Refused To Honour Our Booking.
by TripAdvisor Member DMGIrl
We booked and paid for our "stay" at the Hotel Ripa in December of 2004 .The hotel looked lovely but sadly all we saw of it was the lobby. We had booked for April 22nd for 3 nights for my Birthday celebration. We were pleased to have booked so far in advance as that weekend turned out to be the new Pope's inaugaral mass. We arrived and had our passports and credit card processed by the receptionist who then asked us to wait to see if our room was ready. Ten minutes later she told us that we did not have a booking in our name. We showed her the confirmation from our travel agent but she said the hotel had no contract with that agent ( we discovered later that she had lied) . She refused to telephone the agent but she somehow knew that we had a confirmed booking at the Best Western in Termini. We were convinced that there was a mix up and contacted our agent on my mobile phone. They advised that the Ripa had confirmed our booking and that they knew nothing of the booking at the Best Western.
So we were left with the idea that we would have nowhere to stay on one of the busiest weekends Rome had ever known. We noticed that a steady procession of Catholic Priests had no such problems getting the keys for the rooms they had clearly only booked a few days before!
After a tearful hour and a half we realised that the hotel Ripa had decided to transfer us to the Best Western ( which was horrible by the way) . They had bumped us so that they could make a kick buck off the back of the Pope dying. I'm sure it's a nice Hotel but the owners and staff are clearly less than honourable.
They never admitted the truth or apologised , blaming the whole mess on the agents. Our agents Total Stay very kindly refunded our first nights accomodation even though it was not their fault.
Honest Pros & Cons
by A TripAdvisor Member
We have just returned from a 4 night stay at the Hotel Ripa in Rome and although we had a wonderful break - on the first day I thought it was going to be a disaster. Here are some tips to help you enjoy your stay.
1. Get a Taxi from the airport (approx 40 - 50 Euros) - failing that get a bus but avoid the underground is very intimidating, full of graffitti and smells discusting - not a good first impression of Rome! and the hotel is difficult to find from the Piramide station.
2. If in doubt visit one of the many tourist info points (there is one at the top of di trastevere)- The hotel map does not give enough detail, infact we had 3 different maps and the road that the hotel is on does not feature on any of them - the tourist info had to 'draw it' onto one of their own maps. It is just left off the 'di trastevere' about 4 tram stops from the Tibre.
3. The guide books say the Trastevere is 'old Rome' and ' bohemien' which it is but it is also scruffy and graffitti covered which can give you the impression that it is a rough neighbourhood but we did not experience any problems.
4. Be prepared for the hotel and surrounding buildings to look like scruffy high rise apartments - this is only outside as the hotel is lovely inside, the staff are friendly and the buffet breakfast is great and teh bar (although quite quiet) is open late.
5. Make sure you get a good room - we were initially given a very shabby suite (not pictured on their web site) which was dissapointing. But we asked if there was another room available and we were moved the next day with no difficulty what so ever, the manageress could not have been more helpful and the room we moved to was fantastic - the best hotel room I have ever stayed in.
6. Take advantage of the trams and the buses, the buses can be quite confusing - get a bus route map it's a must.
7. Dining out on the Trastevere can be great, try Via Della Lungretta which is the road directly behind the tourist info booth and the roads off it, great atmosphere and good food but don't try the very first resteraunt on the left as you approch Via Della Lungretta from di trastevere - the food is awful and the service is worse. Expect some beggars as in all of Rome but they do not usually approach you.
To summarise Rome was amazing, the Ripa Hotel was great and the Trastevere is a good area to stay if you want to see a bit of Italian life and be close to the major sites - just don't let first impressions put you off.
Neglected design hotel with no service
by TripAdvisor Member ralphm
On our second trip this year to Rome from 9/30-10/05 we changed our old accommodation during the easter vacations from the SAS Hotel near Termini Station to the Ripa Hotel in Trastevere. No good idea!
We had done so because we like the Trastevere district and wanted to have a choice of acceptable retaurants and bars within walking distance near the hotel (which is not the case at the SAS hotel).
The Trastevere district really is a good place for dining out, to find restaurants where the locals go and to avoid tourist rip-off like in many places near the sight seeing points.
The "only" thing we disliked there was our hotel!
Entering the lobby for the first time we were "welcomed" by a receptionist with the charme of a jailhouse warden.
Our room on the 8th floor (after a dangerous ride with an historic elevator) was well designed, sometimes designed without following the function, and showed severe signs of neglect.
The drain in the shower often caused a flood area in the bathroom, and the water tap on the bidet only produced a few drops when turned on maximum. We informed the receptionist about the defects, she made a note of our room number and it happened.... nothing! They were not able to fix the problems untill we left, I am shure they did not even try!
Each time when we went up to our room we anxiously avoided to come near the chairs who were placed in an inner courtyard in front of the reception, because we knew about the ceiling on the 8th floor with large pieces of plaster threatening to fall down because of damages caused by humidity at the roof.
In this hotel we experienced the most horrible breakfast we ever had.
Almoust every morning some of the normal buffet items were missing.
