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.

The hotel Farnese was really nice- very good service, clean - real hotel-boutique. It's a little bit far away from historical center.

Louis and Alessandra were beyond great, they make the stay wonderful. The room was clean, well apppointed, and very much in the theme of the rest of the hotel. The Hotel Farnese was fantastic.

We spent three nights at Hotel Farnese, which is situated in a lovely, peaceful and safe residential area (close to Le Panto metro). Most of the main sights can be reached within 15/20 minutes walking, including the Spanish Steps, Castel Sant Angelo, Trevi fountain, Pantheon, the Vatican City and St. Peters; the only time we used the metro was to visit the Colloseum and Palatino.
We had a lovely room, beautifully decorated with high ceilings, a large full equipped bathroom and also a balcony just over the reception area, so we could sit out and relax in the February sunshine and watch the Romans go about their daily business!
As soon as we passed through the door, we were personally welcomed by name and from then on looked after with impecable care throughout our stay. The whole hotel is spotlessly clean and has many interesting works of art - check out the family tree in the reception and the history of Alessandro Farnese, after whom the hotel is named.
A very good breakfast was served up on the top floor, overlooking the dome of St. Peters -this set us up for the day's sightseeing! We enjoyed our lunchtimes around the Pantheon plaza, (perhaps a little expensive), but we enjoyed just sharing a salad and a plate of anchovies, washed down with a bottle of wine and watching the world go by for a couple of hours - this was most refreshing after all the sightseeing of the morning. Would definitely recommend asking the concierge for advice on eating out in the evening - he suggested a very good local restaurant close to the hotel with excellent food and service - the waiter took pride in translating the blackboard menu to us in great detail and we enjoyed this meal greatly compared to the tourist trap restaurants in the centre.
We would absolutely recommend this hotel to anyone visiting Rome.