I have been really impressed with my accommodation throughout my 31 day tour of Europe. I really liked my hostel in Berlin, I loved the Marriott in Budapest, the New Ostel in Florence was great and now I am going to rave about the hostel I stayed in Rome called Casa Olmata (unfortunately this hostel has now closed).
The single room was 39 euros a night which was the cheapest I had found in Rome especially as it was coming up to the peak season. The building is being renovated and it is in need of some modernisation but I would still recommend staying at Casa Olmata and here are a few reasons why.
1) Great location
The hostel was located on the nice side of the Termini station. You do not want to be on the opposite side, it is rather “shady” or “dodgy”. It is also a lot further from the main attractions. The hostel was about a 5 minute walk from Termini and 5 minute from Metro Cavour
2) Free breakfast
Every morning, there were freshly baked pastries which Paul gave to the guests. One morning I had left my room early and when I came back to the hostel, Paul brought me a pastry as he noticed I had not taken one yet. Little did I know there were fresh pastries daily, croissants and pain au chocolate (but filled with lots of nutella), mmm delicious.
3) Friendly staff
Both Paul and Mirella were very helpful and friendly. Paul gave me a map of Rome, told me where to go to get the 101 hop on, hop off bus. He also gave me a list of the best pizzerias and gelaterias to visit in Rome. It was only going to all the ice cream shops that I was able to write my post about the best places to eat gelato in Rome. Paul also carried my case up 3 flights of stairs when I first arrived as there was no lift and my case was over the EasyJet limit of 20kgs.
4) Communal area
As I mentioned the building is being renovated and does need it. Paul told me all the plans for the hostel and once it has been completed, it will look great. At the moment, there is a communal kitchen downstairs which is currently undergoing work. There is also a roof terrace which Paul recognises needs some TLC and which they may do at the end of this year or early next. Paul has hosted some great pasta parties on the roof where there is free home made pasta for all the guests. Unfortunately there were none during my stay.
5) Safety
When you are travelling on your own, it is really important to feel safe and secure in your accommodation. I had my own key to the front door and of course to my room. The reception was open daily from 8:00 am until 14:00 and then again from 16:00 until 23:00. Outside of these hours there was an emergency number to call, but I never felt the need to do so.
Rome is an expensive city visit. If you have stayed in Rome before and grabbed yourself bargain, I would love to hear from you. Connect with me on Twitter or Facebook.
