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Viminale Hotel hotel description>>

Typical 3*
Reviewer: Rome visitor, Whitby, North Yorkshire, England

I feel guilty about complaining about this hotel at all really as I got such a cheap deal on it, £400 for 4 nights bed and breakfast for 2 with 1 airticket to Rome included! However, we did have a few complaints. One, the bedroom was a bit smelly - it could have been the drains as the smells seemed to eminate from the bathroom. Two, the safe refused to open on 2 occasions and we had to send for a little man with big rods to open it. Three, the toilet stopped working on 2 occasions and we had to send for a little man with a step ladder who quickly got it working again. And contrary to one of the other reviews the lighting was abysmal. On the plus side the twin room was a decent size with a settee where we could watch TV from (MTV and BBC news and CNN). we had a decent view of a leafy area to the front of the hotel (the back should look out over Santa Maria Maggiore). It was very central for many of the major sites (about 20mins walk) and yes the breakfast waiter was very amusing once you realised he was only joking with you. The staff were very obliging with ordering taxis etc. In conclusion we enjoyed our stay because at the price we paid we weren't expecting too much anyway and if you need to do Rome on a budget you could do much worse than the Viminale. However, one of its sister hotels, The Eliseo is a lot nicer for not that much more money but it is only close to The Spanish Steps and not much else - although the views from the top floor breakfast room more than make up for this. Ask for a room with the same view!

viminale in rome
Reviewer: johnwalker8703@aol.com, Northern Ireland

The Viminale is a nice hotel in a reasonably quiet part of Rome. it is close to the Termini station. We had no problems walking to all the sights we wanted to see, you can take a circular route and see all the important sights and arrive back at the hotel. The entrance area was very impressive. The staff were very good and spoke english. The breakfast, although continental was sufficient enough to see you on your way, the pastries were excellent, as was the coffee, order it as you like it. I was disappointed with the room as I was led to believe they were on the big side, ours was quite small, however the maid service was excellent (even got clean linen on our last day) All in all the hotel was clean, but for the price I paid £388 for 3 nights was expecting just that little bit more.

Quiet and comfortable
Reviewer: tomglx@yahoo.com, Littleton, CO

My wife and I stayed at the Hotel Viminale in October 2002.
The hotel is on a side street about 5 blocks from the main train station (Termini) and two blocks off of Cavour. The area is quiet and appeared safe although it is not upscale. There are a few average restaurants nearby.
The room and bath were spacious, probably much larger than the average room in Rome. We even had a king-sized bed! It was quiet at night and only a little noisy during the day with the window open. Furnishings were simple and a little worn. Lighting was excellent. We had a small TV with cable that received only Italian stations. The TV remote did not work.
We did not need heating or airconditioning, so I cannot comment on those items.
The hotel info stated they had electronic keys for doors. I think some rooms may have had them, but many did not. In fact, the door to our room would not stay closed unless you turned the deadbolt with the key.
Hotel info also stated there were safes in the rooms. Ours had one, but it was not bolted down. Needless to say, we didn't trust the in-room safe!
The bath had only a tub with the typical wand device for showering (although the hose was too short to allow for a stand up shower). Plenty of hot water, but bring your own soap since the supplied bars were tiny. Hairdryer was provided.
Breakfast was included in the room rate andconsisted of sliced meats and cheese, cereal, hard boiled eggs, juice, rolls, yogurt, etc. (the typical European cold breakfast fare). Cappuccino was available if you asked for it.
The staff was fluent with english and helpful when asked. They were courteous, but not overly friendly, except for the gentleman working the breakfast room who was always cheerful and enjoyed talking to the guests in their various native tongues.
Overall, I'd say our experience was good since we always slept well. The location is not great since it is some distance from the main tourist sites. The hotel could light a fire under their maintainance staff and fix many of the irritating little things that didn't work.

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