This hotel proved to be an almost perfect choice, for our week in Trieste. It could have been improved upon - but only with considerably more outlay. There are other similar hotels located close by but after reading the reviews, came to the conclusion that the Colombia would be best for our needs and this proved to be the case. I mentioned the price, (average of €87 per night), which for this level of service and comfort, proved to be very reasonable. About ten percent cheaper than the huge chain-hotel just around the corner. I don’t dislike chains but given the option, I would always go with a small independent and if the independent is cheaper - then it’s a win-win. The hotel is located on a quiet street, about a ten minute easy walk from the train station. After consulting a street-view map, we were able to pick a route from the railway station that had no steps, hills, or other mildly inconveniencing features for our wheeled suitcases. The heart of Trieste is also an easy ten minute walk away. You could get a hotel directly on to the Piazza Unità d’Italia, (the heart of the city), but that would have doubled the nightly cost. The hotel features that impressed are as follows. The bed was not only very comfortable - it was huge! A recurring complaint of European hotels, (made primarily by guests from the USA), is the size of the beds. Let me assure you, the bed in room 452 could be described as “King+”. During a week where the daytime temperatures rarely dropped below 32 degrees, (90 Fahrenheit), air-conditioning was a must and the system in our bedroom coped admirably. It was not the kind of new system that can reduce the room temperature to refrigerator levels but the room was always a cool 18 to 20 degrees. The system also ran during the day when you were out, so we never had the problem we have experienced elsewhere - where the air-con turned off when you left the room. My wife was happy with the amount of drawer and hanging space and the bathroom, (especially the excellent shower), was more than adequate for our needs. The decor was showing its age slightly in places - but who spends hours in there anyway? As for the public areas, the downstairs lobby and public spaces were a showcase for the owners eclectic taste in modern art. Not to my taste exactly but what do I know? The furniture in the downstairs lobby was also very “avant-garde” in its design but unusually - very comfortable - not always the case. Some reviewers were critical of the hotel elevator which I think unfair. It is very small but it works perfectly well. The only real problems could be laid at the feet of fit, fellow guests, who occupied the lower floors. They chose to “hog” the lift instead of negotiating two flights of stairs. So those of us on the upper floors were better off walking down the ten flights - or wait for ten or so minutes until the first floor guests had finished. Last but not least, the staff were all extremely friendly and always wore a smile. There were a couple of things that were less than good, some not easily remedied. The breakfast room is a little on the small size. If the hotel were full, I would imagine that there would be problems accommodating guests at “rush-hour”. The breakfast itself could be described as “average Italian”. It suited my wife and I, as she could have her fresh fruit and muesli and I had my bread roll, cheese and pastries. However, if you are a lover of the hot English or American breakfast - then you would have struggled. There were always scrambled eggs on offer but they had reduced to a dry consistency. Also, the “curse of the coffee machine” struck - common in almost every Italian hotel. It dispensed everything from espresso to cappuccino but it was barely drinkable. In my opinion, actually undrinkable without the addition of milk. Every morning I couldn’t wait to pop round the corner to a good cafe, for my early morning coffee “fix”. My wife was impressed with the quality of the tea bags on offer, it that’s any consolation. The “bottom-line” is this, “Would I stay at the Colombia again”? The answer to that is a resounding “Yes” so that’ all you really need to know.…