Hotel Regno, Rome

Hotel Regno

Rome

Are you planning a trip to Rome? Then this blog post may be of some help to you. I went to Rome the second weekend in June. However, we booked our flights and hotel way in advance to this. When we was looking for somewhere to stay we had five top things that we wanted out of our hotel:

1. For it to be clean and tidy
2. Central location, we didn't want to have to be getting a taxi or a bus to places
3. Reasonably priced
4. Good reviews on trip advisor
5. For the room to have a safe 

You have no idea how hard it seems to be to find a hotel with all those things ticked off! In the end we was deciding between two hotels because quite a few of them were all around by the Colosseum  which was fine, but we was told the Colosseum is further out than the rest of the tourist attractions and we wanted to be in the centre.

Hotel Regno could have not been in a more perfect location. It was a three minute walk to the Trevi Foundation, about five minutes to the Spanish Steps, five minutes to the Tomb of the Unknown Solider and ten minutes to the Colosseum (but because there is so much to see along the way it doesn't feel like that long at all!). The hotel had amazing restaurants around the corner as well as shopping right on the doorstep!

The place was spotless, the breakfast was great, and we could not of really asked for a better hotel to spend our weekend in Rome. 

A little reflection.. What have i learnt?

So we are half way through 2015. Am i the only one who thinks of crazy that is?! How fast has the time gone?! I thought i would share some of the little things i have already learnt from half the year of 2015.

Be yourself. I have stopped (well, part-stopped. Sometimes its really hard!!) caring what other people think. If you want to go and do something, if you want to wear that dress, if you want to eat that food, then you do it! The only person you are letting down for not doing it is yourself.

True friends will always be there. So i have had a bit of a rough run at the start of 2015, with finishing my third year and the stresses of the dreaded dissertation. Which meant my friends kind of took a bit of a back seat compared to my work (rock and roll ay?!), yet they were still there for me whenever i needed them!

Happiness is found in yourself. You can't be happy through someone else, it just doesn't work. I learnt a long time ago that you have to be happy with yourself and love yourself before you can be truly happy with someone else (bit of a cliche but true).

You are your only obstacle. There have been many times over these past six months that i have thought 'i can't do this' and made an excuse up why i couldn't do it. When actually i could do it, i was just to scared to so i made up an excuse as to why i couldn't so i didnt have to. 

I am feeling more like me. It sounds strange, i know, how can i not feel like me?! But this is the first time in my life where i have been genuinely happy, constantly laughing and smiling and a better person. That consists of all the things above, as well as my family, friends and incredible boyfriend. I am grateful to them all.


What have you learnt so far in 2015?

10 Tips for visiting Rome..

Ten tips for visiting Rome..

I visited R0me last weekend, and can i just point out, it was one of the most beautifulest places ever. I love the fact a city can tell a story, and you can definitely feel and experience Rome's story through the naked eye. I wanted to share with you all ten tips in which i learnt while i was visiting Rome, in hope that if you are reading this then they will help you with your travels to Rome too!

1. Be weather prepared!! We went during June, and it was HOT. One of the days was quite unbearable due to the heat. So if you are travelling during the warmer season, then take a hat and lots and lots of suncream as there isn't much shade in Rome!
2. Don't take all your money in cash. As with any city, it is very busy so there is a higher chance of pick pocketers  The last thing you would want to happen is to have your money stolen before your holiday has even began. I took 100 euros in cash and then i put the rest of my money on a Cash Passport from Thomas Cook. These work like regular debit cards, you take it to a hole in the wall, type in your pin and then out comes your money! Its a lot safer way to transport cash.
3. Book attraction tickets online! This will save time when arriving at the attraction, as the queue to buy tickets in some places were horrendous and would easily take two hours!
4. Arrive early, if there is an attraction you definitely want to go and explore, then the key is to get there before everyone else! We visited the Colosseum at half 9 in the morning and it was busy, but we managed to walk straight in. By the time we left at half 11, the queue was unbelievably long.
5.  Don't pay for water!! Sounds ridiculous right?! But as long as you have a bottle then water is free. There is drinking water taps all over Rome, so you are able to fill your water bottle up free of charge!
6. "I made it myself" or "my wife has just given birth, yesterday morning". These are two phrases i have heard countless amount of times throughout my stay in Rome! They may be true, but they may also be trying to make you feel guilty to get your money and after i had heard the phrase used a lot, i opted for the second choice.
7. Be cautious! There are a lot of people selling items along the streets. Fake handbags, sunglasses and selfie sticks. They are everywhere! I made the mistake of looking at one of the handbags, and an even bigger mistake, i stopped to have a look. Once i decided it wasn't what i was looking for i carried on down the street, and then every person also selling items tried to stop me too! Argh!
8. Take appropriate walking shoes. You will be on your feet all day, and every day you are there. Comfy shoes are a must!!
9. If you are travelling to Rome in the Summer then make sure you pack clothes that are cooling. Rome can get very warm!
10. Enjoy yourself, you are in Rome after all!