We booked the Hotel Caprice after their sister hotel, Hotel Diplomatic, gave our room away. When we got there and the staff was very accommodating and made us feel welcomed. Our room was ok and was a nice size. The breakfast was pretty standard--meats, cheeses, breads, and a toaster--but it was good. The location, however, could not have been better--walking distance to the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and even the Borghese Gallery if you wanted a longer walk. Overall, it was a good stay after a somewhat chaotic experience with Hotel Diplomatic.

I can admit that the awe inspired by Rome greatly overshadowed the flaws of the hotel, so maybe if I separate it into positive and negative qualities it would be easier to give it a fairer review. There were many positive things about the Caprice. It's an old hotel conveniently located near the Spanish Steps, and as such its charm is just that of an old hotel. It even smells old. The staff is great, nobody can really speak English but they're veterans at talking without words. They were very helpful, just persist and you, too, will become a veteran in sign language. One of the people at the front desk gave us chocolate for kicks, and we were always greeted going in and out. Sometimes I felt they were going to break into song and dance. The room was cozy. I was in a triple and didn't feel too crowded. Yes, it's shabby, but if you're in Rome you probably won't spend much time awake in it to notice. The beds are pretty stiff, depends on how you're used to sleeping. I liked it, though. It was quiet for the most part, the only noise we heard were the neighbors coming in after a wild night out. In the mornings, breakfast was continental: bread, salami, cheese, ham, butter and jam, along with baked goods. And of course, juice, milk, coffee or hot chocolate. Location was amazing, of course. It's 5-10 minutes from the Spanish Steps and 10-15 from the Trevi Fountain. From there it's easier to walk to the Pantheon, which would then be easier to walk to Piazza Nevona. It's close to the bus stops and underground system. There weren't a lot of negative things about the Caprice, just the kind of negative that makes you laugh. For example, the tiny elevator smelled like goat and the cultural exchange via sign language between me and the staff was a lot of fun. I don't think our bathroom door closed all the way, and one person at a time could see the TV. Like it matters, really. Why watch TV in Rome? Others have said it lacked style, but I felt it had a certain kind of charm to it that most modernized hotels don't have. A great, friendly staff and a cozy hotel beats a lavish hotel with temperamental receptionists. All I can say. I'm only giving it a "neutral/above average" because the facilities were average, and when you think about it, it is an average hotel. Or it's what an average hotel SHOULD be, rather. The room was cozy but my mother found it cramped, and yes, there was plenty of shabbiness to go around. Their internet was also down. Helpful hints? To get there from the FCO Airport, take the train to the Termini and then the metro (Linea A) to Barberini. You can then take a bus from the stop "Tritone" (a stone's throw from the metro exit) to Via Veneto, or you can bum a map from tourist information and walk it if you don't have a lot of luggage. From the bus stop, climb up the steps and it should be to the right next to... la dolce vita lap dancing. Careful of pickpockets and people trying to short-change you. If you get short-changed, kick and scream until you get what you're supposed to. The last thing they need is someone scaring away other potential customers. Other than that, enjoy your stay! The hotel is pretty shabby, but Rome and the great staff should make you forget about it in no time.

We were staying in Rome for 5 days. Having seen three rooms within our first 24 hours at this hotel, we can say that it can range from the downright unacceptable to a comfortable three star establishment. Owing to an unforeseen problem, we were told that our original room was unavailable and they had a smaller one for us or a transfer to their sister hotel. When we checked the room we returned to reception to say that it was totally unacceptable. A double bed was squeezed up to the wall and the bedside cabinet didn't allow the door to the bathroom to open more than halfway. A very small window six foot above the floor allowed no natural light and certainly no chance of a view. We were then shown a marginally larger room but there was barely room to walk round the bed. In both rooms the bathroom consisted of a shower head, a toilet and a very small sink. The net result was a completely soaked floor after a shower. The decoration was poor and in need of refurbishment, the window and shutters were rotten. We wanted to reject this room but there were no others available and we were told we could move to a better room the following afternoon. Our third and final room was an acceptable double room with a large window, ample floor space and a complete shower cubicle. It was still a little shabby in places. Had we had to endure either of the first two rooms for the entirety of our stay in Rome we would have had a very miserable time. However, the assistance of the hotel staff to improve our stay was welcome. In the hotel's defence, although the facilities are poor and in dire need of a spruce up, the beds were hard (good!), the shower water was very hot and it had air con, a mini bar, safe and hairdryer, along with basic toiletries. Unfortunately, there were no tea/coffee making facilities in the room and the breakfast room was only open until 10am. The location of the hotel was ideal as it was near Via Veneto with its beautiful bars/cafes/restaurants and also within walking distance of the Spanish Steps and Trevi fountain. The tourist bus has a stop nearby for all major attractions. From our experience, we can fully understand the wide ranging views shared on this website.

