Reviews of Property: Holiday Cottage self catering near Rome and lakes with Pool

The description was accurate and the cottage was clean and well maintained. It's location was good, although near to the main road it was very quiet and we had lovely views from our garden. It was a short drive into the small town for the train to Rome. Annamaria was very friendly and exceptionally helpful. She also made herbs and fruit from her garden freely available. Recommended.

My boyfriend and I stayed here for a week in August and had a fantastic time! We wanted to be able to explore Rome easily but also be able to escape the city for relaxation...and we got the best of both worlds here. Rome was just an hour on the train from a nearby station and then the cottage was perfect for relaxation by the pool. There are also lots of beautiful towns and villages to explore in the surrounding area, which were not full of tourists. We saw the pope's summer residence in Castel Gondolfo, the picturesque medieval village of Sermontera along with Villa D'Este and Villa Adriana, which all offered different things. The owners Annamaria and Lino were extremely friendly and welcoming and great at suggesting places to visit or to eat out...nothing was ever too much trouble! The cottage itself was clean and tidy, and we made lots of use of the outdoor terrace for BBQ's etc. I would highly recommend this cottage to anyone. We had a very happy time there and will look back on it with fond memories!

This cottage is perfect for two people situated in the grounds of the owner's house, nice and quiet but within easy reach of Rome by train. The owners were helpful and charming hosts providing a wealth of local information and advice.

Clean, tidy and comfortable accommodation in very pleasant surroundings.

Neither my husband or I had visited Rome before, and when we found some relatively inexpensive flights, we set about finding a villa suitable for a couple. We couldn't have chosen better. Located in the Castelli Romani region of Italy, we were ideally situated to explore not only Rome (by train), but also many other delightful historic towns in the region. I would definitely recommend hiring a car if staying in this villa in order to visit as many of these sights as possible. Our hosts, Annamaria and Lino couldn't have been more helpful or informed. We were unlucky with the weather during our stay in April and would have come unstuck for things to do had it not been for our delightful hosts, who were able to recommend museums, galleries, houses and restaurants. Our favourite places were the garden of fountains at Tivoli, the volcanic lakes at Nemi and Albano, the town of Frascati and of course Rome itself. It was a shame that the weather didn't lend itself to relaxing by the pool just steps away from the villa, but it gives us an excuse for a return visit!

The garden cottage is ideal for two, clean and well appointed with comfortable double bedroom. The grounds and pool area are very attractive but unfortunately the pool was not available at this time of year which was a little disappointing as the weather was sunny and warm for most of the time and a pool day would have been good.
Annamaria and Lino were hospitable and offererd advice on how to get around as we had decided against hiring a car. Bus times seem on occassion 'flexible'. If you are returning from Rome in the evenings check train and bus times to get back in advance.
Altogether an enjoyable first visit to Italy, Rome and the surrounding villages.

John & Helen, Morayshire, Scotland

Garden Cottage is a well equipped, charming 1 bed holiday cottage set in the beautiful grounds of Villa San Chanel. The relaxed atmosphere of this rental is only matched by the warmth and hospitality of the hosts. Use of the more than adequately sized private pool offers lazy days on the sun loungers and there is a bbq in the cottages private terrace area where you can while away the sunny Italian evenings. A well-stocked supermarket is a stone's throw away as are a variety of restaurants and pizzerias. A bus stop opposite the Villa can take you into the surrounding villages and towns such as Genzano, Albano and Castel Gandolfo as well as a service to Rome and Ciampino Airport. We did not rent a car as we weren't looking to do that much exploring as we had just been travelling across Europe and we were grateful for the rest but if you do want to go and visit the many sights on offer then I would recommend renting a car. All else I can say is that we were made to feel very welcome and special, more like guests than "tourists". If you want to experience Rome and it surrounding Villages this is the place for you. Our thanks go to Lino and Anna-Maria for making our holiday so special. - Will and Mair

Hi
We stayed here in June 08 - I would recommend to any couple looking for a quiet holiday near Rome with self catering.
The Villa San Chanel has a nice clean cosy cottage within its' grounds for a couple seeking a peaceful self catering break within access to Rome and the surrounding areas. The cottage has a good sized bed, decent sized bathroom with hot shower, kitchen with living area, a small outdoor patio with barbecue, good storage facilities and access to the nearby swimming pool. Annamaria and her husband were very helpful and friendly but certainly not overbearing - they leave you very much to it.

Thanks for a great stay!
Kate & Damien

Our itinerary: Fri (pool day), Sat (visit to Frascati and Nemi, inc Lake Nemi), Sun (another pool day with visit to Genzano's flower festival "Infiorata!"), Mon (Rome - we did a lot of walking and saw a lot of sights - Colloseum, Trevi fountain, Spanish Steps, Ancient Rome, Pantheon and the centre), Tue (Vatican City and Museums), Wed (another pool day!!), Thurs (Sperlonga beach), Fri (home).

I recommend you hire a car to get to the Villa (like we did) but get the train from Velletri to Rome which takes an hour.