My trip to Rome was my first ever solo trip! It was originally planned with a friend who had a change in circumstances last minute, so I took the leap and decided to go by myself! I can’t explain how grateful I am that I still went ahead with my trip and I have no doubt that solo travel is something that I will continue to do for a long long time!
As for my research I hadn’t done much at all, My friend Hannah has been before so i was relying on her to show me all the top spots. The only thing I had planned was our hostel, which at the time was one of the only few with available dorms and central to transport links, other than this I had very little planned and was happy enough knowing that if everything failed at least I would be surrounded by good Italian food!
The Location
I flew into Caimpino Airport, arriving fairly early in the morning. After a night out in London with my friends my usual attitude of saving cash and using public transport to get to my accommodation just went out the window. My headache was well and truly winning it’s battle so I stepped outside and headed straight for the taxi rank.
Now this where being a young, non-italian speaking female with a hangover left me being completely ripped off! When you head to the taxi rank at Caimpino it is clearly written on the door of every taxi that there is a set fare from Caimpino of €30 to go anywhere within the roman walls, now I did notice this but every taxi driver I approached refused to take me for anything less than €50!! I tried to dispute this for a solid 20minutes at which point the taxi drivers just forgot all English. I eventually jumped in a €50 taxi with a couple from my flight and just split the fare.
Hostel Alessandro Palace, is around a 5 minute walk from Termini train station making it super easy to get anywhere within Rome, and also any domestic trains to neighbouring cities such as Naples. I honestly couldn’t fault the location it was super easy to find.
The Atmosphere
I visited Rome in the peak time of July and I am so glad that I did! The hostel has a both a roof top bar and a bar on the ground floor, and both were absolutely bouncing every night! I met so many amazing people on this trip, including the staff! It honestly was so much fun! Alessandro Palace is not the fanciest of hostels i’ve stayed in (if there even is such a thing as a ‘fancy hostel’) however none of this mattered in the slightest when everyone was so friendly and all the staff went out of their way to make you feel included! During the day the rooftop bar was the perfect place to chill with a book and read away your hangover from the night before whist topping up that essential tan!
Most nights there is something different happening at the bar either – pub quiz, karaoke or even a pizza night! Despite one or two nights of my trip the hostel bars are where I ended up before heading across to a nightclub round the corner once everything started to close. Im not sure if it’s a guests only bar but if you’re near by its certainly worth a visit you’ll be guaranteed a great night! There is also a beautiful restaurant next door called Bramble that I highly recommend!
The Room
My time in Alessandro Palace was my first ever experience of hostel dorms. With my travel plans changing last minute I had been booked into a mixed dorm but on arrival I explained that I was now travelling solo and a tad worried about being in a mixed dorm, The staff were amazing and moved me rooms on my 2nd night as there was no availability on my arrival date. However – the one night I spent in a mixed dorm was completely fine and I met some of my closest friends from the trip there!
The rooms were simple yet effective, and exactly what I had seen on the website! The two rooms I stayed in included air-conditioning which was an absolute god send during my stay and very much needed in the summer! I had an ensuite that I shared with my dorm mates and my own personal locker to store any valuables and it was everything that I needed! The only downside was each bunk didn’t have a power point, but I had my own portable battery pack and it didn’t effect me at all!
The Price
Having visited during the summer, it was slightly more expensive but still a lot cheaper than booking a hotel! Prices for dorms vary depending on size, and the inclusion of an en-suite. An 8 bedded mixed dorm with out an ensuite being €30 a night, and a 4 bedded female dorm with an ensuite averaging around €39 a night. I know for a hostel some people might view this on the higher end of price points, but with the summer season and the amount of tourists visiting the city I found it extremely reasonable!
One thing I didn’t realise until after my trip is that Alessandro Palace also offer both private double and private triple rooms! I didn’t look up the price points for these at the time of booking, and I would assume they are more expensive, but a great option if you are travelling with your partner and are looking for that little bit of privacy whist still enjoying the excitement of hostel life!
I would definitely stay at Alessandro Palace again if I was to head back to Rome, it was great value for money and just the easiest location to be based from!
Lots of Love
Dawn xo
*Some photos are courtesy of Hostel Alessandro Palace’s website as I did not plan on starting a blog prior to my travels*
mylittlew0rld 