I stayed at the Hotel Caprice in late September 2007. It is in a fabulous location, and that is the main thing to keep in mind. For the money, it is an extraordinary bargain. I had a single room on floor 5 overlooking the street. I didn’t find the location or hotel any noisier than anywhere else I’ve stayed, including much more expensive five star hotels. Yes I was woken up in the early hours one morning by refuse collectors in the street below, but in New Orleans I was woken up at 6a.m. every morning by them whilst staying at the teeth-grittingly expensive “W”. Generally the hotel was very quiet at night. There was a problem one night with noise from guests in a neighbouring room (drunken English chavs, who seem to get everywhere these days) screeching and yelling in the early hours of the morning, but it was dealt with very effectively when I complained to the desk. (Whereas when I stayed in the vastly overpriced Sherry Netherland in New York a few years’ ago and was woken up by yelling in the adjoining room at 2a.m., it took them over an hour to “investigate” my complaint by which time the noise had stopped and they phoned me back at 3a.m., waking me again, to let me know they couldn’t hear anything! ) The hotel is a very short walk from the Spanish Steps, Via Condotti and Via Corsa, and very close to a number of sights worth seeing including the Cimitero di Cappucini, St. Mary of Angel’s Basilica (the latter for some reason doesn’t seem to feature in many guide books) and the Keats/Shelley Museum. It is literally a minute from Via Veneto (not that there is much to see there, but it is a main artery to everywhere else), a very short walk to the Borghese Park and a slightly longer walk to the Quirinale Art Gallery, Church of St. Susanna and Trevi Fountain. The Pantheon is also within walking distance. I didn’t need to get a tram, bus, metro or taxi the entire time, albeit I was very tired from all the walking some days. For further excursions e.g. Coliseum and Vatican, I used the “hop-on, hop-off” tourist bus. Again, there is a boarding/exiting stop in the adjacent street to the hotel. The room was very clean and I found all the staff that I encountered to be pleasant and helpful. Breakfast room was a little crowded at times, but the coffee, pastries etc were good. No fresh fruit, though tinned fruit and juice are available. So what were the less attractive features? As has been noted on the site, the rooms are not very attractive and you certainly don’t look forward to returning to them. I’ve found all the rooms I’ve stayed in in Italian hotels to be very dark and gloomy (previously have stayed at more expensive hotels in Florence and Venice) but this had the added disadvantage of being very poky – an open umbrella literally took up all the available floor space. No coffee/tea making facilities in the room (although to be fair it would have been difficult to find room for them) Fridge not turned on, but I wasn’t going to use the drinks supplied anyway. The air-conditioning was adequate for the temperatures of up to 29 degrees centigrade, which fell considerably at night. But I suspect that it might be inadequate for the height of the Roman summer. The bathroom appears to have been designed by someone with arms the length of an orang-utan, as the loo roll is on an out-of-reach wall opposite the loo. I don’t know how often the sheets are supposed to be changed but mine certainly were not changed daily (Again, this is has been an issue in other hotels too, including five star ones). As I was only there for five nights I couldn’t be bothered to complain about it. It didn’t bother me until the last morning before checking out on the following day, when I accidentally marked the sheets and a pillowcase with make-up. When I returned to the room that evening, the sheets had been changed but the pillowcases had not. And the phone directory card had been hidden (I found it the next day thrown into the back of the table drawer) so unless I wanted to go to the trouble of going all the way back to the reception desk, it wasn’t possible to complain. It was rather unfortunate as given the other standards of cleanliness during my stay I would otherwise have left the chamber maids a large tip when I departed, but as a direct result of this I left nothing at all. I also had to ask at the desk that the bathroom supplies (very basic soap, shower gel and shower cap) be restocked daily. Overall, I felt that the hotel was excellent value for money. This is a hotel to stay in if you intend to spend most of your time elsewhere. It absolutely delivers for the price. On a more general note, as a single female traveller I found Rome to be very safe; no hassle at all. There are plenty of police in the tourist areas after dark. Be careful of criminal gypsy gangs though – they have refined their techniques now as so many warnings about their old tricks are featured in guide books and on internet sites. They no longer push cardboard signs in your face to distract you whilst they pick your pockets, but sellers of roses will push three roses in your face exhorting you to smell their scent. Many churches have signs warning against pickpockets and thieves, and against sitting in the three rows at the back nearest the door. I observed a very interesting technique at the Basilica of St. Mary di Angelis where a gang waited outside until a coach containing similarly dowdily dressed tourists arrived, whereupon they swept into the Church with them as if part of their group, casing the joint to see what could easily be nabbed. Also be aware that the ones standing collecting money in the doorways of churches are not – as they try to make out – collecting that money on behalf of the church. As for eating out as a lone female diner – the main problem that I found was that few establishments offer half bottles of wine. I’ve no idea why they think people will pay twenty-plus euros for a main course and accompany it with a glass of some vile table wine, or order a full bottle of more expensive wine and then leave half of it. (The only time I tried the glass of unidentified table wine, incidentally, the