The Kolbe seems a world away from the craziness of the city, on a quiet, forgotten side street lost between the Tiber River and the ancient Roman Forum.
In fact, the back entrance to the Forum is just a few hundred feet away—cool, huh?
Those rooms that don't open onto the peaceful courtyard's palms and orange trees look instead across a little-trafficked street onto a romantically overgrown, semi-excavated portion of the ancient Palatine Hill.
The Kolbe exudes that somber quiet that only a former monastery can muster, but it's comfy.
It was recently renovated into a plush four-star hotel with a stylish modern look crammed with amenities, from plasma screen TVs and internet to mosaicked baths with Jacuzzi tubs.
(That rise in status, actually, is why I dropped it from a two-star recommendation to a one-star. Yes, it is now "nicer"—but it also nearly doubled its rates. It used to be a bland but fabulously cheap hotel with a primo location; now it's just a hotel with a primo location—decently priced, sure, but no longer fabulously cheap. By becoming fancier, it has lost some of what made it so special. But I digress.)
» Find more hotels in Rome at our partner site Booking.com...
Via San Teodoro 48, across the street and down a bit from the little-used back entrance to the Roman Forum
tel. +39-06-679-8866
www.kolbehotelrome.com
€€€
Bus: 81, 85, 87, 160, 160F, 628; 27, 780
Metro: Circo Massimo (B)
Hop-on/hop-off: Circo Massimo
English (Inglese) | Italian (Italiano) | Pro-nun-cee-YAY-shun |
Good day | Buon giorno | bwohn JOUR-noh |
Good evening | Buona sera | BWOH-nah SAIR-rah |
Good night | Buona notte | BWOH-nah NOTE-tay |
Goodbye | Arrivederci | ah-ree-vah-DAIR-chee |
Excuse me (to get attention) | Scusi | SKOO-zee |
thank you | grazie | GRAT-tzee-yay |
please | per favore | pair fa-VOHR-ray |
yes | si | see |
no | no | no |
Do you speak English? | Parla Inglese? | PAR-la een-GLAY-zay |
I don't understand | Non capisco | non ka-PEESK-koh |
I'm sorry | Mi dispiace | mee dees-pee-YAT-chay |
Where is? | Dov'é | doh-VAY |
...a hotel | un albergo | oon al-BEAR-go |
...a B&B | un bed-and-breakfast | oon bet hand BREK-fust |
...a rental room | un'affittacamera | oon ah-feet-ah-CAH-mair-ra |
...an apartment for rent | un appartamento | oon ah-part-tah-MENT-toh |
...a farm stay | un agriturismo | oon ah-gree-tour-EES-moh |
...a hostel | un ostello | oon oh-STEHL-loh |
How much is...? | Quanto costa? | KWAN-toh COST-ah |
a single room | una singola | OO-nah SEEN-go-la |
double room for single use [will often be offered if singles are unavailable] | doppia uso singola | DOPE-pee-ya OO-so SEEN-go-la |
a double room with two beds | una doppia con due letti | OO-nah DOPE-pee-ya cone DOO-way LET-tee |
a double room with one big bed | una matrimoniale | OO-nah mat-tree-moan-nee-YAAL-lay |
triple room | una tripla | OO-nah TREE-plah |
with private bathroom | con bagno | cone BAHN-yoh |
without private bathroom | senza bagno [they might say con bagno in comune—"with a communal bath"] | SEN-zah BAHN-yoh |
for one night | per una notte | pair OO-nah NOH-tay |
for two nights | per due notti | pair DOO-way NOH-tee |
for three nights | per tre notti | pair tray NOH-tee |
Is breakfast included? | É incluso la prima colazione? | ay in-CLOO-soh lah PREE-mah coal-laht-zee-YOAN-nay |
Is there WiFi? | C'é WiFi? | chay WHY-fy? |
May I see the room? | Posso vedere la camera? | POH-soh veh-DAIR-eh lah CAH-mair-rah |
That's too much | É troppo | ay TROH-po |
Is there a cheaper one? | C'é una più economica? | chay OO-nah pew eh-ko-NO-mee-kah |
In January, 2011, Rome began charging a hotel bed tax. This is the city's doing, and sadly it is not a scam.
The following tax rates are per person, per night for all guests over the age of 10 and can be charged for stays of up to 10 days:
So a couple staying three nights in a four-star room would pay an extra €18.
Some hotels have begun folding this tax into their quoted rates; others tack it on when you go to check out, so be prepared.
Planning your day: Rome wasn't built in a day, and you'd be hard-pressed to see it in that brief a time as well. Still, you can cram a lot into just a day or three.
To help you get the most out of your limited time in the Eternal City, here are some perfect itineraries, whether you have one, two, three, or four days to spend in Rome. » Rome itineraries
Share this page
Search ReidsItaly.com
Via San Teodoro 48, across the street and down a bit from the little-used back entrance to the Roman Forum
tel. +39-06-679-8866
www.kolbehotelrome.com
€€€
Bus: 81, 85, 87, 160, 160F, 628; 27, 780
Metro: Circo Massimo (B)
Hop-on/hop-off: Circo Massimo