The Hostelz.com Review
Although not a huge party hostel, Alessandro Downtown Hostel is a great place to hang out, watch a DVD (choose from a selection at the counter or bring your own), have a few beers, and meet people from around the globe. The chilled out atmosphere and comfy lounge make this a good spot for the weary traveler to rest their feet. If you want to get rowdy, there are plenty of bars within an easy stroll or metro ride.
Located three hundred meters from Termini station, this is a very easy hostel to find. When you leave (via the main exit) turn immediately left on Via G. Giolitti then right at Via C. Cattaneo and there you are. Dump your bags and you're ready to go ten minutes after arriving! The one problem with this is that it's a bit of a hike to see the sights. The metro, at Termini, will get you to all the major ones but it will cost you for a return trip.
One of the highlights of this hostel is the large, well equipped kitchen and nearby supermarket -- very useful if you're on a tight budget. Also make sure to sign up for the free pasta every weeknight -- it's basic but a nice snack (don't expect it to fill you up) and don't expect any if you're late!
The rooms are spread over two floors. The dorms are spacious, with comfortable beds and shared bathrooms. The bathrooms are very new and each floor has six to eight units. Each unit consists of a private, lockable space with shower toilet and basin and is excellent if you like a little privacy while washing. Despite their modern appearance the bathrooms can get quite messy -- it is not uncommon to find hair and make-up all over the sink. The same is true of the general cleanliness of the rooms -- some of the bedding appears to be a bit grotty. Overall this is a great place to stay while in Rome -- the only problem is the lack of cleanliness in the rooms and bathrooms.
Located three hundred meters from Termini station, this is a very easy hostel to find. When you leave (via the main exit) turn immediately left on Via G. Giolitti then right at Via C. Cattaneo and there you are. Dump your bags and you're ready to go ten minutes after arriving! The one problem with this is that it's a bit of a hike to see the sights. The metro, at Termini, will get you to all the major ones but it will cost you for a return trip.
One of the highlights of this hostel is the large, well equipped kitchen and nearby supermarket -- very useful if you're on a tight budget. Also make sure to sign up for the free pasta every weeknight -- it's basic but a nice snack (don't expect it to fill you up) and don't expect any if you're late!
The rooms are spread over two floors. The dorms are spacious, with comfortable beds and shared bathrooms. The bathrooms are very new and each floor has six to eight units. Each unit consists of a private, lockable space with shower toilet and basin and is excellent if you like a little privacy while washing. Despite their modern appearance the bathrooms can get quite messy -- it is not uncommon to find hair and make-up all over the sink. The same is true of the general cleanliness of the rooms -- some of the bedding appears to be a bit grotty. Overall this is a great place to stay while in Rome -- the only problem is the lack of cleanliness in the rooms and bathrooms.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
November 2006
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Average hostel I booked this hostel after I've surveyed all the hostel in rome, and I think it is the best. The location is good no doubt. It is near to the Termini. Everything was ok until the lady brought me to my room, my impression dropped immediately. The room was so messy and liquor was all around the floor (I've never seen such untidy room in my life before). The lady herself also shocked and she told me, it was the other backpackers who messed up the room. So she is kind enough to move us to a new room. The bed was not comfortable to sleep as I woke up with bug bites all over my neck and there was no heater in the room, make me freaking cold throughout the night during the winter. The breakfast was ok, with bread, grains, and fruit juice. — Laura , Malaysia (2008-09-17) One of the better ones and value for money! Great hostel, we stayed in a very spacious eight-bed dorm (any other hostel would've put another set of bunks in it) with a table and enough chairs for everyone. It was clean, the bathrooms were clean, and the showers were great. Breakfast and dinner was provided -- although the pasta for dinner isn't enough to fill you up if you've had a light lunch but it was free so who are we to complain! All this for 19 euro a night! The area wasn't fantastic but there weren't any syringes around and the smell of urine wasn't as bad as someone commented below. The area is super close to the Roma Termini and many tourist attractions are within twenty-minute walk. — Angela , Australia (2008-08-20) Clean with lots of freebies! This was my favorite hostel in all my travels across Europe. It was extremely clean from the common areas to the beds to the bathrooms. There was plenty of bathroom facilities so there was never any waits to use a shower or a sink. Our six bed dorm room was extremely spacious and only had one bunk bed and the rest of the beds were twins -- they definitely could have crammed a lot more people in there if they wanted to. The