Historical Traveller Reviews of Capo DAfrica Hotel
very nice modern hotel conveniently located
from A TripAdvisor Member
The Capo D'Africa is a very nice modern hotel conveniently located near the Colliseum and Roman Forum, but on a quiet street. Nice smallish rooms, good air conditioning, and an actual double bed (not twins pushed together) were big plusses. You also have TV speakers in the bathroom (probably for rabid football fans), and a US electrical outlet in the bathroom that was perfect for IPODs and digital camera recharging. The bed was listed as a king, but is not anywhere near as big as king beds in the USA, but at least it was one comfortable mattress! The best continental (and included) breakfast we experienced in Europe, which also went till 11am as well. The hotel has a well stocked gym on the premises as well. Staff could have been a tad "warmer" as I've seen elsewhere in the reviews, and since they have such a nice bar in the lobby, it's a shame they don't have a higher end liquor selection, but then I'd be nitpicking.
Very stylish and Friendly
from Polo-Bear
The Hotel is situtated about 250 metres from the Coloseum on the Via Capo D'Africa. Despite its central location the Hotel was very quiet with no traffic noise. Our room was at the front of the building on the first floor. The decor is very stylish, modern and works well. The room was of a good size, well appointed, with efficient airconditioning, and an enormous, very comfortable double bed. Bliss! The ensuite bathroom had an excellent shower system. The staff were very friendly and helpful, with a sense of humour. There are numerous good restaurants in very close proximity, with varying prices. One of the fun places we found, which was cheap, very basic, very busy, noisy, used by locals, crammed in, loads happening, was 'Lussis'. Easy to walk to places, but you will need good footware. We made use of the metro, very good value and well used, if a little delapedated. The Hotel was used by alot of Italian / international business people, aswell as tourists. The roof top breakfast restaurant was very good with views across the roof tops to the Coloseum. Excellent spot.
Awesome!
from BonnieND
We stayed 3 nights June 13-15. This was the best hotel we stayed at during our 10-day tour of Italy. The staff was very helpful, even giving us 2 rooms for the price of one when no triple was available. Rooms were on a par with a Hyatt Regency or Westin in the U.S. - a welcome change from the other places we had stayed at.
The bathrooms are modern with all the conveniences (including slippers and a bathrobe). Breakfast was wonderful in a spacious room with a view. Breakfast on the terrace was also available. Go up there in the evening for a spectacular view of the Coliseum.
The location was a 30-40 minute walk (or 8 Euro taxi ride) from the major sights, but staying in a quiet residential neighborhood away from the hustle and bustle was worth it!
The Colisuem, Forum, and Metro are all 5-minutes away.
I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone and would stay here again. They even charged us 50 Euro less per night than Travelocity quoted and confirmed!
A fab hotel in ROme
from A TripAdvisor Member
We stayed in this hotel for a long weekend at the beginning of June and I booked it on the strength of the reviews here, and we were not disappointed. It is really lovely. We had a superior room (at the front) which was spacious, huge comfy bed, clean bathroom and air con. It wasnt noisy. Really good breakfast buffet from 6.30-11am so you could go twice if you wanted!!! It is only 5 mins walk from the colisseum and the forum and each morning when you go out, you walk past these most amazing relics and buildings. I was so glad that we were not in the noisy hustle and bustle of central Rome. It was very hot when we were there, but the air con was great and it was so good to pop back to the hotel after a day out sightseeing for a cool shower at 4pm, a snooze and then be back out for the evening. When we came back late in the evening, we had a 'Forum cocktail' and took it up to the terrace - it was sublime. We ate each night in restaurants nearby, our tables 'in the gutter' but all very good food. I was worried that it was out of the way but in reality, we walked/ambled everywhere - s.steps 35mins, vatican - 45mins, even in the heat. One of the concierges was a bit of a 'Mr Misery' but he was not rude, (we were just being British and giggled at him). When we checked out, our plane was not due to leave until 8pm but they kept our bags for us all day and booked the hotel Mercedes to take us to the airport - same price as the taxi from the airport (50euro). We would recommend this hotel very highly
Fine but lacking warmth
from A TripAdvisor Member
We stayed for just under a week in early June. The hotel was clean and modern. Our room was noisy - but then we were next to the reception on the ground floor. With the exception of the barman, we felt the staff - and, indeed the hotel - lacked 'warmth'. The hotel is good for visiting the Colisseum, but a longish walk from most of the other sites - which if you're staying for a while can be a bore and you might feel you're missing out on the atmosphere of the centre. In short, while it's a perfectly acceptable place to say, I suspect there are others in Rome that we would have preferred.
