Let's face it what is there about Rome you couldn't like. A wonderful historic city with so many wonderful landmarks to see. Fail to go to the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel at your peril (we took the tour with a guide - well worth the additional expense as you cut out lots of the queues) then of course there is the Colosseum, The Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps, The Pantheon and St Peter's Basillica as well. Do the open top Bus Tour and get on and off at the various places of interest. We were here for the week and absolutely loved it. The hotel has a great outdoor pool (one of very view in Rome I believe) which is well served by a couple of young (Fabio very good looking according to my partner) attendants who don't allow sun beds to be taken up by an assortment of towels at 7am. They even move the umbrellas for you as the sun moves around! All the hotel staff were friendly enough but we felt they were a little aloof compared to those staff we experienced in Lake Garda and Amalfi. Our room had a balcony and a lovely view over the pool and the Villa Borghese Park. The hotel is about a good 15 min walk from the centre of Rome but if you go through the park it is a pleasant hike. There is a courtesy vehicle to take you to the Via Vittorio Veneto but the guy who drove it was on holiday! Most of Rome goes on holiday in August as well, so it's the right time to go as the city is not at all like London or Paris at this time of the year. On occasions I would even go so far as to say it was pretty deserted. With regard to this hotel, you will have a smashing relaxed stay but there are a couple of things to take note of. If you book half board the evening restaurant menu does not change at all EVER. However, there are some lovely dishes on it but you will have some more than once in a weeks stay. The breakfasts are good too! The second thing which of course is not the hotels fault is that you will get bitten by mosquito's quite badly if you don't protect yourself. They get you round the pool or walking through the park and they itch like crazy! Also be warned the Americans love Rome and can be found in great quantity around the Hard Rock Cafe and McDonalds.
This trip was a birthday treat from my partner and the hotel did supply as with a nice bottle of bubbly and some home made biscuits on arrival which was a nice touch. We even took some biscuits home for our parents especially baked by the restaurant and we did not get charged the earth for them. All in all we had a wonderful time in Rome and would recommend the city to anyone. If you want a trip which takes in the sights but you also want some quality chilling time then this hotel would be a good choice. Plus of course for all you ladies there is Fabio to stare at!

This was our first visit to this hotel and Rome - 5 days in the first week of August. Previous reviews on the hotel are both fair and accurate. The mundane exterior of the hotel hides inner opulence in the public areas and to some extent in the bedrooms. We found the conceige service slightly indifferent with no-one really willing to go out of their way more than they had to. Our hotel bedroom was large, very comfortable with excellent air conditioning. Though the bathroom had a bath with shower over and was otherwise well equipped it was pretty pokey in size measuring no more than 6ft x 12ft. Our advice would be to ask for a bedroom overlooking the swimming pool/garden which offers views across Borghese Gardens towards the Vatican and was in sunshire throughout the day. We were notified by the travel company pre arrival that the indoor pool and spa were closed from August to November but as is often the case basically had to go with it! We were however more concerned on arrival to find the hotel shuttle bus had been suspended given comments by others about the 20 minute walk into the city and potential incurring of taxi fares. Again it was very matter of fact - the hotel shuttle isnt working as the driver is on holiday so tough. The town was a 20-25 minute trudge each way to get into the town and with August temperatures of 30c + you were basically lathered with persperation before you even got into the town centre. It may be the time of the year and temperatures but the Borghese Gardens didnt live up to expectation - basically acres of woodland with threadbare grass and huge amounts of graffitti and damage. The park was frequented by more police than tourists probably due to a recent initiative (reported in Sunday Telegraph 10/08/08) to stamp out crime by vagrant communites following a recent murder. Breakfast in the hotel was fairly average with little variety and included standard fare of cold meats/cheeses/fresh fruit salad/fresh fruit. The only hot fare available was scrambled eggs and bacon pre prepared in large metal tureens. Regrettably as we were on half board we were disappointed and surprised that the evening meal menu remained static throughout our stay. Whilst there were options for starter, main course and dessert it soon became pretty repetitive though the quantity and quality was very good. If you are there for only one or two nights or try it as an alternative to eating outside the hotel it would be pretty good albeit quite expensive. Each evening we were given complimentary flutes of Cava to start the meal, and complimentary glasses of dessert wine to end the meal, additionally the waiters provided olive oil from different italian regions to savour with your bread which was a really nice touch especially for someone like us on only their second visit to Italy. In closing quite a good hotel especially if you want a pool and to be away from the chaos of the city in a relatively quite suburb. But be prepared to either hike into town or pay for a taxi if the shuttle isnt running.

