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NYCgirl12 Feb 23rd, 2008 04:41 AM

Rome Hotel
 
Hi,
Can anyone give me a review of the Hotel Napoleon and its surrounding area?
Thanks.

ekscrunchy Feb 23rd, 2008 04:51 AM

I have not stayed there. But I looked it up on TA and it gets wonderful reviews. And the very reasonable rates include airport pickup! And they have "Woman rates!!"
It is a bit removed from major sights but right on the Metro line. For those prices I would not hesitate! Please let us know your opinion if you do stay here...

How did you choose this hotel?

Grcxx3 Feb 23rd, 2008 05:29 AM

uh.......what are "woman rates"????

ekscrunchy Feb 23rd, 2008 05:35 AM

..sounds interesting, doesn't it??!!

On their website they mention providing extra service for female guests...not in those words or it would certainly sound suspect!!


http://www.napoleon.it/eng/tariffe.h...FSP8lgod41fPgA

Vttraveler Feb 23rd, 2008 05:37 AM

The hotel does look nice and gets great reviews on Trip Advisor. The location is probably the major drawback. It just isn't as charming and convenient to many sites as other areas of Rome.
Being on the metro line will make it easy to get to the Vatican and the Spanish steps area. There are buses (I think the #71 and #75) to get you closer in to the part of the central historic area around Piazza Navonna, the Pantheon, etc.

sacc Feb 25th, 2008 12:37 PM

I have to say that I've been amazed at the positive TA reviews because I stayed at the Hotel Napoleon a few years ago, and it was horrible!

It was my first solo trip ever, and I landed in Rome on Sept. 11, 2001 (extremely bad timing!) My travel agent hadpicked the Napoleon because its prices were a bit cheaper than a lot of Rome hotels, presumably because it's a bit outside the periphery. Perhaps the fact they have to throw in free rides from the airport to lure customers should have been a clue.....)

Perhaps I shouldn't complain, because I actually learned some valuable lessons from the experience! I've returned to Rome several times since then and now, always pick my own hotels and apartment rentals (rather than leave it to someone else!) And I always stay much closer to the centre. I don't think the money that I saved by staying further out made up for the inconvenience.

The location really isn't great, especially for a single woman. The area is kind of residential/small business, so at night, it becomes very quiet and I didn't feel very comfortable on the streets after dark. And there weren't many restaurants nearby, so it kind of limited my choice of places to eat and my ability to stroll around in the evening, which I like to do. The hotel is right at a subway stop, which was handy because I had to take the subway to the Vatican and even the Spanish Steps, since they were just a bit too far away to walk there and back. In contrast, I now stay around the Campo dei Fiori area or the Ghetto because most everything is within walking distance and I prefer to not have to rely on public transit too much.

The hotel itself was pretty shabby and service was ghastly. Single rooms are often tiny, but this was the tiniest hotel room I've ever seen. And it had the old shower-over-the-toilet setup, rather than a separate shower stall. Not great.

The first night I was there, a huge fight broke out in the adjoining room and spilled over into the hallway. The police were called. I asked the manager the next day to give me a different room and he assured me the troublesome guests were gone. They weren't. Another fight involving the same people broke out again that night. However, I think I made more noise than they, because I had the worst case of food poisoning of my life that night (after eating in a nearby restaurant.) In the morning, I called down to the front desk, explained I was sick and asked if someone could bring me a bottle of sparkling water from the breakfast room (thinking the fizz might settle my stomach) The manager said that wasn't possible, but if I wanted to walk down the street there were many places that sold beverages.

All in all, I wouldn't recommend the Hotel Napoleon. I continue to be amazed at the positive reviews. Maybe the double rooms are much better. And as for "woman's rates" I can't even imagine what those might be.

NYCgirl12 Feb 25th, 2008 03:11 PM

Thank you all for your responses.

This hotel is one of five that we zeroed in on...based on price, availability and location...we wanted something near a metro stop.


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