Casa Martinez

Had a really great stay here in May for 4 nights. We originally booked to stay at OneTime Roma through Expedia, but on our arrival we were moved to this hotel for our stay. The owners were superb hosts and couldn't do enough for us, and we really felt welcomed! We were celebrating our anniversary whilst in Rome (I had emailed ahead to inform them of this) and they did everything to make our stay extra special! They recommended a fantastic place to eat, away from all the touristy places, and even made the reservation for us whilst we were out sightseeing for the day!! On our anniversary night there was even a little surprise for us in our room! Which was so wonderful! It's the things like this that make you want to come back again! The room was spacious, modern and clean, and the bed was very comfortable. The room was equipped with a TV (though there are no international channels), there is wifi, a kettle, fridge, hairdryer, and there was a mini-safe in the wardrobe. Yes it was mini! But it served a purpose and was large enough to fit our passports, money and small valuables in. The shower was probably the best part!! It was very powerful, there was both a rainfall shower, and a shower hose which you can switch between. The water was always hot every morning! Towels and bed linen were changed every 3rd day, which personally I don't find a problem. The location of the hotel was about a 15-20 minute walk to the Colosseum. I recommend taking a look around the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, which is on the way - you won't be dissapointed! The metro is also literally on the doorstep of Casa Martinez, though we only used this once to get to the Vatican (it is a direct line, about 12 mins on the metro). The hotel is on a main road but our room was on the back of the building, it was very quiet and we had no problems sleeping at night. As I said before, there is a kettle in your room with complimentary tea's, though if you prefer a coffee in the morning, then there is machine in reception to use free of charge. I don't think this hotel offers breakfast, but as we had paid for a breakfast at the time of booking the OneTime hotel, for breakfast we were given tokens to exchange in the cafe across the road, where we received a coffee, orange juice and a choice of pastry ie, croissants and that sort of thing. Everything we had was good, it just wasn't the breakfast you need for a full day of sightseeing and walking. The fridge in the room however, is a good size if you prefer to buy your own food, as there are plenty of corner shops and small grocery stores within walking distance from the hotel. The owner provided us transport back to the airport, which took the stress away of arranging a transfer for the morning of our flight, and all for a good price too! 100% would stay here again! Thanks for the hospitality and for the grappa! Melanie + John