Bella Roma Hostel

Located north of Vatican city, Bella Roma Hostel does not have the best location for exploring Rome, but it is certainly possible to walk to many of the sights or take a bus. When arriving at Termini station, take bus number 70 to the end of the line (Piazzale Clodio). In Rome it is not possible to buy tickets on the bus, so you will need to buy a ticket beforehand at the station or a tabacchi store. When you get to the end, look for the Mitsubishi dealership and go down the street on the right. It is at the end of the street at number 63 and is not at all signposted. The building looks like an apartment block from the outside, but just look for the buzzer saying Bella Roma. It is on the second floor.

The hostel is quite small and lacks common areas. There is a small kitchen for cooking, which has enough basic facilities. There are two supermarkets nearby, one cheap and one very expensive. Ask to be directed to the cheaper, larger one. The common room is more of a common hall with a few tiny tables and chairs, one computer with free internet and a TV. Due to Italian law, it is currently necessary to provide a photocopy of your passport in order to use the internet.

The dorm rooms are clean, but the beds are hard and uncomfortable. The bathrooms are also clean and private. The hostel used to have a free washing machine, but at the time of staying it was out of order with no immediate plans to fix it. It may be back one day.

The staff at the hostel are quite unhelpful. We extended our stay an extra night, which was going to be fine. Then they got additional internet bookings, which meant someone else had booked our beds. This occurred due to their primitive booking system and a lack of communication between staff members. They strung us along all day, unsure as to whether or not we would have a bed. Instead of offering us a free upgrade (double rooms were available), we were stuck trying to find another place to stay, which is not easy over the weekend in peak season. If you want to stay here, definitely book all your nights online. They always give priority to guests who book online, even if you have made a booking in person.

Overall it is a nice, small, and friendly place to stay. The common hall is really the only place to hang out and chat once people start going to sleep, and unfortunately the sound carries into the bedrooms so it can get noisy. The staff do however try to quiet everyone, as they will otherwise get complaints from the neighbours in the building. It's not a bad place to stay as long as you have an internet booking.

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