"Just returned from a 4 night trip. We had a pleasant stay. Corridors and reception clean. Our room ( 504) could do with a bit of a decor update, but was clean and a good size. Comfortable, king- sized bed. You hang a sign on your door handle if you want your room serviced. Bathroom clean. Shower small and would not be suitable for larger people but water was always hot. Ok for me but my husband who is average size struggled a bit. Soap dispenser in the bathroom but no shampoo/shower gel, so make sure you bring your own. You can have breakfast for €10pp each morning, and it has a bar if you want a drink, but we didn't bother with either.
We were on the 5th floor. Some street and traffic noise at night but didn't bother us. Lift doesn't stop at each floor, so we had a short flight of stairs to climb from 4th to 5th floors when we got out.
The cleaners had the habit of wedging the door of the lift open with buckets on the ground floor each morning, so we couldn't call the lift and had to use the stairs. Receptionists were all very friendly. Check-in was quick. Don't forget to add the city tax to your costs. We paid 48 euros for the 4 nights.
The hotel is centrally located, so great for sightseeing. We purchased the hop-on hop-off Big Bus Pass 72 hour ticket for €50pp but this also included a one hour night bus tour, worth €23 if booked separately, and a free ice cream from a Gelatist outlet worth €4 so it's good value for money if you use the buses everyday as we did. Great for 1st time visitors like us. There is a stop next to the Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore ( the largest church in Italy dedicated to the Virgin Mary), which is visible from the hotel and just a couple of minutes walk away. Turn right as you leave the hotel, walk across the front of the church, and the bus stop is just across the road. The bus stops at 8 points around the city. You can get to all the major sights from these. We got on the bus and did a full circle of the route to get our bearings when we arrived, which I would recommend for 1st time visitors. There is an audio guide, which is informative with free packaged headphones on each bus, and they arrive about every 15-20minutes. Just hop off on the stop you need, then visit the sight you have chosen and then hop back on and go to another site. There is always some walking to do after you get off the bus to get to your chosen site, so wear really comfortable footwear (and a hat in summer). It was 29C degrees whilst we were there, and visiting Rome involves lots of walking. There are company assistants at every stop to help with any questions. The 72 hours start from the time you these assistants first print off your tickets. You can get 24 and 48 hour versions, too.
You can walk to the Colosseum ( which we did), from the hotel in about 15 minutes at a steady walking pace, and the Forum and Palatine Hill are next to this. We visited these on the same day, but it was exhausting, and I would highly recommend you split this and do the Colosseum one morning with the Forum and Palatine Hill the following day. I was so tired by the time I had walked around the Colosseum and Palatine Hill that I didn't have the energy left to walk all the way around the forum. Tickets to the Colosseum include the other 2 sites, and you can visit the latter 2 as long as it's within 24 hours of your Colosseum visit anyway.
The walk from the bus stop to the Vatican is about 1.5 miles. We walked a total of 7.5 miles that day. We visited Piazza Navona in the morning beforehand.
All the major sites are extremely busy, people and queues at each, especially at the Vatican. Skip the line tickets are helpful, but it is still difficult to negotiate your way around, and you will still end up in a queue. The queues are not well organised.
I would recommend buying Colosseum, Vatican and Pantheon tickets online before you go. Tickets are in time blocks and they sell out quickly. I booked mine a few days before we travelled. I would recommend the Arena ticket for the Colosseum which allows entry to the area where the gladiators fought. A very different perspective to the area where the spectators sat.
Take a water bottle with you to keep hydrated, although there are places to purchase drinks.
We did the Vatican garden tour. It was a nice rest to sit on a bus for the garden after the walk up to the Vatican. It doesn't include St Peter's Basillica which we didnt visit. But again, I would recommend you do this separately to the Vatican/Sistine due to the amount of walking involved. The queues for the Basillica were also huge.
Due to the crowds, keep an eye on your wallets/ purses/phones as they are a pick pocket magnet.
There are loads of pizzerias/ trattorias everywhere for eating. We ate at the pizzeria just outside the hotel on the first night as we were tired after an early flight. Food and service good but all the places we ate at were also good so choose any.
Rome is a lovely city. I advise you plan an itinerary before you go. The Colosseum, Sistine Chapel, and Trevi fountain are must see, but everywhere is extremely busy, and the large crowds at each do taint the sight seeing a little, ( unavoidable though) but overall, we had a enjoyable stay. The Verona is a very nice, comfortable hotel, well situated for touring Rome. I would be happy to stay there again."
