# Carpedium Roma Golf Resort



## bailey (Jul 31, 2012)

Lots of mixed reviews on this resort.  Have it on hold and need to make a decision.  Any thoughts?  Thanks


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## PStreet1 (Jul 31, 2012)

It's about a 20 minute drive in heavy traffic to the end of the line subway stop for going into Rome.

There are a lot of little towns around.  We ate in Guidonia a couple of times.

The units are nice enough, nothing to get excited about, but nice enough.  

You are really out in the country there.


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## Larry (Jul 31, 2012)

We loved it!!! I wrote a TUG review several years ago and I'm not sure if it is still there. Ride to subway was not too bad anf then a short 20 minute ride to center of Rome. Our 1BR had a nice view of the golf course and was very nice with lots of marble in hallway and bathroom. On site restaurant was pretty good and the only thing we missed was the experience of Rome at night since we didn't want to do subway at night. We were there in August and weather was pretty hot.

I would grab it and make sure you rent a car for day trips besides going to Rome.


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## flexible (Jul 31, 2012)

bailey said:


> Lots of mixed reviews on this resort.  Have it on hold and need to make a decision.  Any thoughts?  Thanks



Will you ONLY be in Rome for SEVEN DAYS? or multiple consecutive weeks?
Have you been to Rome before?
Do you MOSTLY intend to see Rome's famous sites OR are you looking to visit the countryside some days and maybe just 2 or 3 days of Rome's tourist areas?

*CALL the resort* (via SKYPE/Magic Jack or whatever choices you have) and ASK about any concerns you might have PRIOR to the exchange company (RCI?)'s time limit passing and causing you to lose your exchange fee. The management should have at least one person speaking enough English. You might ask for suggestions for ARRIVAL especially IF you are arriving by plane. Rome's AIRPORT is even further away on the opposite side of the Outer Ring. If you just have a small backpack, perhaps it would not be a concern. BUT if memory serves me a few people mentioned perhaps $200 for a family of four to get from Rome airport to the Carpedium Roma Golf Resort.

We stayed there in late June or early July 2009.

1) *We would NOT stay there on a future trip SOLELY BECAUSE it is SO FAR from ROME.* It is OUTSIDE the OUTER RING "beltway" or circle or whatever it is called. Think of Washington, DC. If you want to visit DC AND the you are SO FAR from what you want to see, you need to either:

a) *Rent a car* that you can use to DRIVE to the nearest ROME SUBWAY station and park it there and not feel as comfortable leaving the expensive rental car at the REMOTE subway station (it is NOT like Park n' Ride for SF Bart).

*NOTE: ITALY is among the six countries excluded from American Express card's Premium car rental insurance (cheap flat rate for whole rental period.) and also from many VISA credit card car rental insurance benefit programs. YOU might need to investigate CAR RENTAL INSURANCE options IF you rent a car in Italy.* It is FUN to drive in Italy and I used to enjoy it. But finding a PARKING SPACE, and keeping up with Italian drivers who tend to driver veeerrrrry FAST has become a challenge to me.

b) take the RESORT's daily SHUTTLE which we did. PERFECT for MOST PEOPLE. But at our age it would have been better to use Marriott Points and be within walking distance of the places we wished to visit but close enough to return for an afternoon nap

c) TAXIs charges: Requesting a TAXI is calculated at IF the taxi drove FROM the CENTER of ROME EVEN if you ONLY wish to pay a TAXI to take you to the subway.

d) some of the Europeans who DROVE their own cars to the resort had FANTASTIC access to Rome's countryside at minimal cost (other than petro/gas being so expensive.)

2) We had no issue with the resort itself. Some people resented paying for the mandatory FACILITY FEE. Supposedly it covered use of amenities like the swimming pool which was CLOSED for repairs while we were there. Since it covered SEVERAL amenities I do NOT recall a discount for the fact that the swimming pool being closed BUT memory could be failing me. If memory serves me it was about $75 or $100 US$ equivalent in Euros.

I kind of write off little nuisances like that as "life is too short to sweat the small stuff." 

3) I would describe it as a somewhat modern condo complex too remote to the INNER RING of Rome. 

IF you are:
- very HEALTHY
- YOUNG
- have NO MOBILITY ISSUES - wheelchair/scooter etc (we saw at least one other guest struggling to get into/out of the resort shuttle.

- generally are OK with leaving perhaps 7 AM on the resort shuttle and returning perhaps 7 or 8PM? on the resort shuttle from the subway station to the resort - therefore NOT having a desire to nap in the afternon

- OK with the fact that the RESORT SHUTTLE might or might not be running. The printed scheduled mentioned two shuttles would be pick up from the subway to RETURN to the resort on a particular day - maybe 2 PM & 7 PM. We went into Rome early, Ken was feeling tired, we came back to the subway and waited for the 2 PM shuttle. After 2 hours we figured out the resort decided NOT to send the shuttle for the 2 PM return trip printed on the shuttle. Taxi from the subway to the resort was about $60 even though it is NOT that far.

If it is a choice between exchanging into this resort or NOT visiting Rome, I would suggest going ahead and staying there! Nothing wrong with the resort itself and it should be a relaxing place to sleep.


