Everybody likes a great hotel, but what kind? My favorite is “boutique” but I feel like that definition keeps changing, especially in Rome. The Eternal City has a vast crop of small, but mighty high-end hotels that are helping to further evolve the city’s dynamic from eternal to iconic and I’ve chosen five for the most sumptuous stays in Rome.
Grand Meliá Rome Villa Agrippina
Location: Trastevere/San Pietro, walkable to most sites.
History plays a major role in contemporary Roman life, and the verdant enclave of Villa Agrippina capitalizes on its millennia. This was once the site of a first-century imperial villa. Today’s Villa Agrippina is a 116 room luxury hotel, designed with a flair for midcentury modern.
Outdoor luxury is what I love about Villa Agrippina. Its outdoor space is lined with cozy cabanas, plush loungers and secluded gardens, and is the urban haven of relaxation with its sprawling greenery and state-of-the-art spa, with a picture-perfect 1920s-style outdoor swimming pool.
Bonus: Chef Luciano Monosilio, aka The King of Carbonara, recently opened Follie, his whimsical restaurant.
Portrait Roma’s Rooftop Terrace. Credit: Portrait Roma – Lungarno Collection
Portrait Roma — Lungarno Collection
Location: Centro Storico/Piazza di Spagna, walkable to every site
Portrait Roma makes the list because is the perfect pied-à-terre in Rome’s center. Only 14 rooms, Portrait capitalizes on its Ferragamo heritage with custom interiors that look fresh off a magazine cover. The rooftop terrace is too die for. I can’t decide what Portrait’s best feature is. Is Portrait’s team of six knowledgeable lifestyle assistants, ready to send you in the direction of the city’s hottest concert, exhibit or restaurant or its Via dei Condotti address. Here in the very epicenter of Rome’s exclusive fashion boulevard?
Villa Spalletti Trivelli. Credit: Villa Spalletti Trivelli
Villa Spalletti Trivelli
Location: Esquilino/Via Nazionale. Walking distance to Colosseum/Forum/Trevi.
Years ago, a friend introduced me to Villa Spalletti as a “secret home in Rome.” And it sure is. The free-standing villa is a former historic home, now a luxury retreat of twelve bedrooms. Expect lavish living rooms and salons, period furniture and art, including tapestries, sculptures, paintings and an exquisite antique library recognized by Italy’s Ministry of National Heritage and Culture. Even the gardens are manicured to evoke an early 19th-century feel.
Bonus to the rooftop terrace with lounge bar and a few jacuzzi.
The Pantheon Iconic Rome Hotel’s Divinity Rooftop Terrace. Credit: The Pantheon Iconic Rome Hotel
The Pantheon Iconic Rome Hotel
Location: Centro Storico/Pantheon, walkable to everywhere
The Pantheon wins for the very best view- literally eye to eye with the dome of Pantheon and the spiral of St.Ivo. Architect Marco Piva designed this 79-room stunner with glossy marbles, resplendent golds, warm woods and contemporary sculptures all inspired by the Pantheon itself. It can be a bit much for some.
Hotel Vilón’s Adelaide. Credit: Stefano Scatà
Location: Centro Storico/Via Del Corso, walkable to most sites.
I often tell people that if I were having an affair, this is where you would find me. Vilon is a hideway in the beautiful Palazzo Borghese, entering on a side street. Its 18 room darling are stylish and sultry with contemporary design, rich colors, lavish marbles and woods, contemporary art and photography, and custom furniture.
Ground floor bar andn resto Adelaide feels like you’ve just walked onto a film set, thanks to styling by production designer Paolo Bonfini. With its contemporary vibe and exclusive locale, this posh lounge is one of the hottest places in the city to sip — snag a stool during apertivo hour and order up a Principessa, a fragrant blend of citrusy Galliano L’Aperitivo, pomegranate juice, and thyme- and pink-pepper-infused soda.
This article first appeared in Forbes Travel July 2018.
