'A Casa di Maryelen' B&B, Rome | Review

A Casa di Maryelen B&B

A cheap accommodation option conveniently-close to Stazione Termini, this bed and breakfast casts many budget hotels into the shade. Clean, well-furnished rooms and a very friendly welcome make this a comfortable place to stay for travellers on a budget.

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First impressions

I stayed at the B&B for one night in January 2006, booking a single room for €55, and was very pleased with what I found.

Shortly after receiving the instant confirmation of my online booking, I receive a friendly email in English from Loredana, who runs 'A Casa di Maryelen', giving me contact details and directions. I respond with a request to arrive around 11am, just to leave my suitcase. I am aware that this can be a problem for small bed and breakfasts in Italy, where there is not always someone on-site all day. However Loredana sends back a bright yes, and when I actually turn up around 10:30am, she already has my room ready for me.

On arrival, after the three-minute walk from Termini, I ring the bell outside the large gateway to the apartment building. After a pause, Loredana emerges to greet me, take my case, and usher me up to the fifth floor apartment, where her daughter is busy cleaning the guest rooms. Readers will be glad to note that there is a small lift, typical of these Roman apartment buildings. Soon I am comfortably-settled in my room, and in possession of the four keys necessary for entry to the palazzo, apartment and room.

The B&B is a small affair, with six rooms in the flat, some facing over the courtyard and some over the street. Along with the small breakfast area, this makes up the whole establishment - the owners live on another floor of the building.

Room

My room is spick and span, with a double bed and a window overlooking the internal courtyard of the building. It's a reasonable size and furnished better than some of the budget hotels I've visited in the neighbourhood. There is a small fridge - extremely useful for longer stays - a desk and chair and a wardrobe containing plenty of hangers and a spare blanket. Also provided are a small television which receives Italian terrestrial channels, a hairdryer, towels, soap, shower gel sachets and some artificial flowers for ornamentation. The hosts have a curious taste in artwork (silvery icons), but the decor is pretty good; all the paint and fittings look fresh.

With shutters and floor-length curtains to keep out the light, and a quiet courtyard below, I get a good night's sleep. The only noise I hear is from inside the flat (not much of a problem, but if you had noisy fellow-guests this could annoy). The bed is fairly comfortable and, like the rest of the furniture, seems quite new, although the two pillows are so thin that I use both.

The ensuite bathroom is practical but tiny, with just enough space for a toilet, washbasin and shower. Again, it is clean and well-decorated. The weather was exceptionally cold in Rome during my visit, but the rooms at the B&B were kept well-heated.

Our stay

I only stayed one night, but did a lot of travelling around Rome, and the location was ideal for using public transport, as Termini (the hub of the metro, overland trains and buses) is only a few minutes' walk away. The area isn't the nicest at night, but I walked back safely alone at midnight, alert but unthreatened.

Breakfast is served 8-10am, and is fairly typical Italian fare. Good tea and coffee, and an array of pre-packaged croissants, bread, cornflakes, cake and some oranges. There's more choice than some places I've stayed in, but nothing to get excited about. Kind Loredana pressed an orange into my hand 'for later'.

If you want to stock up your fridge, or buy cheap wine and food, there is a good basement supermarket around the corner by Santa Maria Maggiore, and another at Termini, where there is also a good range of shops in the underground shopping centre. It's a fair walk to most of the tourist sites; I'd suggest saving your energy by taking a bus or the Metro from Termini.

Our view

I tend to be apprehensive staying in Italian B&Bs, as they depend so much on the vagaries of the owners. In this case I felt that Loredana and her family went out of their way to make their guests feel welcome and comfortable. From practical touches like the fridge, hairdryer and extra loo-rolls to their helpful attitudes, they take their business seriously and seem genuinely to enjoy welcoming guests to their B&B. The Casa di Maryelen was a useful discovery; a good and economic place to stay with handy transport links.

Directions

Hotel address: Via Principe Amadeo 85A. From Stazione Termini head down Via Gioberti and take the second left. Loredana sends helpful directions and contact numbers when you make a booking - if she's not at the B&B to greet you, she's likely to be at her trattoria over the road. Guests should note that payment is expected in cash upon check-out.

Update May 2006

We recently downgraded this bed and breakfast from our favourites. In May 2006 I made an online booking which was confirmed instantly. However, the night before I was called by Loredana who told me that she had cancelled the booking (falsely declining my credit card details) as she "didn't have room" but that one of her relatives would find me a room. This dented my high opinion of the B&B management - although I did find myself a pleasant alternative at B&B Fiocca.

A Casa di Maryelen Bed & Breakfast, Rome

Rome Accommodation Reviews