I was afraid we wouldn't like Rome- it sounded so chaotic, dirty and crowded but we loved it and I think this hotel and its location was what made us fall in love with the city.
The weather was perfect- end of April- sunny and mild. The hotel arranged a driver to pick us up at the airport. We were surprised as we approached the historic center where the hotel is located how narrow and maize like the streets were- I can't imagine driving here on our own even with GPS.
Rome was very clean and beautiful. As all of the reviewers have said the location is superb and can't be improved upon. We walked past the Spanish Steps and the Borghese Gardens- some good hotels also at those locations but the Pantheon location struck me as the most ideal of all.
Staff was excellent and helpful.
I don't have much to add that hasn't already been said by previous reviewers. So just a few minor criticisms:
We loved our pantheon facing room on the 2nd floor? (the only one on floor 2 with a balcony). It was quite small but for a short stay (3 nights) it was fine and the sublime view more than made up for the size. The mattress was very comfortable, however, we got sweaty during the night and I discovered that we were sleeping on a rubber mattress pad! At the prices Albergo del Senato charges, they can afford some thick wool mattress pads which require periodic dry cleaning. Absolutely unfair to subject guests to such discomfort. The top of the pad is covered in a cotton or cloth fabric but after a few hrs the rubber/vinyl ? waterproof material makes its presence known.
Also, speaking of beds- there is a variation among rooms. Ours was comfortable but our friends in a side room had a too hard mattress (they laid on ours to compare) so when you read a comment by some TA reviewers that the bed was too hard they might be right! Also, our friends wanted to economize and although they had the advantage of a quiet room, their side room was small and dark with a claustrophobic feel- not a real window- more of a window well even though they were on the second or third floor. I wish I had a photo-the window was almost like a light shaft- the view was of other sides of the hotel- so close you could almost reach out and touch. They loved the hotel and were happy but I would not have been happy in their room.
Breakfast was pleasant, tasty, adequate but not great. The orange juice tasted like Tang and the fritatta and scrambled eggs were yucky- I recommend sticking with the hard or soft boiled eggs they offer to make for you. Fresh fruit was available and the oranges were delicious so the oj was not a real problem. The pastries were surprisingly good.
Noise: we brought along a white noise machine but it broke. Luckily, we also had ear plugs. The crowds outside on the pantheon square constituted almost a white noise sound of their own and it was fun and lively during the day. At night, when we felt relaxed and happy we had no trouble drifting off to sleep, however, one evening I was mildly annoyed to have my peace punctured by an opera singer practicing outside the pantheon steps around 1 am and other late night revelers.. however, the temp was cool enough that I could shut the balcony doors and go back to sleep.. I think if you are feeling relaxed and peaceful the noise is not a problem but if you are awake and stewing over something the noise could be an issue for some. Or you could get an unusually loud crowd so I recommend bringing both a small travel size white noise machine and ear plugs if you think you might be bothered.
I'm deducting one star from the category "room" due to its small size.
Overall,a fantastic, happy experience! Highly recommend.
