles from the historic centre, but it is extremely easy to get to. We love walking, so we would combine walking with taking the bus to all the interesting places to see - this took no time at all. On the first two nights we stayed in a lovely airy room, complete with sparkling marble bathroom, then on the last three nights we moved to the beautiful 'Winter Garden' room. It was right at the top of the building with its own private terrace. The room itself was just beautiful, so tastefully furnished with its gorgeous Indian furniture and king sized sleigh bed. It was large and entirely made out of wood, rather like a Swiss chalet. The windows all around gave us wonderful views over the tops of the Roman houses. We just loved our bathroom; entirely marble once again, beautiful large shower and trendy glass wash basin. I have travelled extensively throughout Italy and you just don't get this standard unless you pay through the nose. You would usually get a dark, old fashioned room with shower over the bath and dirty shower curtain, if you're lucky! This really is amazing value for money. Everywhere was spotless (again something I don't usually associate with Italian hotels at the cheaper end of the scale), a real credit to the very friendly in-house cleaner. On our second night there, my boyfriend proposed to me by the Trevi Fountain. The staff at Casa Della Palma left a bottle of champagne in our room to congratulate us. It was a lovely touch. We sat on our private terrace and drank it under the stars. A truly romantic evening. We cannot wax lyrical enough about this lovely B&B and have to completely disagree with the other two negative reviews on this page. Casa Della Palma is not miles from anywhere; it is in the safe university district where there are supermarkets, bakeries and lovely restaurants on your doorstep. The people who couldn't find any restaurants there must not have been looking. We ate at 3 lovely restaurants which were less than a 5 minute walk away. One of the meals we had was outdoors under a pretty awning with candlelit tables, great service, lovely pasta and fantastic value. We knew it would be good because it was where the locals eat. These restaurants were all highlighted to us by our lovely hosts. I have stayed in historical Rome before and paid double the cost for a smokey, dark, dreary tiny room. After a day of siteseeing and non stop walking, we were happy to escape back to Casa Della Palma where we could share a bottle of wine in the picturesque courtyard there before eating at one of the local restaurants nearby. I have eaten amazing food in the centre of Rome, but I have also eaten bad food there. The worst meal we had was by the Spanish Steps where the pasta must have been about a week old and the service was horrendous. So don't always be fooled into thinking that 'central is best'. We would definitely go back to Casa Della Palma to stay at what we class to be a 5 star B&B. Alessandro has chosen fabulous decor for each room (the website photos don't do the rooms justice) and he has accounted for every single need of the weary traveller, including a computer and internet access in each room. This was a wonderful bonus and enabled us to email our friends and family about our recent engagement. We will stay here every time we go to Rome from now on. Thank you Alessandro and the rest of the gang for creating such a luxurious oasis for the traveller who is on a budget.