Giglio Dell Opera Hotel

“ I read loads of reviews on this hotel before we went to Rome, and yes, it is basic, and yes, it does need a bit of a spruce up here and there... BUT, the staff bend over backwards to help and they are more than friendly! The rooms are basic, and the TV is in Italian - but what would you expect - you're in ITALY!!! And, WHY go to Rome to watch TV!!??!! The same could be said about the views. Why go to Rome to stay in your room and look out a window, when everything is 5/10 mins away and you're actually stood IN the view!!??!! If people want a hotel with a view, then me thinks you need to let the moths out of your walletts and splash out on a 5 Star (then you'll be lucky if you get one!) IT'S A BUILT UP CITY with 3 million people living in it!!!!
Anyway, back to the hotel! Breccki: Continental with cold ham, cheese, freashly baked rolls & bread, warm hard boiled eggs, cereal, toast, pastries, jams, coffee and juice till it comes out of your ears!! LOADS!! And again, although basic, it was more than enough. We did note that a lot of people seemed to gourge themselves at brecci, even taking eggs/ham/cheese rolls with them for a snack for lunch!! (which is worth doing, as food is quite ££)!!
The hotel has a small bar, and i did hear a guest asking if he could have coffee for breakfast from the bar as it was better than the coffee from the machine - to which the staff seemed more than willing to do for him!
One little thing - if you make an effort to try and speak a few words of Italian, it will go down a storm! The reception chaps were very pleased to help me with the pronunciation of some words ;0).

“ Top Tip: One word of advice - the Tour buses are ok, but the headphones can be a bit hit and miss as to whether they work. I would recommend going to the little Tourist Info Booth just the other side of the road from the train station. They speak excellant English and are very helpful. We found that if you get the 4 Euro, hop on and off all day bus, you can get to see a lot more and it's sooooooo much cheaper than the Tour bus. ***You'll need to ask wich bus stop and number bus to go to - it's a bit manic around the bus station and you can easily get on the wrong bus (like we did!!). Once on the bus, you need to validate your ticket using the little yellow machine (front and middle of most buses), then you can use it all day/eve/night!
BEWARE - the cafes etc around the station are megga expensive.
Cheap place to drink: Irish bar - 5 Euros a pint. There are several doted around Rome & 1 in the Vatician City.
Wine & Beer (and food) from the Supermarket is so cheap, so if you want to have some forn the evening in your room, they all have small, working fridges (and staff are more than happy to open bottles for you!)
Food - loads everywhere!! Obvioulsy you'll pay more for a table with a view and some places charge extra for sitting outside on a table with a view!!
Look out for the 10 Euros meal deal in resturants - Pizza and a beer/wine/juice - very good with no service charge and no charge for sitting outside!! Campo D'fiori (not sure if thats spelt right!!) - The Flower Market - Excellant place to sit, munch on loverly (cheap) food, sip wine and watch the daily live of Italy!!
**BEWARE** Lots of beggars, street sellers and mine artists!! If you take a photo and they see you, they will want money for it!!
**Collessum** The Gladiators will ask if you would like a photo taken with them, what they won't tell you is that they will then demand 20 EUROS!!! Do not get caught out!!
***RECOMMEND*** The one Tour i would recommend is the Vatican. Not cheap, but worth it!!