At Alessandro Palace Hostel, the staff are lively, the bar is buzzing, and the pizza is free.
The Location
If you want to be smack bang in the middle of the most touristy, tackiest part of Rome, this is the best place to be. Located in the heart of Rome's transportation system, this is a great place to stay if it's literally just a pit stop, as the huge beast that is Termini station is just minutes away by foot. For those who want to be in a quieter, more cultural area -- look elsewhere.
Rooms and Bathrooms
Rooms are large with an odd choice of furniture -- what could have easily have been lockers is instead a useless set of cabinets without locks. (After our visit, the hostel did claim to be putting in lockers by December 2008). Some of the beds are built into the cabinet, so you go to sleep feeling like you're in a box -- it's all very odd. There's a bathroom in every room, which sounds nice and luxurious but the reality is not pretty. It's inevitable that when one person wakes up in a dorm room of eight or so people, everyone wakes up -- which results in a huge toilet queue come morning time. Other than the general bad planning of the bedrooms, everything is nicely clean and tidy.
Common Spaces
Hostel bars are few and far between in Rome, but Alessandro's proudly boasts about their lively hub, which is a great place to mingle. There are also free pizza sessions here (every night from 12th January to 28th February 2009) -- maybe this is to make up for the lack of kitchen. There are often nights planned in the bar so if you decide to opt out, it's likely you'll be home alone -- people who stay in Alessandro's are generally party animal types. There's a great computer room with internet, but it isn't free to use. In fact it costs more than nearby internet cafes.
Summary
This hostel is huge and noisy with a focus on partying and having fun. With it (of course) comes a hoard of friendly, outgoing travelers. However, if you take away the fun factor, what‘s left? The free breakfast is pretty good and it's all relatively clean, but you can find much cheaper hostels in better locations if you're willing to sacrifice the bar.
— Avis exclusif de Hostelz.com
February 2009
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