Lonely Planet Review

One of Rome's best budget bets, Colors is a dishy hostel-cum-hotel. The core of the operation is the 4th-floor hostel with seven brightly coloured dorms, spotless bathrooms and a well-stocked kitchen. Up the comfort scale but down the stairs are the inviting hotel rooms on the 1st and 3rd floors.

In a residential area near St Peter's Basilica, Colors is a great example of what imagination, a dash of paint, and an eye for colour can do. The pristine hostel rooms are a rainbow of reds, yellows and deep purples, while downstairs, the newer 1st-floor hotel rooms explode with electric oranges, crimsons and fluorescent greens. Playing party pooper are the 3rd floor rooms with their trendy pearl-greys and modern bathrooms. Throughout, there's a laid-back, welcoming atmosphere, and everything is as clean as a whistle. Breakfast is not officially included in the hostel rates but in the kitchen you'll find free coffee and cornflakes. Internet costs 1 for 30 minutes and air-con is included between June and mid-September.