We had the no-cheese-morning, the no-rolls-morning, the no-butter-and-no-bread-morning and on top of it the no-coffee-no-tea-no-rolls-no-bread-no-scrambled-eggs-morning.
Normally we order a cappuccino for breakfast to avoid the "american coffee" kept warm in containers for hours. Actually we managed to get some cappuccinos in the first two days, when on the third day, they suddenly wanted money for it (we had the breafast included). Our receptionist warden explained to us, we had to use the nescafe-machine in the restaurant to produce our cappuccino, if we ordered them at the waiters, we had to pay for it. The coffee produced by this machine was a disgrace for Italy. Of course it could not produce a cappuccino like our warden told to us.
Unfortunately one morning the nescafe machine broke. We had no coffee, no hot water and the waitress explained that she could not produce cappuccino or coffee because of "the bar was closed".
On this morning they were not even able to fill up the buffet and we only got two small broken peaces of bread. After ten minutes we complained at the waiters, nothing happened. We complained at our receptionist warden, he phoned the restaurant and promised the buffet to be refilled. We went up to our room and about fifteen minutes later I went down again to grab a coffee, because of the riot of the guests, they meanwhile had opened the bar to produce hot beverages. Forget about the buffet.
Forget about Ripa Hotel!
Nice room, unhepful staff, no services
by TripAdvisor Member rebe
Just come back from Rome. I stayed at Ripa and here are my comments:
ROOM: Large and stylish. The internet connection is through the phone line so it's slow, you have to create a new connection in your computer and have to pay for it.
BATHROOM: Towels didn't smell very good. Toiletries are like whatever hotel. Nothing special.
BREAKFAST: Nothing special.
STAFF: Unhepful. They just answer your questions but they don't try to help you.
TAXI: If you need to go to the airport don't use the car service that the staff will try to offer you. Cost is 50€. We refused their offer and asked for a taxi and the cost to Ciampino Airport was 20€: We save 30€!!!
LOCATION: It's not in trastevere neighbourhood but in Porta Portese. However the location is correct if you don't mind to stay out of the action.
Ripa hotel has been refurbished with an stylish decor and the rooms are nice but besides that the hotel is like a 3 stars hotel, the staff is unhelpful and there are no services at all.
Ripa rocks
by TripAdvisor Member dromona16
After reading some other reviews I was somewhat apprehensive about what lay ahead of me at the Ripa. I need not have worried. Ripa did exactly what it said on the tin!! A funky hotel, not pretty on the outside, but in a great location in Trastevere . The staff were very polite and helpful and the breakfast was great (except for having to wait for the bacon and eggs to arrive). Would recommend this hotel, and if you get it at the price we did (100 euro per night B&B for two), it is also excellent value for money. Would have no hesitation in staying there again.
Forum Posts
Train from FCO to Trastevere district
by rcoppedge
My friend and I are travelling to Rome for the first time April 30-May 7th. We failed to make any kind of transportation from the airport to the hotel because we have been told by other US travelers that taking a train is better. Is there a train directly from the airport to Trastevere? Also, we are staying at the Hotel Ripa in Trastevere - does anyone know about this hotel and location?
RE: RE: Train from FCO to Trastevere district
by abarbieri
Yes there is a train that goes from Fiumicino Airport to Rome and it stops at Trastevere but then you need a good 10 minutes walk to reach the Hotel.Trastevere is quite a big area and actually the Ripa Hotel is located not in the heart of it.Trastevere is very popular amongst local people and visitors for all the great restaurants/bars/wine place that you find around Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere(the main square) and on the way towards Piazza Trilussa(another meeting point for this area).
Hotel Ripa is much closer to the Testaccio area that can be easly reached by crossing the Tiber River on the Ponte Sublicio (Bridge).Testaccio is the new Hip and Trendy place in town with many good local trattorias and clubs.In the morning there is a great fruit/food/veg. market, everyday from Monday to Saturday.
Ripa Hotel
Via degli Orti di Trastevere 3
00153 - Rome
tel.06/58611
www.ripahotel.com
It has modern & contemporary decor, average service for a 4 star hotel(I had few clients staying there about 6 months ago!!) and it is not cheap considering that they charge about 250 euro for a double room.
You can find much better options in the city center, closed to major sights(see Rome Travel pages from other VTers!!) but let us know your budget if you need extra advice.A taxi from Fiumicino airport to Rome center will be about 50 euro (all incl.)
Ciao,
Antonio
RE: RE: Train from FCO to Trastevere district
by Ciambella
What a modern hotel. Thank you, Antonio, for a comprehensive reply, as always. There won't be a chance that we would ever stay there, of course, but just for my curiousity, how hip does one need to be to stay at a place like that?
RE: RE: Train from FCO to Trastevere district
by Lacristina
My thoughts exactly, Ciambella! Antonio, you are always so generous in sharing your insider's knowledge of Rome.
And no matter Antonio's reply on the degree of "hipness" required, I'm guessing I'll never be hip enough. Just looking at the hotel photos, I'm feeling almost dowdy!
Cristina
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