I spent two weeks in the Aventino hotel in Rome, Italy. This hotel is one of three (the Aventino, the San Anselmo, and the San Pio) in a quiet residential area on a hill that overlooks the Circus Maximus. I was working at the FAO building, and it is a easy to do 20 minute walk from the Aventino to FAO through quiet residential streets and then past shops and restaurants.

Most of downtown Rome is within range of a walking tour with the Circus, the Forum, and the Coliseum within easy reach - and sites such as the Spanish Steps and the Pantheon and shopping on the Via del Corso certainly do-able if you want to stretch your legs.

No health club, and only the Pio has an attached restaurant - but elegant surroundings, spotless rooms, good beds, and plenty of hot water in the showers. And the shining star is the staff, who within a day will remember what kind of coffee you want at the complimentary cold breakfast offered in each of the hotels and who will know you by name not long after that. The concierge will gladly recommend a restaurant, talk about things to see, or negotiate a better price for your taxi to the airport.

The rooms are small , taken up with the(very comfortable) king sized bed and a small desk - but there is cable tv and wireless offered without extra charge in the rooms and a modern bathroom. You need to go out to eat or to see Rome - but you are a 10 minute walk from shops and restaurants. This is a great way to see Rome, and it is really nice to come back to someplace as welcoming as this.

Good for singles or couples - it could be a very romantic get-away, but not really set up for a family with children

The Hotel Aventino is one of the three under the same ownership set in the midst of the beautiful Aventino Hill. We have stayed at all three (the Hotel San Anselmo and the Hotel Villa San Pio being the others). We had a corner room with a wrap-around balcony - just heavenly in the morning sun smelling the jasmine flowers and listening to church bells. Our room was furnished baroque style with silver-leaf framed mirrors and bedside tables and a coffered ceiling with silver rosettes - nice!
The internet is free and the breakfasts in a room decorated with enormous paintings framed in stone were more than satisfactory. If it had been warmer we would have eaten in the garden where the camillias were already in bud, and the the maidenhair fern was flourishing along with other flowers that did not recognize that it was fall.
The neighborhood is very quiet with the umbrella pine needles softening the sound of our footsteps on the cobblestones.
There is now a restaurant in the Villa San Pio for those who do not want to walk the three or four blocks to the many nearby restaurants.

Just stayed two nights here, and will be back. The hotel is in a really lovely setting, very quite neighborhood, very green and calm. The rooms are nice, not overly large or luxurious but are more than adequate with a desk, wardrobe, table, and in my case a small balcony with table and chairs.

There is no restaurant, but there are a few choices nearby, and the sister hotel is a short walk away with a nice restaurant if you want to stay in for dinner.

Trastevere is a short nice walk away, with the opportunity to stop and see Santa Sabina church and the spectacular views over Rome - if you go at sunset it is really beautiful and you get to see the swarms of starlings in the fall - really a sight not to be missed. Likewise, heading the other way you are a short walk from Circus Maximus, Palantine Hill etc etc., the metro is here as well.

Staff were to a person lovely. I needed to stay in for dinner one night and do some work and so brought take away in from the grocery store. The gentleman at the desk took me to the kitchen used for breakfast and heated up my meal, got me set up with plate, utensils etc and brought me a wine glass to the room, all with good humor and helpfulness. Others staffing the desk were equally helpful as was the woman managing the breakfast room each morning.

Free wireless in the rooms and lobby. Not a very strong signal. Also a free computer terminal in the lobby if you don't have a laptop with you. Breakfast included, very typical to what you will find in European hotels, good coffee, yogurt, fresh fruit choices, cereal, bread, pastry, cheeses, meats, juices. All you could want......

It is a bit off the beaten path and is an uphill walk home (not too bad though) or a quick taxi ride. If you want a peaceful setting combined with ease of access to the city this is a good choice. I know I will be back as have found my Rome hotel.

Excellent Hotel in a perfect and quiet location. I felt like I was staying in a little palazzo...it was a very special stay and the breakfast and staff were great...would definitely reccommend!!