Villa dei Giuochi Delfici

This hotel was booked for me by a friend, so I went into it knowing nothing. But if I’m fortunate enough to return to Rome, I will definitely stay there again. Here’re my reasons:
1. Location. It’s nowhere near the touristy areas of Rome. This means that it is much more affordable, and much quieter. So I not only enjoyed my stay in Rome, I also enjoyed my stay at the hotel.
2. Price. Way more affordable than the hotels in the historic district.
3. Staff. Oh my gosh, could they have been any nicer? I guess maybe if they had thrown me on their shoulders and walked me up to my room every night, but I honestly didn’t want to impose. They were truly so lovely and accommodating. The daytime front desk staff speak English; in the evening or early morning hours, the folks who are on speak little to none. The beautiful thing about the Italians (I am Italian and can speak from experience) is that they truly don’t care. They’ll still speak to you in Italian, you’ll speak back in English, each of you will toss in the handful of words you know in either language in a loud voice because that helps with comprehension, and somehow you’ll have a full conversation and get what you need. Love that.
4. Rooms. My room was perfect for one person and had recently been renovated. And it was on a long, shared deck. I will say, however, that I went just a few weeks ago — and already the mosquitoes were out. And my people, they aren’t so into window screens. So I returned to the US with so many bumps and bites on me I looked like a gourd.
I don’t think all rooms have air conditioning, so you’d want to ask about that when booking the room. Also, the rooms are limited in size — so if you’re a family of, say, 5 or 6, there may not be a room big enough to accommodate you — just ask them to confirm. My room was kept very clean and the bed was super comfortable (I like a firm mattress and I slept like a dead person there).
Some things to know about this hotel:
a. There is no restaurant, although they do serve breakfast in the morning. Very basic, typical European continental breakfast: Meat and cheese platter, some cereals (muesli), and coffee. I have to say, this isn’t the country of sit down with a nice big cup of coffee in the morning and linger while you wake up – it is the country of take some hi-​test petrol, color it black and pour it through a machine with some hot water to make espresso. The good news, however, is that one drink of it on a Monday and you stay awake until Thursday. There are, however, restaurants within walking distance, and I’ve written reviews of several, so hopefully that’ll help.
b. If you cannot walk a bit and especially if you cannot do stairs, this is not the hotel for you. (Actually, to be honest, Rome isn’t the city for you — tons of cobblestones, challenging even for the able-​bodied). Now, if you are living with a physical challenge and use a wheelchair, walker, crutches, etc., there is a back entrance, but you’d need to be driven through it and up to the back. Cabs can get expensive. The main entrance is reached by going through the gate near a taxi kiosk, and then about a 5 minute walk up stairs to the actual hotel. The hotel is entirely gated, which was one of its appeals.
c. There is a city bus stop across the street from the front gates, and for only one euro you can take a roughly 20-​minute ride that drops you right off in the historic district. Don’t waste your money on cabs. I did this and was able to walk around Piazza di Spagna and the neighboring streets.
All in all, a really wonderful visit. I heartily recommend this hotel.