The Villa Maria describes itself as a quaint Italian Bed and Breakfast located only 5 km from Rome….and this couldn’t be further from the truth. It preys on tourists who are not familiar with the standards of hotels in Italy and we unfortunately discovered this upon our arrival from the Rome airport. We expected to pay 40-50 Euros at most to get to the hotel….but were surprised to find out that few of the taxis would take us to the Villa, and none for less than $120, We were treated to pictures of an exercise room and Turkish bath that didn’t actually exist, and a minibar that was basically a small moldy refrigerator that wasn’t plugged in. Paper-thin walls and a queen size bed made up of two twin beds pushed together were the highlights to this place. When we finally attempted to get to the actual city of Rome from the Villa, we realized just how far away and inconvenient this place was. It took over an hour bus ride (on one of the many blue buses)…followed by a 30 minute train ride….to reach the Spanish steps. We doubled this time on our trip home that night…..and that was because we luckily made the last bus (at around 11 pm). Other guests at the hotel weren’t so lucky, and unfortunately had to find a nice Italian man to drive them back in his car. Please do yourself a favor and think very carefully before staying at this place. We stayed only one night….and we barely slept because every sound in this place (including crying babies and snoring) can be heard, regardless of what room you are in. Pay a few extra bucks to avoid the lies and stretched truths from the Villa Maria. Your trip to Rome will be much better. Ironically, the only good thing we can say about the place is that they have decent wireless Internet access which came in handy as we were able to search for another hotel “comfortably” from our “queen size” bed and plan our exit from this hellhole!

I have been to Italy many times from the north to the south and i can honestly say this is one of the best places i have stayed the rooms are big and clean it is a peaceful place to stay, no mopeds at all hours beautiful gardens, a pool, gym, sauna and jacuzzi romm and you can also book massages what more could you want after trawling round Rome all day but come back and relax.

Sure its not a fancy place to stay and the only meal is breakfast, but the idea is to be out all day and exploring different sights and restaurants.

The staff are very friendly and helpful and i found the tourists to be quite miserable and rude to the staff..

I will always stay at Villa Maria when im in Rome and i have booked again for this year.

CAROLYN

I loved my week here and would happily go again. It was clean, peaceful and friendly - most fellow guests were easy going and easy to strike up conversations but some were clearly unprepared. I used the hotel as a Rome base, driving to the nearest Metro station every day after rush hour also worth exploring the area - recommend Villa Adriano and Tivoli.

The pluses: off the beaten track so quiet, well away from the city with pleasent gardens where I sat and enjoy the Italian sunshine most mornings. Very friendly staff too. Clean rooms and bathroom, communal breakfast room was very nice.

Most of the problems I saw other guests having were avoidable. Some clearly didn't realise the hotel is more like a hostel in breakfast arrangements - its simple food - but what do you expect for the price!

Some guests were just rude and the staff had every right to be rude back - especially when the guests didn't follow the house rules - such as booking seats on the Rome shuttle bus the day before using it.

Some guests who didn't appreciate that the hotel is 8 km outside Rome and so I'd recommend it only to those with the patience for public transport or with cars. Its a long walk to the bus stop if you're old or infirm.

As with most places in Italy I visited English was spoken and well, but it pays to have a few words of Italian - especially greetinsg, please & thank you - they get you a long way.

There's NO English language TV - so take a book or two.

They don't serve evening meals so eat in Rome before you go back to this hotel.

Like every other hotel with wooden floors I've stayed in - there is some noise when people are turning in or moving about in the morning. The walls are a bit thin in the main building - but I guess those in the stone built annex are quieter.

As much as you might want to eat at breakfast, but a limited range - breakfast cereals, toast, brioche, ham or salami, coffee and tea. Local supermarkets are good and I saw nothing to say you can't buy food and take into the dining room.

This is an inexpensive hotel and guests shouldn't expect the Ritz - but you do get a staff who ask if you've had a good day, clean and tidy rooms, some facilities and a rest from the hustle and bustle of Rome. I loved it - just take it easy there.

Well, this was my fault. I didn't read the review before booking the hotel. On Villa Maria webpage, they said that it is easy to locate the hotel. Get to the metro station Tiburtina and catch the Blue Bus Cotral to Palombara. Sound easy, right? Guess what, the trick is which Blue Bus? There were plenty of Blue Buses in the station. There was no bus map. The drivers didn't speak English, we were really lost in translation!! Fortunately, there was a friendly bus driver who tried so hard using his body language to point us to the right bus terminal. Once we got on the bus, I thought the adventure was over. But I was so wrong! The hotel was located in country-side. There was no clear sign to tell you where to get off. I was very nervous in the bus because I knew that if we missed it, we would have to sleep on the farm land. Once we got off, we needed to walk 1000+ feet to get to the door. Along the road to the hotel, we had so many dogs welcoming us by barking all the way. We got a double-room, the room was so small that I needed to turn myself side-way to get into restroom. Speaking of the bed, the mattress was uneven. I dreamed of falling off from the bed every night. If you arrive in the evening and want a full dinner, sorry, they don't have hotel restaurant. If you dare to walk on a busy road in total darkness, you can walk to a restaurant. But don't complain if you get hit by cars or motos on the road. I have warned you, there is no side-walk for pedestrians.

Journey to Rome city center was always a challenge. It took us 45 mins from the hotel to the metro without traffic. With traffic, God knows how long we would need. The bus was always crowded. We had to fight through the way to get off.

In conclusion, for the money we saved and the headache we had, it is absolutely not worth it. I guess this teaches me a hard lesson: Make sure read on-line reviews before booking hotel.