I wanted to take my husband to Rome as a birthday surprise but funds were limited. I tried booking via an agency ,having seen some cheap deals on the internet. However, as I don't have a credit card I couldn't book wiothout telephoning to pay by debit card. The lady at the agency insisted that they did not have rooms available at the hotel of my choice and kept trying to locate us near the Spanish Steps which was much more expensive. I decided instead to try the Rome tourist information website. I looked at lots of places and The Hotel Ferraro fitted the bill in terms of price and location and looked ok on the website but what was not clear is that the hotel occupies one floor of a much larger building which comes complete with marble staircase and an ancient but lovely lift with brass doors. Our room was at the back which I would recommend as the Via Cavour is very busy all day and night. It was clean but very basic although our en suite bathroom had just been pleasantly refurbished. No food is available at the hotel but breakfast was included in the price and guests are given a token to take to a local bar for a light continental breakfast, which I complemented by buying a sandwhich to keep me going til lunch time. When we first arrived, I was a bit doubtful but my husband was delighted. He loved being in the heart of ancient Rome, and the view of the Colosseum each morning on the way to breakfast was so uplifting. If you are looking for a place to be pampered and expect luxury this hotel is not for you. I f you wish to deilght in Ancient Rome every morning, and on a low budget this hotel is great. I paid 200 euros for our double room and breakfast for three nights which I considered to be very reasonable. This booking was negotiated by email directly with the lady who runs it. We met a lot of people who had been placed by agencies on the outskirts and were travelling in every day by bus. We felt very fortunate to be here with most things we wanted to see so close by and good transport links. There are some great restaurants and pizzerias in the area to suit every budget. Hotel Ferraro did it for us!
