Stargate Hostel

The Stargate Hostel in Rome is one of a few hostels/hotels that share one building. Conveniently, the hostel is close to the main train station and is quite easy to find. There are cheap restaurants nearby, and an internet cafe/laundromat around the corner. It's about a half hour walk to most of the attractions in the city, but close enough to the Metro to make it accessible. With your stay at the Stargate, you get 15 minutes of free internet time there daily.

The dorms are spacious and clean -- eight beds per room, with a lot of room between them, but only one table with one chair. There are plenty of bathrooms with six full bathrooms per floor, but there's no telling how often they are cleaned. In many of them, the floor was constantly soaked and dirty. And many of the shower doors were off their hinges.

Breakfast in the morning consisted of some stale bread and jelly. It was almost not worth eating it, but hey -- it was free. There is a single key per room that stays at the front desk if no one is in the room. A good system, unless someone locks the room when you are in the bathroom or shower. Then it's a five floor walk (or elevator ride) down to the lobby to retrieve your key. And in the morning, the elevator is in such high demand, it makes more sense to walk it anyway.

Overall, it's not a perfect hostel, but it is an acceptable accommodation in a reasonably good location.

— Avis exclusif de Hostelz.com
September 2004