Trastevere Guesthouse

One thing I loved about this place is the smell of fresh flowers right when you walk into the apartment building. I know it's not the most important criterion when looking for accommodation in Rome, but it just struck me as pleasant (and in fact, there were fresh flowers right around the corner!) It's also an indication for how the building's residents feel about their place: they care, and like to keep it accommodating from the very moment you enter.

The flowery smell is, in fact, certainly not the only reason I love this little apartment-- it's just the first. Also:
-- It's child-friendly (there's a little playhouse in one of the bedrooms and the owner has four kids herself!)
-- It has funky Keith Haring-style designs on the wall.
-- It has a very inviting open space kitchen and dining room.
-- It has pleasantly furnished rooms.
-- There are two new bathrooms.
-- The owner is very sweet and professional.
-- It's situated in a residential, quiet area, off the beaten track.

The guesthouse (3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen-- sleeps up to 8 people) is situated a short walk from the Trastevere train station, in an upper-middle class residential neighborhood.

Public transportation is easy: You can catch the train to Fiumicino airport, as well as the one to the Vatican from the station around the corner; there's the tramway (number 8, which will take you to the 'heart' of Trastevere in about 8 minutes and to the historic city center of Rome (Torre Argentina) in about 15 minutes, and to one of Rome's beautiful parks, Villa Pamphili, in about 10 minutes in the opposite direction, and there's also a 'fast' bus to Termini station ("H").

Alessia, the owner/manager, is part of a Roman hotelier family. She told me that she was born in her family's hotel, and it's the air she's breathed ever since. In fact, she has a great deal of professionalism, knowledge of foreign languages, and her passion for this business is still alive after all those years!

You'll find the guesthouse stocked with all the essentials (such as breakfast and basic cooking items, soap, etc.); sheets and towels come from a laundry service. A side note for people with food intolerances: great little food store and pastry shop (gluten-free etc!) just around the corner.