03 Jul Love at first stay-Hotel Julia
What should you look for when booking a hotel in Rome? Proximity and easy access. When I visited Rome in March for 4 full days I looked for a hotel situated in the center of the action, right next to the Fontana di Trevi.
After doing some research, I decided that this hotel would be a lovely place to be at, especially as I was really excited about viewing some of the surrounding areas at night. After I decided upon the area, I found a good deal on Agoda and I booked a small room at Hotel Julia.
Access:
For those coming in Rome by plane, from each of the two airports (Ciampino or Fiumicino) there are bus shuttles that takes you to Termini Train Station. From there you can take the subway on the red line for two stations, until you reach Barberini Metro Station. You exit left and keep left for about 100 meters where you turn left again, on Via delle Quattro Fontane. Second street right is Via Rasella, where the Hotel is situated at number 29.
For more info on the subject and operation hours for the public transport check out the hotel’s website.
Description:
Now, before moving forward with my review, you have to understand the fact that Hotel Julia is not a modern hotel, it is not made out of steel and glass and does not boast with the latest technologies.
What this hotel is, is a building from 1949, situated on a street not very circulated, between Fontana di Trevi, the Spanish Steps, Piazza Barberini and the famous Via Veneto.
Every room offers air-conditioning, direct dial phone, free WI FI, TV and safe.
The breakfast is served daily between 7:30 and 10:30 AM, offering a range of pastry, fruits and sandwich ingredients. I mostly enjoyed the cappuccino/espresso, which was served at request and you could order one per guest.
Price:
You can book a room directly on the hotel’s website or you can hunt some discount prices on booking sites such as Agoda (as I did) or Booking. For the 4 night stay between 7 and 11 March, I paid a total of 332.35 €. There is also a city tax of 32 € I had to pay at the hotel(it was a double room).
The entire stay was for 3 nights but I had a late flight back home so I booked the hotel another night to make sure I would have a place to take a shower and change before departure.
Staff:
From the moment I stepped inside for the first time I was greeted warmly. There is always someone at the reception who will answer any question and offer to help in any situation.
The cleaning staff was present daily with turndown service.
I interacted with 3 or 4 hotel staff at the reception, more than 5 cleaning personal and 2 waitresses. Everybody was really nice and always had a smile on their faces.
Proximity:
As I detailed above, the hotel is very close to many major sights as it is located in the historical center of Rome. You will have easy access to Trevi Fountain (450 m), Spanish Steps (700 m), Piazza Barberini (300 m) and Via Veneto (600 m). The Colosseum is located at 1.6 km away so it’s a short and enjoyable walk away.
This is the most important feature of the hotel. Because of it’s perfect location it gives you the option to visit everything at night, as they are all so close. Rome by night is an entire different city to visit.
My verdict:
If ever again in Rome I would definitely stay here again. Situated so close to Fontana di Trevi, is a major advantage since the entire area is charming in the evening and at night.
Overall, one of the nicest hotels I was ever accommodated in.