Almost kidnapped on my first solo visit to Rome, Day 1

I decided on the spur of the moment to visit Rome for the first time by myself after a long and stressful year. I wanted a break and a change of scenery.

After three very frustrating days of searching for deals, I finally booked my holiday and headed off.

To say that I was underwhelmed by my first impressions of Rome would be an understatement. It started with a 45-minute wait for our pre-booked coach in the cold and rainy Ciampino airport car park, to the less than attractive drive to Termini station. I was disappointed and going by the silence and downcast expressions of my fellow travellers, I was not the only one.

Things only got worse at Termini station when a rogue taxi driver tried to trick me into using his illegal cab. He was loitering by the official white taxis so when he approached me and asked if I wanted a taxi I gratefully said yes and gave him my suitcase.

He then proceeded to march briskly past the row of white taxis and crossed the road with my case into a small side road. Dumbfounded I ran after him and asked where the taxi was.

Without slowing down he said nonchalantly, “Oh just here” and pointed ahead. I craned my neck to see what he was talking about but could not see any white taxi. At this point, I got really anxious and grabbed my case and said I was going back.

I started walking to the taxi rank when he grabbed my case from my hand aggressively and turned back again. He said with some agitation that the taxi was just across the road. When I protested he pulled out a ‘taxi ID card’ and very covertly showed it to me while scanning the area nervously.

At which point major alarm bells started ringing and I snatched my case back and said firmly that I was going back. He told me that those taxis did not serve Rome and only went to the airport. When I ignored him and kept walking he followed me all the way to the taxi rank muttering angrily in Italian. With great relief I joined the short taxi queue and within a few minutes I was safely in an official taxi on my way to my hotel.

The hotel – upgrades are not all they are cracked up to be

At 3.00pm, 12 hours after I had left my flat in London, I arrived at my hotel. It was the beautiful four-star ‘Starhotels Michelangelo’ which was five minutes from the Vatican. Seriously you could see the Vatican from the front of the Hotel!

The staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming and as soon as I told them I had a reservation they gave me an immediate upgrade. They gave me a map and showed me where all the sites were in relation to the hotel. The bell boy/man then took my case to my room and I followed him on a high. It was the perfect welcome.

My Euphoria evaporated when we got to the room and I realised that I had been ‘upgraded’ to the room at the furthest corner of the hotel. It actually had its own corridor, it was a twin room and it was a smoking room. As I previous smoker I knew that smell well.

I called reception and asked to be moved. The woman at the desk told me – as I was starring at the ashtray on the coffee table – that it was categorically NOT a smoking room but they could send someone with an air freshener to freshen up the room. Seriously.

In any case, the woman continued, the the hotel was now full and I would have to wait until the morning to speak to someone who would see if a room had become available. Hmmm.

At that point I was too tired to argue so I left it at that and decided to make it an early night. I ordered room service, had a very long shower and made some tea. I then got into one of the twin beds, turned on my iPad and watched some Youtube videos.

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