wine was so vile that it was undrinkable and I returned it without paying. The cafe/ bar was obviously used to this reaction and simply took it off the bill without any need for further discussion ) There are two restaurants near to the hotel where I found the maitre d’s to be patronising and unpleasant towards me as a lone female diner and so I left without ordering – Castillio Di Gabbana just down the street from the Caprice and the something di Spagna just as you approach the Spanish Steps. Everywhere else was fine. I particularly liked GiNa at Via San Sebastianello 7/A, just at the side of the Spanish Steps. It is packed out with Romans, so if you want to eat at peak times you may have to sit at a communal table. This isn’t some ghastly “singles” thing, there will be couples, business men etc sharing the table and privacy is respected. No half bottles of wine but a good selection of wines by the glass. Nice salads, pasta etc. Friendly, pleasant and efficient service and fun for people-watching. I also really liked the café/restaurant attached to the Museum of Modern Art in the Borghese Park. Again good selection of wine by the glass, sandwiches, salads. Great for people-watching especially on a Sunday lunch-time. Make sure you retain your Museum ticket though as if you are having a break from looking around the museum, you’ll need .it to get back in. (You can get into the café from the park or the museum) Bar Frattina in Via Frattina is good for morning coffee or pre-dinner drinks, but if you are English the waiters rather obviously expect a tip (Romans rarely tip, apparently). I did try a couple of the over priced places on Via Veneto in the first days after my arrival, but there are far more interesting places to sit – really Via Veneto is just for tourists. Café de Paris was okay for mid-morning coffee and orange juice. On my first evening I ended up having a drink outside the American Bar. It was very expensive, but I am from London and the price for a drink in a prime location seemed comparable. It is very popular with moneyed Americans, some of whom were making enthusiastic comments about food they were eating. (The food comes from the attached Il Conto di Galluccio restaurant). So, I returned for supper the next evening. Good albeit very expensive selection of wine in half bottles, but I had to ask for a wine bucket to keep it cool – at these prices, I wouldn’t expect to do have to do that. Having ordered a pasta dish with goose breast and (purportedly) truffles, the realisation hit me that although the price of the food and drink was equivalent to the Michelin starred restaurants that I use in London, the service and surroundings certainly were not. The piece de resistance was when the waiter tried to pour my mineral water (which incidentally cost almost four euros for a 33cl bottle) into a smeared, clouded glass. When I protested he said, oh it is not dirty madam, just the way it has come out of the dishwasher. Unbelievable! Only after I told him to take it away and replace it with a clean wine glass if he was really suggesting that all the water glasses were in that state, did he replace both the water and the glass. The pasta dish cost twenty six euros. The mushroom was so crisped that it was impossible to tell for sure, but I really do not think that it was truffle. The pasta had been placed on what must have been a large slab of very salty butter, which had melted by the time I was aware of it, making for an unpleasantly greasy and salty dish. The fruit salad that I had to follow was obviously several days old. Seemingly moneyed Americans and I have very different tastes! I booked the hotel through Trailfinders Kensington High Street, whom I find very helpful, and flew BA who were fine.

We spent 7 nights in the Hotel Caprice, and it was a very pleasant experience. The hotel is situated right next to the very popular (And expensive) Via Veneto but is a fraction of the cost of a hotel on the street itself. Location wise, it's pretty central to all the tourist sites in Rome. We went everywhere on foot and although places like the Vatican and the Colosseum are a bit of a hike, they're certainly walkable from the Hotel Caprice. Other sites like the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish steps are just a short walk away and we went repeatedly to all of them. Speaking of which, a quick tip to any travellers to Rome: You can drink from ALL the fountains (Of which there are hundreds), except the Trevi which is chlorinated. We bought one large bottle of water when we got there, and refilled that as we went round. To the hotel itself - We found it extremely clean, with polite, friendly staff though the decor in the rooms is a bit drab and wasn't to our liking (Padded dark green wallpaper, anyone?). The bathroom was positively tiny (See photos) to the point that if you sat on the toilet your knees would touch the wall in front of you but it was, like the room, immaculately clean and well stocked. The shower had great power to it and could be turned up so that it almost blasted you clean, which was lovely after a hot day out and about. Breakfast is an "all you can eat" continental affair served right through to 10:30 am. We tried to eat quite late and stuff ourselves full, a tactic which meant we could manage on just an icecream for lunch then a full meal in the evening. The food itself was fresh and tasty, comprising cereals, fruit, bread rolls, pastries, ham, cheese and salami. Coffee, juice, milk and water were available to drink. We found the bed to be rock hard, which may not be to everyone's liking. That said, a day of trecking round Rome and a few drinks on the evening meant we had no trouble getting a good night's sleep. Speaking of which - The lapdance club "Cicacica Boom". As others have said, it's a complete irrelevance to your stay in this hotel. We heard precisely nothing from it and saw nothing or no-one from it either. A sign and a doorway, that's really all there is. Overall, we'd recommend this hotel. We had a very pleasant week there, and for the price and location you'll really struggle to do better.