Beautiful Spot
from A TripAdvisor Member
Tremendous hotel...Quiet, perfect location, out of the way...Immaculate with great service..Great breakfast, simple yet beautiful decor. We would absolutely stay there on our next trip to Rome!
Ancient Rome meets modern hotel
from MTVandendooren
My husband and I stayed at the Capo D'Africa for 3 nights in May of 2004.
The hotel itself is very nice, well appointed and very clean. The breakfast room has a terrace where we ate every morning. That was very nice. The breakfast buffet was great - more than your usual croissant and a bun.
The location is good for sightseeing - it's about a block from the Colosseum. A bit of a walk to get to the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain etc., but not too bad. The neighborhood felt quite safe and was quiet.
The room we had was likely the smallest one in the hotel, (we had booked our room online only two days before, so that might explain the small room) but it was very nice with a big comfortable bed. It was also very clean and modern (yay - a shower curtain!).
We found a great little family restaurant nearby - I believe it was called Boccolino's...excellent food, warm and comfortable atmosphere and very friendly staff.
Now for the negative feedback...
The concierge was incredibly rude, disrespectful, and condescending - he seemed like a character in a movie he was so bad. Otherwise, the rest of the staff were helpful and nice.
The banging of the doors! We couldn't believe how loud the slamming of the (spring-loaded) room doors were - we were awoken every morning to the slamming and banging. We were glad that we didn't pay full price for our room, and couldn't help but wonder how annoyed those who paid over $500 a night must have felt about the doors.
Overall, I would say that this is certainly a very nice hotel and a a good place to stay for those seeking a modern twist during their European stay.
Great hotel
from 1buckley
Just returned from Rome 5/30/04. This was a great hotel. The hotel is new and trendy. The staff was very friendly; especially enjoyed our conversations with Alessandro, the bartender. He recommended the restaurant just around the corner, which was one of the best meals of our trip. The location was good because it was not in the thick of the tourist areas, although you could still easily walk to them from there. The restaurants nearby seemed more like locals places than tourist traps.
Excellent hotel
from alkhaz
I would highly reccomend this hotel. If you are looking for a nice room, with very friendly staff and personal attention, then this is it. We stayed in Rome for three days and it was wonderful. I had previously lived in Rome and am very skeptical of the "Star" rating system. Two 4 star hotels can be worlds apart in terms of service, cleanliness etc..
This hotel delivers.
Also it is a really pleasant walk to the historical center ( 1.5 k.m.).
Absolutely Wonderful
from Amy Bradley
This hotel was the icing on the cake for our 7 day trip to Rome. It is beautiful, immaculate, very modern, comfortable beds, large windows, the list goes on and on. We had breakfast each morning in the terrace restaurant. There was a large choice of delicious items and breakfast was served from 6:30-11:00, leaving everyone a choice as to how they wanted to spend their morning. The location was wonderful, with many small restaurants within a very brief walk out the front door. Perhaps most noteworthy was the excellent and helpful staff. Nothing was too much for them to do: ticket reservations, restaurant recommendations and reservations, taxi service, warmth and friendliness. I higly recommend this hotel and hope to return some day soon.
Top Local Tips for Rome
Avoid the queues
Book a guided tour at the Coleseum and Vatican otherwise the queues are endless - this way you by-pass them and get through quicker - well worth the extra cost.
February visit.
The weather was ideal for walking around Rome. A bit chilly in the mornings and evenings but warm during the day.We have visited Rome in the summer months and it can get uncomfortably hot. Although there were plenty of toursts, none of the sites were too full. I would return to Rome in february again.
February visit.
The weather was ideal for walking around Rome. A bit chilly in the mornings and evenings but warm during the day.We have visited Rome in the summer months and it can get uncomfortably hot. Although there were plenty of toursts, none of the sites were too full. I would return to Rome in february again.