staff at the front desk were really really helpful for the most part. The one girl gave us lots of helpful tips like were to get tickets and not wait in line and where to buy the best gelato -- these definitely enhanced our stay in Rome! We never really had to buy any food while staying at this hostel because there is free pasta night on all weeknights as well as free pizza at the sister hostel all nights and since the time they are served at is staggered you can even hit up both. Also, if you go party at the sister hostel (which has a bar) you get a free shot every night too. One drawback is that you have to pay for internet access (even though it is really cheap) and the connection sucks really badly so that you can barely even check your email. As to previous comments about the bad area I really didn't find that at all. There is lots of homeless people around termini but usually when you are coming back at night you are coming from the other direction so you don't even pass them and there was certainly no syringes or stench that I noticed. Its really handy to be by termini because you can catch any bus in the city labeled termini and make it back home easily. I met lots of cool people at this hostel and if I was to return to Rome wouldn't even consider staying anywhere else. — Anonymous , Canada (2008-07-22) Bad location, moody staff, no social life -- why go to Rome for this? I was really looking forward to this hostel. The photos on this website make it look decent, fun, and an enjoyable place. Well, the photos are obviously years old and the review completely wrong (or also too old!) because this has to be one of the worst hostels I have ever stayed in. Firstly, the location. It's good when you arrive and when you leave, because of being so close to the train station. Thats about it. It's far from most things, the streets surrounded are full of homeless people/druggies and reeks of Urine. And I mean the second you walk out that door, the stench permeates everything. I saw plenty of used syringes on the streets in the few days I stayed here. The area is really filthy as well. Secondly the hostel itself. All in all the rooms are pretty large which is nice, but there are no lockers for your things. The showers are filthy -- there was lint balls and hair clogging the drains and the toilets regularly didn't flush -- creating yet another urine smell that permeated the place. The day I left they had every door open to try and flush the smell out - which didn't work since the hostel is on the second, third, and fourth floors of a building. The elevator has signs saying it doesn't work (and that it is not the responsibility of the hostel to fix it), however I did see staff using it. Whenever anyone attempted to use it themselves, they were told not to. The breakfast is stale bread, cornflakes, muesli. It's free, but this would have to be the worst example of a free breakfast I've seen in my travels. There are two lounge/meal rooms one has a TV and DVD player. I realise this is a bit of a luxury, however if they advertise they have these, they should make sure they work. The DVD player rarely played any DVDs -- it continuously said there was an error, even for DVDs purchased in Italy. The kitchen itself is ok, until you realise there is barely any equipment, no metal cutlery, no sharp knives (there are a few knives, but they would barely cut butter). They cleaned out the cupboard without telling anyone and threw out a vast amount of food that was clearly labeled. There is a free pasta meal during the week, which is ok. The woman cooking it rules with an iron fist -- don't ask for seconds, you'll feel like Oliver! Finally, the staff. Many were quite helpful and cheerful. The Australian Girl at the desk, an American guy and a few italian guys were quite fun and gave good advice. Unfortunately there was one that was permanently in a bad mood and made life a living hell. He was always telling people to leave and visit the other Palace hostel location if they wanted to have fun and whenever you asked him for anything he barely spoke to you. I came back to the hostel late one night to find him terrorising a poor girl who had gone to her room to find he (personally) had put another person in her bed and dumped all her clothes on the floor -- she was in floods of tears and he looked at me and said pay no attention to her, she is insane. I spoke to her the next morning, she clearly wasn't insane -- she just wanted to know why he dumped her things off her bed and given it to another hosteler when clearly the bed was taken -- and apparently had been for days. I heard through others that this is a regular occurrence. All in all I was really disappointed with this place. I had heard good things about it but really it's not worth the money. If you want to enjoy yourself in Rome, stay somewhere else. — Disappoinrted , - (2008-05-03) Really Great I was really happy with this hostel. Comfy bunks, clean; nice bathrooms, friendly staff, good internet. Really pleased, it made for a great home base to discover Rome, good restaurants nearby and close to Termini. Highly recommended. — Paula , USA (2007-07-27) I was REALLY pleased about this hostel. Pros -- clean!, refurbished, quiet and large rooms, unlimited breakfast included (I drank like 3 espressi and 2 cappucinos for breakfast every day). Social room with DVD, flatscreen, sofas. No