We spent four nights at the hotel, staying in room number 31. It was bigger than I had expected given previous Trip Advisor posts. The sleeping area consisted of a vast and comfortable double bed (with good bed linen) and a day bed for a third occupant. There is also a wall mounted flat screen TV with BBC News 24 and CNN. However, we were able to watch the football (UEFA Champions League semi) on RAI 2.

If you are conscious of your looks then this is not the room for you (or perhaps it is) as there were six enormous mirrors in the rooms. Or eight, if you count the three mirrored wardrobe doors which I’ve counted as one. The other mirrors are above the dressing table area (with the mini-bar fridge below to the left of where you sit), on the wall opposite the door, above the sink in the bathroom and on the back of the bathroom door.

The wardrobe contains the safe and spare pillows and blankets. There are no drawers but a small amount of shelving in the wardrobe which wasn’t really adequate for two so we resorted to the glass shelf above the hanging space but given my diminutive stature I would not have been able to reach (so my husband’s smalls were stored there).

The bathroom was large and mainly tiled with a big, corner bath with mixer shower over. There was a bidet, toilet and a very large sink. There was also a small stool and wheeled shelving unit for your toiletries. The complimentary tray was basic: soap, shower gel, shower caps, tissues and two sachets of ‘personal hygiene’ liquid. There were nice big towels which were stored on a heated towel rail and which were changed daily. (I don’t like this practice as I think that it’s environmentally unfriendly but others may have a different view.)

The plumbing was idiosyncratic as sometimes the hot supply spluttered as a result of air in the system; so beware when you turn it on as it may suddenly come out in an enormous splash. The tiled floor had a couple of cracks, there was what looked like a small cigarette burn on the side of the bath and the plug operating system didn’t work (the plastic cover came off when you turned it) so you had to prise the plug out to let the water run away.

On our first evening we went out for a meal and on our return found that not only had the maid turned down the bed but had tastefully laid out our pyjamas (and I’d brought a functional pair, not a slinky number) so we hid our nightclothes on subsequent days. When we went to bed we tried to sleep with the window open but as this room is side onto the busy (and very noisy) Viale Giulio Cesare we discovered that the window system is extremely efficient. The outer layer is a traditional slatted shutter. The next layer is a triple glazed window and the third layer is an internal shutter. When all three are used they cut out most of the noise and all of the light so you may need an alarm clock to wake you as you will be unaware of the morning unfolding and you won’t want to miss breakfast.

This for me was the best bit of the hotel; the rooftop breakfast room. At the time we stayed (late April) it was largely covered but I believe that it is opened in the summer. However you still get great views across the Roman rooftops of the beautiful dome of San Gioacchino (well worth a visit if you like Pre-Raphaelite decoration) and St Peter’s. The buffet style breakfast is very varied and good quality so I won’t list all the items (but who eats chocolate torte for breakfast?). The helpful, friendly waitress’ willingness to make fresh cappuccino and espresso has already been documented but I liked being able to squeeze our own oranges for really fresh juice.

The rest of the staff were friendly and helpful (although we weren’t overly enthralled by the desk clerk’s recommendations for dinner – avoid the Porto di Ripetta in the Via di Ripetta unless you have deep pockets and can stand the obsequious owner but the Perilli in Prati in Via Otranto was probably the best of the bunch). All in all a good, relaxing, if expensive experience.