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## PStreet1 (Jul 31, 2012)

On a second trip to Rome for 9 days, we rented an apartment in the city on VRBO.com   We loved our location (one block from the old city walls) and we didn't spend much--if any--more than exchange fees plus maintenance fees.

We loved being able to just walk to tons of places, wander at night, pick and choose what we would see based on our mood--well, we just plain loved Rome, and that's the way we'll do it if we go back again.

However, staying at the timeshare wasn't bad--just not as good as being in Rome itself.  We "wasted" part of our nights at the timeshare and went to Sorento for a couple of nights.  After we left Carpedeim, we went to Assissi and stayed in the Carpedeim there-----that was a totally different experience.  Again, but for very different reasons, not one I'd be inclined to repeat--but it did provide some good stories and there were some good things about it.

If I'm remembering correctly, the resort shuttle is relatively expensive.  That was one reason we were glad to have a car.


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## bailey (Jul 31, 2012)

Will you ONLY be in Rome for SEVEN DAYS? or multiple consecutive weeks?

7days

Have you been to Rome before?

I have but it was on a tour...saw the Vatican and the coliseum ...can't even remember what else...it was one of those drive-by, whirlwind tours.  My family has not been there.

Do you MOSTLY intend to see Rome's famous sites OR are you looking to visit the countryside some days and maybe just 2 or 3 days of Rome's tourist areas?

Thinking doing both.  Want to make it to Pompeii for sure.

Not into napping during the day.  

Good point about rental cars there.  That is unnerving...I just read that clause in the Amex rental car coverage.


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## bailey (Jul 31, 2012)

Oh, and not elderly or disabled.  

How late does the metro run if we were to stay later in the evening in Rome ?

Was planning on renting a car...how safe to drive into Rome and how difficult is it to find parking?


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## PStreet1 (Jul 31, 2012)

Until 11:30 p.m. except on Saturday when it's 12:30.

The problem will whether or not you feel comfortable being on it late at night and traveling to the end of the line.

Pompii:  We left the car at the subway parking lot.  Took the subway to the train station, then took the train to Naples.  Then we changed trains and took the train to Sorento.  The train has a station literally right in front of the entrance to the Pompii site.  We got off the train and went through the site.  Then we got back on the train and continued to Sorento.

The next day we took the public bus down the Amalfi coast and back.  The next day we went back to Rome, so we "wasted" two of our timeshare nights by spending two nights in Sorento, but it was one of the better decisions we made.


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## bailey (Jul 31, 2012)

Is it really that seedy of an area that you would be scared to ride the metro after dark?


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## flexible (Aug 1, 2012)

bailey said:


> Is it really that seedy of an area that you would be scared to ride the metro after dark?



When I was in my 20s backpacking for months at a time around Europe, I wouldn't have bothered to ask. Your answer depends on who you might be traveling with, if one of you can communicate enough in Italian, a strong male that might intimidate people who might bother you would make your travels seem safer. Way too many considerations to provide enough information for you to make an informed decision.

No, sometimes. I would feel comfortable riding Rome's subway after dark IF it was likely I could safely exit the subway and find a taxi. MOST tourist area in central Rome have TONs of TAXIs waiting for you. 

*YES* but we were ONLY there one week in summer 2009 so things could be different. It might be POSSIBLE to choose an ALTERNATE Metro/Subway stop that is only a little further away so you can get a taxi.

AND it was *VERY COMPLICATED to get a taxi *in
the afternoon on the day we returned early expecting the resort shuttle to pick up at the subway stop at 2 PM SINCE their printed information included that time. One of the nearby stores was able to call a taxi. I wouldn't expect the stores would be open after about 6pm or so.

It is IMPORTANT to pay in ADVANCE for the Resort Shuttle because:
at least once MORE people wanted to go to Rome on the shuttle then seats available
it might not pick up at a certain time IF there are not enough people paying for that time/date

-------------
*Have you TELEPHONED the resort yet? *They were polite when we called them from Venice BUT it was nearly impossible for us to obtain the information we wanted at that time. We wanted to know: since we were arriving in Rome via train and ONLY had small wheeled backpacks, if we could take a taxi from the nearest subway. 

When we couldn't find a taxi, we went back about 1 metro stop since it was adjacent to a bus station. It was relatively easy to take a bus to the litttle area. But the little strip mall (or whatever you call 3-4 OLD stores in a row) knew nothing of Carpediem. Fortunately a teenager walked by who understood a little English and looked at our confirmation with the resort's address. The teenager spoke with the shop owners and the best we could figure out is the resort was around the corner perhaps less than a mile BUT they said it would be IMPOSSIBLE to walk. 

They tried to call a taxi. The shop owners told the teenager that the taxi companies refused to send anyone even though they would charge us from the center of Rome because our destination was so close, the taxi didn't want to have to go back so far.

The teenager said his friend would be picking him up shortly and he would ask if he could give us a ride. They did. Then we understood the road didn't NOT a possibility for us to have WALKED on the side of the road. Hard to describe.

Eventually they found a golf course and gave up on trying to find the resort after we drove back and forth looking for it. Then someone pointed out we were one parcel too far. So we walked back, saw a resort sign, then walked up the steep driveway meant for cars.


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## PStreet1 (Aug 1, 2012)

Sometimes yes; sometimes no.  It's a big city with the same problems you find in any big city.


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