I don't have a bad word to say about this place - i really loved it! Stayed here for the last two nights of out trip and it could't have been a better way to finish. The hostel was clean, friendly and spacious with free internet, a tv, and loads of suggestions/advice about what to do in Rome and how to get around. It's located about 2 minutes shy of the Vatican city - a little out of the way but very near a metro station and, contrary to what you might read in guidebooks, the metro is a very good way of getting around Rome. A fantastic hostel in an amazing city.
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(Review ID: 3730)
A great little Hostel!, July 2, 2004
Reviewer:
Leo
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I was recently traveling through through Italy and stayed at this place for nearly a week. I want to add my experience in constrast to that of the reviewer Enaxor, which seems skewed and completely unlike what me and my friends and for that matter most of the people I knew at the Hostel at the time experienced. Firstly, this Hostel has about the best location I can imagine in the city...I could look out the window of my room and see Saint Peters a few steets away...on top of this it is small enough that you will definitely meet people and make new friends (unlike the first Hostel I stayed at near the train station which was big and without any character). There were sometimes, early in the morning lines for the bathroom, but everyone I knew was perfectly happy waiting and talking while they waited and enjoying the communal feeling that the place had. My room and my bed were always clean unless someone came in a dumped there backpack out...also the bathrooms always seemed fresh and clean, in fact the saff actually asked that guests help keep things clean by mopping the water off the floor after you shower, if someone forgot I would see them in there doing it themsleves...so the complaint the other traveler had about dirt on the floor maybe was from one particuarly dirty guest. The lounge was great too, there were always people sharing wine and talking or watching movies....Also the free Internet was never a problem to use for me...maybe if you cant wait more than a few minutes to use it than you will be frustrated to give another person their alotted time, but for me again, this is just normal Hostel living and you cant expect them to buy twenty computers for a place so small...I never saw anyone really bothered by that and I personally never had a problem geetting on the Web. One thing I really cant understand about that other review is that she is negative about the staff....maybe she was expecting Hilton Hotel service...but they were great when I was there, they would come out and hang out with us and even one time they cooked dinner for everyone in the lounge....the door to the staff room was never closed and all my questions were answered without attitude and with genuine cheerfulness..they all seemed to be just really happy to be living and working in Rome and you could tell that they were making an effort to give everyone that came in a good stay.ANyway, there's my oppinion and as for the other review I think it is an unusual and unfair perspective on this Hostel.
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(Review ID: 3731)
I have seen better, June 29, 2004
Reviewer:
enaxor
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The comments here were so great about Pensione Ottaviano that I had no worries about staying there. Well, I was disappointed when I showed up there. While the rooms were cleanish, the showers were gross. The floor of the washroom in our bedroom was covered with mud, which then had been dragged all over the room. We had paid for a dorm room with private bath, but we ended up using the shared bathroom in the hall because ours was too gross (the others were only slightly better... plus there ALWAYS was a line up) Also, when the lineup for the shared washroom was too long, people would just come in our room and use ours, including in the middle of the night)There was no kitchen or even a fridge, only a microwave oven. No breakfast includedThe common room was small and no matter where people would sit, they would be blocking the door to one of the dorm. There were always people in the common room though and it was a nice place to spend a bit of time before going out. Nice people there.The internet was free, that's true... But you are lucky if you get to use it! Because it was free, people would use it for hours at a time (there were only two computers, available only from 3pm to 11pm) At least there were other internet cafes around.The beds were bunk beds (6 per room) and they were so low that the person on the lower bed couldnt even sit up. The rooms had huge lockers (we managed to put two backpacks in one locker!) but bring your own lock. The staff was not super helpful. All our questions were answered either with an "I dont know" or with a wrong answer. However, there were posters all over the walls with informations about things to do and places to visit. The location is ok. Its great for visiting the Vatican (it is literally just around the corner) but a bit far from everything else, unless you want to take the metro a lot. There is a metro stop 3 blocks from the hostel, so public transportation is easy. Overall, it was an ok place to spend the night, but definately not my favorite one. There was nothing really terrible, but Rome has no many nice hostels, why settle for less? I much prefered the Gullivers House when I was in Rome.
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(Review ID: 3732)
I'll be back!, August 12, 2003
Reviewer:
Naki
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I stayed in a few different hostels in Rome but this was the best by far! The location was great - a stone's throw from St Peter's square, bus stops and the metro, and the staff the friendliest I've met!The fact that there are only around 30 guests is great as everyone gets to know each other really quickly. It wasn't long before we we're all going out together! I'll miss the random late night discussions in the common room, they were pretty cool! All in all, a great, fun place to stay! I'll definitely be back!
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(Review ID: 3733)
Overall it was a good time, August 8, 2003
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Anonymous
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Great location, friendly staff and spacious accommodation. The internet is free which saved me money. The common area is always social. It is close to the metro and easy to find.
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(Review ID: 3734)
best hostel yet!!!!, June 19, 2003
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Anonymous
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i think the person below must have been staying in a different hostel! we stayed at ottaviano hostel 2 days ago and it was one of the nicest and cleanest hostels we've visited so far. also the staff were super-friendly and helped us with museum times, supermarkets, laundry etc. we liked it so much we're coming back next month.
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(Review ID: 3735)
The guidebooks are wrong, June 14, 2003
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Anonymous
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This place only has two things going for it..... refrigerators in the rooms and great location. Other than that it's pretty nasty. The place is filthy. We had to move our beds away from the walls to avoid the grime and the bathroom situation is grim. There are only two, so the line is always long. And they are gross. Even after the staff has done a ruidmentary cleaning during the lock out period, there is hair packed into every crevice. Nasty!
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(Review ID: 3736)
Excellent location, April 10, 2003
Reviewer:
nikszeggend@yahoo.com
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We stayed in this hostel 2.5 years ago, but as I read the other (good) comments, I think it hasn't changed much. The location indeed is excellent, near the Vatican and the subway, a much nicer neighbourhood then the Termini Station, where most other hostels are located. The rooms are very spacy and with superhigh artsy ceilings. The common room/reception is cosy and the people were friendly and helpfull. The only bad things were the thin matrasses (maybe they changed by now) and the overcrowded bathrooms.
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(Review ID: 3737)
Great atmosphere, Great location, March 3, 2003
Reviewer:
Rebekah
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Close to the Metro and ever so close to the Vatican, this place has comfy coed dorm rooms, a really social atmosphere and friendly english speaking staff. There are only 2 bathrooms so plan ahead for showering and whatnot! Free internet and sheets. I don't know how much you would enjoy this place if you weren't comfortable speaking english, pretty much everyone here did. Lockout from 11:30 to 2. I stayed an extra day because it was such a fun place.
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(Review ID: 3738)
Nasty, dishonest, just plain terrible, February 13, 2003
Reviewer:
Adam Rosie
( adamrosie@aol.com)
from Michigan, USA
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This was the worst hostel I have ever stayed in in my entire life. And ive stayed in many! The staff was incredibly unknowledgable. They did not speak english, and were completely biased toward the french speakers staying there. They kicked us out during the day. On the brochure, the hostel promised internet access and free luggage storage. Neither of these were provided. There were 2 bathrooms for 35 people, hardly sanitary. Also, we were lied to when we made reservations. We wanted to leave on a certain day. When we made our reservations, we were told this was fine. However, upon arrival at the hostel, we were told we could not leave that day. So we had to pay for a night when we did not stay at the hostel. DO NOT STAY AT THIS HOSTEL! EVER! UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE!
