A quiet finale

We stayed for three nights at the Farnese to end our two weeks in Italy. At the beginning of our trip we had stayed four nights at a charming hotel in the center of Rome, and chose to finish our trip at the Farnese for its quiet, less hectic, location.

The staff was very helpful and accomodated our request to arrive a day earely, altho we had to spend that first night in a basement room. Surprizingly, this room was spacious, cool and dark and we slept like logs. Our regular room was pleasent with a nice balcony. The decor and costume of the staff is meant to recall the early nineteenth century and is either nice or over the top, depending on one's taste.

The breakfast (served in the basement) was excellent with great selection and quality. We did a lot of walking because the hotel is at least fifteen or twenty minutes from tourist sights or restaurants, but it is in an upscale residential neighborhood and pleasant walking.

Perfect Place to End our Vacation

My wife and I just returned from two weeks in Italy. We flew in and out of Rome so we stayed there a couple of nights on either end. Hotel Farnese was great!! The room was large and very nice, by far the best and biggest bathroom of all the hotels we stayed at on our trip. I would recommend it in a heartbeat.

Fantastico Farnese

This is an adorable hotel and the room we stayed in had doors onto a spacious terrace. Beautiful shutters blocked out any light from the street and it was quite unbelievably quiet, the room ityself having a tranquil relaxing atmoshere. The immaculate bathroom exuded the fresh smell of Italian cleaning products which evoked a real sense of being in Italy. The attention to detail is evident as soon as you enter this oasis reminiscent of a bygone age. It is evident that a good deal of trouble has been undertake to ensure that high standars are met. The staff were more that helpful and went out of their way to ensure that our short break over the Christmas holiday was a memorbale and most enjoyable one. The breakfast was really first class with a very high standard of food which is rare these days even in the most expensive of hotels. The price is very fair and give the location of the hotel and the high standars not an all unreasonable. The Hotel is owned and staffed by Italians which more than compensated for the lack of Italian guests due to the fact that they always spend Christmas with their families. We really felt a real sense of being in Italy and were made to feel most welcome. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here especially as our bed was so comfortable with linen sheets every day, slippers provided and was beautifully appointed. You could not find a better hotel for the price and given the location, the provision for parking and the impecable manners without exception of all the staff I could find no fault with this charming hotel. It is situated in a delightful area between the Vatican and the old centre and so is most convenent as well. If you want the centre of Rome you must pay more, you cannot park and the atmoshere is quite different. For the reasons above I rate this hotel as first class.

Nice Hotel with a Funny Smell

We spent 5 nights here on the first leg of our Honeymoon late September. Our room was decently sized, but the finishes were somewhat tacky. I was surprised because I read in some travel books that they were beautifully finished. We requested a terrace, but rarely used it - there was not much to look at and the room was directly above a flood light used to illuminate the front of the hotel. The strange litter box smell emanating from the bathroom was a little overwhelming, but we were so excited to be on our honeymoon finally that we dealt with it and managed to have a spectacular time in Rome. The quiet neighborhood where the hotel is located is beautiful and feels extremely safe. It was nice to leave old Rome sometimes, but I felt that the hotel was slightly overpriced for the slightly inconvenient location because it is almost close to the major sites and almost close to the Vatican, but you end up walking 10 minutes to just cross the Tiber into old Rome or 15 minutes to the Vatican or Trastevere which usually matters only when you're coming back to the hotel and are tired from an aggressive walking tour and you aren't near the metro (which is right next to the hotel). The concierge staff was mostly very helpful except for one grumpy man who was usually on the night shift, so perhaps it was understandable. At the time we were there, all the guests were American tourists, something that was only disappointing because it made us feel like we hadn't truly arrived in Italy yet. Our bed was as soft as plywood and was actually two mattresses pushed together which inevitably slid apart on the heavily varnished wood floor. We took their car service from the airport and ended up paying 20 euros more than what other hotels charge. Live and learn. Strangely, all this stuff didn't matter, because we were in Rome, and the city provides more than enough beauty and inspiration to overcome so many small hotel quirks.

A delightful hotel!

I've just returned from a 5 day stay in Rome, and had the pleasure of staying at the Farnese hotel with a friend. We thoroughly enjoyed this lovely intimate hotel, with its charming, helpful but unintrusive staff who were friendly and professional throughout. Our room was gorgeous with a large floral balcony and an impeccable daily chambermaid service kept it as new every day. Hot powershower, a dream after seeing the sights all day! Metro moments away but easy walk to centre of town. Highly recommended, we'll be staying again and telling friends and family!

Great boutique hotel

We stayed at the Farnese between 9/14 and 9/19/2004. Our room was generously sized, and in beautiful condition. We are non-smokers and I think there must have been a smoker in the room next to us our first night, because the fumes were noticeable, but either they checked out or the ventilation changed because after that it wasn't at all an issue. The hotel staff couldn't have been more helpful. They were very knowledgeable and shared tips and ideas and their own favorite things to see and do. The location is great -- just on the Vatican side of the Tiber about a 10 minute walk from the Vatican in one direction and a 10 minute walk across the river to the Piazza del Popolo. 10 minutes beyond that to the Piazza di Spagna. The location is slightly more residential and we found it a nice change from the non-stop hustle and bustle of the tourist areas. We really enjoyed this hotel.

Simply Wonderful.

A simply wonderful boutique hotel. Our room was large by European standards with a lovely balcony and views over the dome of St Pauls. We found the staff to be the most friendly and helpful of anywhere we stayed in Europe. There were plenty of authentic 'local' restaurants nearby that were not tourist traps because the hotel is located in a residential quarter. Close to transport (Metro almost at the door, and bus-stop adjacent) and in easy walking distance to the Vatican and major attractions.

A Wonderful Experience

What a wonderful experience. A welcoming hotel in a quiet, yet beautiful and surprisingly central part of Rome. We are in our 50s and walked to and from the hotel to every must-see location in Rome. We were allocated the most beautiful room with a large terrace looking towards the Vatican City. My wife was ill the morning we arrived (7am after 24 hours in transit) and the staff could not have been more helpful. This attitude continued during our 5 day stay, and we could not fault any single member of staff at any time. Farnese would definitely be our choice of accommodation the next time we have the opportunity to visit Rome. The only down-side was that the elevator was broken, and we had to climb the stairs to the top floor - but it was worth it.