Italy: Hotel Villa San Pio

On our first night in Italy, we got our first experience of Italian hospitality at Hotel Villa San Pio in Rome. Hotel Villa San Pio is behind a gate along a brick wall.  It is a secure, environmentally conservative (room lights are turned on and off by your key card), and high class private residence. It has a beautiful entry that opens up to a courtyard patio garden where meals and beverages can be enjoyed.

Upon arrival we were each served a flute glass of quality fruit juice on a platter and our bags were gently taken up the easily accessible elevator to our second floor room, which would be considered fourth floor in the United States.  We found this a common experience of each numbered floor representing two levels in a building.

As this was to be our first night in Rome we were hoping for a quiet place to rest.  The room indeed, with the lights off, was dark and quiet and good for sleep. The only noise during our stay was the very occasional sound of water running in the walls. The room came with a king bed made of two single beds, which were each comfortably firm.

One of the great assets of staying at Hotel Villa San Pio is that each room comes equipped with a traveler's mobile phone that can be used for navigating the city and tour sites.  We found this quite helpful as we were first adjusting to our new surroundings. There was also a small safe, not large enough for a laptop, but easy to use. A fridge could be found in a fancy cupboard. There was also a very small flat screen TV.

The room had high walls and a quaint sitting room with two chairs and a great view.

The bathroom was impeccably clean made mostly of marble.  The shower had a drain in its corner with textured and very clean floor.  A low pressure hair dryer was available. It was a typical Italian bathroom otherwise, which you can read more about on yesterday's post.

Overall, it was a pleasant place to stay and had it not been a last minute change in plans we may have chosen to stay here longer. The room was very secure.  My only complaint was that there was a mildew smell, but I soon learned that this is nearly unavoidable if you plan to stay in the downtown area of Rome.

This hotel is a short walk from the local bus and train station, but both are easy to find.

As many reviewers online noted, this would be a great place for a romantic stay.  For a last minute booking, this room cost us 180 euros.