I stayed in the Residence Vatican Suites for 2 weeks for a business trip to Rome (with some sight-seeing as well). I was a little bit apprehensive about the accommodation because of some of the negative reviews on this site, but my experience was very positive.

The apartments are in an excellent location (10 mins walk to St Peters, 20 mins to the Centro Storico) and close to shops and restaurants. The rooms were simple, but clean and comfortable. The kitchenette was fine for light cooking (pasta, salads, etc). Overall, the apartments were extremely good value and I saved a lot of money by catering for myself. Internet access was fine with the cable I was lent at reception. The staff were also extremely friendly and Antonio was especially helpful.

The only slight negatives were the kitchen equipment and roof terrace: There was no kitchen equipment to start with and I had to ask the staff a few times to get all of the necessary things provided (pots, pans, cutlery, etc.). Perhaps the management should think about providing the basics in each room straight away? Also the roof terrace has very restricted access. Sometimes when I asked for it to be opened, the staff were happy to do this, but other members were unwilling to open it for me (and I wasn't really sure why). This seems a shame as the roof terrace is really nice and perhaps the management should try and make full use of it?

But these are only small complaints and overall I would recommend the Residence Vatican Suites to anyone looking for a good-value leisure or business trip to Rome.

Looking at some of the negative reviews I was a bit apprehensive about our stay here. If I'm completly honest I could nit-pick, the outer bedding could do with a clean (sheets were perfect though!), there were a few cobwebs at higher levels and the cooker is a bit of a waste of space. However there are many more positives than negatives. The room was a decent size and there was plenty of storage space for the two of us. It is perfectly placed for the Vatican , if that's your interest, and it's only about 15 minute walk to the nearest metro. There are plenty places to eat, all within an easy walk and a nice local pub 5 minutes away (McQueens). The staff are very friendly and helpfull and will try and assist you any way they can. If you want wi-fi access this is only available on the 4th floor but you can hook up manually if you have a cable with you. Overall, I would say that I'd go back.

As others have stated the rooms are small, the "kitchen" is a wardrobe with a stove, the bathtub / shower is very small etc. The online description showed a much larger kitchen with microwave and larger rooms overall. The online description also listed satellite TV (yes, but only italian channels), laundromats (yes, but not working during my stay), roof terrace (yes, but very restricted access). My room did not have A/C, something you really don't want in Rome in August. Rooms were clean, though, and the building as such was well maintained. I found the staff to be very polite and helpful, the manager even would arrange for a free ride to the airport when I had to leave early.

Keep in mind that this is no hotel, i.e. there's no room service or restaurant or anything like this. You'll have to buy everything, even bottled water, in the little stores in Via Aurelia. There's also a small supermarket in Via delle Fornaci (a 20 min. walk).

The place is ideally situated for walks to the Vatican / St. Peter (10 mins.). The Castel Sant' Angelo is 20 mins., the Piazza Navona 30 mins. away. For anything else, like the Forum or the Villa Borghese, you will need to use the bus or a taxi.

Aside from the cleanliness and close proximity to St. Peter's and the Vatican, the staff was fantastic! Someone is at the desk from 8am-11pm, later if you request a late arrival, and they were always helpful with directions, bus and metro info, booking tours (which they did for us), and will accomodate all reasonable requests. In fact, we did our laundry in their facilities, and they also printed our airline boarding passes at the front desk for us for free.

Antonio, the office manager, was helpful, kind, respectful to all guests (even the guests that were rude to us as well as the staff). In fact, that was the only unpleasant part of the experience: the nightmare guest! This guest was rude, annoyed when having to wait for the next elevator, and horrible to the staff when having to wait for them to finishing helping another guest. This guest expressed interest in writing a bad review here about the staff; disregard it. The staff is excellent for a "residence"; keep in mind, a residence is, of course, a bit different than a hotel!

We interacted with Antonio, office manager, as well as office staffers Jean-Pierre and Sebastian, and they were always helpful, accomodating, very friendly, and professional to us and all of the guests we saw them interact with.

Not only is the price good, but the rooms are comfortable. You need to keep the hot water heater button on at all times, and you will have hot water instantly (the staffer that takes you to your room tells you this). Rooms are cleaned every day, although you need to ask at the front desk for additional towels (the cleaning staff does not carry them on their cart). No big deal, really. They have several types of rooms to choose from (ranging from studio apartments to suites--we had a great suite), have free internet access in the rooms (ask for a cord since it is not wireless), and a small, very clean kitchen (not stocked, of course, since it is a "residence"). A five to ten minute walk will bring you to a market, St. Peter's bus stop and metro station, restaurants, money exchange, pharmacy, coffee shops, bakeries... everything you need.

I travel to Europe every summer and this was one of the best residence/short stay rentals I have stayed in... with the best staff.