I have lived in Italy for a year, and this was my 4th time going to Rome. I had my mom and friend from the states coming to visit, and wanted a hotel in a good location, that wasn't too pricey. This is how I stumbled upon Arenula. Upon arrival, check in was stress free. I had read reviews that it was necessary to sign up for a breakfast slot the night before, which was helpful because otherwise you may miss the breakfast, since they do not mention it when booking through their website.
The hotel is situated in the heart of Trastevere. The Trastevere neighborhood is vibrant both day and night with hundreds of restaurants and bars to choose from. In a city as large as Rome, it is important that you feel like you can blend with the locals, and this area is the perfect spot. We walked from our hotel to all of the major attractions (except Vatican, which is far from everything).
The room itself was standard for Italian hotels. The beds were a bit hard, but the bathroom was clean and we had a cute balcony that overlooked the street. The location is very safe and there is everything from a Pharmacy to small convenient stores right around the corner, which was quite convenient. You can also ask the front desk for a city map, which was very helpful.
Despite the pain of having to "sign-up" for a breakfast slot of 30 minutes, the breakfast was probably in the top 10% of breakfasts I have had in Italy. They served croissants, rolls, fruit, yogurt, cereal, hot coffee (they even made cappuccino and caffe lattes for us) juice, water and cheeses.
I would definitely recommend this hotel if you are on a budget ($175/night in US Dollars). I would certainly go back and give this recommendation to anyone I knew looking for a hotel in Rome.
- Arenula Hotel Rome
- Arenula Rome