curfew, internet. Cons -- Apart from the location (not really close to historic sites). Nothing really. Altogether good value for money, and by far better than most other hostels in big European cities. I am still quite impressed how clean it was. Staff is friendly and professional. They neither hassle nor socialise too much with you. — jay , UK (2007-05-01) Amazing hostel, fairly close to train station. me and my sister stayed here for five days in may 2006. not much room in the kitchens to keep your food, and at dinner time the power would give out from the two stoves and microwaves being used but probably the best shared bathrooms we had on our two-month backpacking trip. our eight-bed dorm was right on the street but huge and we felt safe here leaving our bags and stuff around. not far from the sights of room either. staff were helpful and nice. would stay here again. — Hayley , Canadian (2007-04-12) This hostel is good for tight budget travelers. lights are weak in room, forget about reading novel. non air-conditioned room (smelly foot from other backpackers stay in same room with you. hard pillow caused neck-strain on the next morning. lousy breakfast -- hard-stone rolls, pineapple juice with non-pineapple taste, tasteless milk. mainly six persons per room. So be careful of your own stuff. About one-and-a-half-square-meter bathroom, which you need to hang your clothes beside you, and the water will accidentally pour all over your towels, undies. Not really friendly staffs, never received any smile from them when i passed by. Lift is small and dangerous, if your total weight is about eighty to one hundred kilograms with your luggage, Please do take staircase to reception desk on third floor instead of using the lift. My bed was untidy and unclean when I arrived -- and smelly. most of the blankets and pillows are smelly in this hostel, the smell are leftover by previous backpackers. Yeah, a bit dangerous for girls walking back alone in night to the dorm. — Iceberg (2006-12-29) Overall excellent. Very clean, very close to the train station, with true 24/7 access, and generally friendly people at the counter. I was only there for two nights, with three friends, and we had an easy, comfortable time either hanging out in the spacious rooms or wandering over to the Alessandro Palace where the bar and more hopping atmosphere was. Breakfast in the morning is free and not too bad for being just your basic cereal and rolls. They also have free pasta dinners on weeknights, a real blessing if you're cash-starved. In the end it was a little far away from the real happening areas of rome -- close to the Coliseum, true, but not to much in the way of nightlife. Still overall a really good, comfortable, social hostel. — Adrian (2006-11-28) it all depends on what you are looking for. i really liked this hostel, they have breakfast, which is really good. socializing is up to you, they have a sister hostel with a bar and that is where the party is. alessandro is a place to sleep and it is very clean, they have a good common area, the staff is friendly, they have internet access for a small reasonable fee. Very nice, i would stay there again. the only bad thing is the area it is located is somewhat scary for someone not used to a bad part of town. overall i really enjoyed my stay. — veronica (2006-11-03) This is a very well-organized and clean hostel. The social atmosphere is great. The breakfast is very nice and plentiful. There are quite enough bathrooms so you don't need to queue to take a shower. Security is also good and you don't even need the locker. The location is quite good, being very close to the train station. It is easy to find. I recommend this hostel if you go to Rome! — Cardith (2006-10-06) The only good thing about this place is its close proximity to the Termini station. They call it a social hostel but nobody was friendly to my boyfriend and I (except for one of our roomies who was a new European traveler) -- everybody who stayed there seemed very cliquey with the friends they travelled with and their roomies. Breakfast is pretty lame with a cold roll and plain cereal. The juice made my boyfriend sick. Bathrooms were decent. Located on a noisy chinatown-type street. And on top of all this, my boyfriend's credit card was stolen by one of our dorm roommates who actually happened to work there (beware of the french guy from Nice, i forgot his name). The bar is located ten minutes walking to the sister hostel (Alessandro Palace). Overall -- not recommended at all. — Sheri (2006-09-11) One of the better hostels I have stayed at and the best one in Rome. Free pizza for dinner and two drinks for 3 euro at the sister hostel, the Palace. It is in a central location and just down the street from the train station. Stay here. — Dave (2006-08-16) I went with a group and found the hostel to be pretty clean with a good air conditioning unit, the staff were not all that friendly and its not all that good for socialising as its a very quiet place and they keep it that way. The streets around the hostel however are disgusting with a lot of middle age and old men drinking there -- as a girl who had to walk home it was scary. The hostel itself is safe though. — Grace (2006-04-27) Great Hostel! Friendly staff and knew a lot of information. I plan on coming back in August with 2 friends. — leila (2006-03-13)