As far as Rome is concerned I would highly recommend it though be aware of the high temperatures and humidity in August. The Vatican is a must. We travelled from the city centre via Metro (one euro each way) and found the trains very easy to use, quick and clean although as you would expect quite congested at peak times. Separately we took an open top red bus tour having used similar in Paris, but found the Rome version no-where near as good. Though it tours the sights it does so at speed presenting no photo opportunities. We found some difficulty in trying to co-ordinate the audio guide with the sites that you were looking at and more importantly found that once we had got off at a stop we had to walk some 20 minutes to a less popular tourist sites to get back on as they were all full. The red bus clearly feels no obligation to get you back on a bus once they have taken your money and it was only at the 3rd attempt that we got on a bus. Finally for any cat lovers - you MUST visit the cat sanctuary at Torre Argentine situated on the corner of Via Florida and Via Arenula. Free admission between noon and 6pm where you will see the fantastic work of Silvia Viviani and her supporters in caring for the homeless cats of Rome. A good experience in itself.

I was here for a business conference in Jun 2007 and added an extra day to top up my memories of Rome.

If you want to be in the centre of the city, with its hustle and bustle, noise and polluted air, this is not the hotel for you. It is in a quiet spot close to the zoo. My room with a balcony had a view over the pines of the Borghese Gardens across to St Peter's, with spectacular sunsets.

The first drawback to the cooler, cleaner, quieter location is that you have a 20 minute walk through Gardens to get to the top of the Via Veneto or the top of the Spanish Steps - but not at night, when a taxi or public transport (easy to use in Rome) is necessary.

The other drawback is the lack of dining alternatives close by. Don't misunderstand: the hotel restaurant is first-rate, as are the tasty and generously-sized bar snacks - but neither is exactly cheap and a locl alternative would be welcome for those who might not want to face a trip down to the city.

The hotel is a typical example of the traditionally-furnished and equipped grand hotels to be found in Italy. It is not cheap, but it is tasteful and well appointed, both in the public areas and in the rooms and bathrooms, and the staff are pleasant and helpful. Nothing to fault.

A good experience.

We had stayed at the hotel a few years before and were uncertain as to whether it would be as good as it had been then. It was, and more so - friendly, welcoming and with a real attention to the needs of the guest you find in very few hotels nowadays. When we rang to book, they still had us on the computer, apologised for not being able to give us the room we liked before, but gave us a better and bigger one for the same price. The exterior of the hotel building is boring, but surrounded by lovely gardens and a pool area. The rooms are luxurious, well-maintained and clean, and the staff trained to think of what you might need and do it almost before you ask - the pool attendant arranged the parasol to give you perfect shade if you wanted it, and laid out the towels on the lounger. As another reviewer wrote, the mattresses are a bit hard, but the bed enormous - and the hotel sorted out the hardness problem with some extra blankets under the sheet. Breakfast was good, and the staff helpful. The restaurant prices for dinner are over the top, and we ate out - the hotel is a bit of a trek from the centre, and in our first stay, we clocked up large taxi fares. This time we figured out how to use the buses, which took us into and from the centre in 10 minutes (not least as the drivers were obviously practising for the Italian Grand Prix). It would be a help if the hotel could stock bus tickets. Otherwise, it was a pleasant 20 minute stroll through the park. The hotel was a marvellous retreat from the heat and bustle of Rome, and we felt a real sense of peace when we got back each night. Not cheap, but we left feeling that we had got something for our money - the hotel really made our holiday in Rome.