This 2015 trip was our second visit to Rome. Our first had been in 2002 with Globus. Back then we had stayed in a hotel not far from the Colosseum. The room had been small and the hotel staff arrogant. We wondered how our Trafalgar Costsaver experience would differ.

The question was quickly answered when we reached our hotel, the Ergife Palace Hotel, at around 4 pm. It was spectacular. Admittedly, not anywhere near as close to the center of Rome as our Globus accommodation, but the room was more than twice as large, better fitted out and the hotel had an operating pool.

On the topic of hotel pools, it is worth noting that many Italian hotels close their swimming pools after summer, regardless of the temperature. We noted this a number of times