Vilma Darling visits the Hotel d’Inghilterra in Rome.
Just a couple of blocks away from the famous Spanish steps and Piazza di Spagna in the centre of Rome, Hotel d’Inghilterra is perfectly located for tourists eager to shop, dine and visit ancient historic attractions.
The city’s most exclusive shopping street, Via Condotti, is around the corner and the magnificent Pantheon (built in 126 AD) is about a 10 to 15 minute walk away.
The original hotel building dates back to the 16th century when it served as a guesthouse for the nearby palace of the Torlonia princes, and the little square in front of the hotel was used to park the horse and carriages, which were also washed in the fountain there.
Named in honour of the Englishmen who visited Rome during the days of the Grand Tour of Europe (poet John Keats lived in Piazza di Spagna and so his friends, such as Lord Byron, stayed in the guesthouse), the building became a hotel in 1845.
Hans Christian Andersen, Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain and Wilbur Smith lived in the Hotel d’Inghilterra and H.R.H Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, signed the hotel’s Golden Book celebrating its 150th anniversary.
The hotel’s logo is inspired by the British Royal Family’s coat of arms and apparently bears testimony to the connections between the hotel and the Royal House of Windsor.
Hotel d’Inghilterra strives to reflect rooms in a private home and so each of the 69 bedrooms and 20 suites have their unique style with silk and damask fabrics, large Baroque mirrors and marble bathrooms.
Our room was on the small side (Classic Double rooms are approximately 18m²), but very cosy, and I especially loved the mahogany chest and other antique furniture, red walls and period paintings. The wooden shutters and heavy curtains were perfect for sleeping in after a late night out in the city.
The best rooms are higher up on the fifth floor, opening onto a tiled terrace, but the ultimate room is the Panoramic Suite, on the hotel’s top floor, that features a spacious sitting room, a large bedroom, two bathrooms and a terrace with views over Rom
The hotel is quiet and discreet – the lobby and lounges offer private corners and are great for relaxing after a long day of sightseeing and shopping whilst admiring the collection of 19th-century Neapolitan gouaches.
The reception personnel were very helpful (they suggested a great nearby restaurant and called for taxis), but the room service staff were perhaps a little too attentive – a couple of times they knocked on the door even when the ‘do not disturb’ sign was on.
The Continental breakfast is served in a frescoed room, depicting an enchanted garden setting, as well as in the hotel’s bar. The English gentlemen’s club style bar is intimate, but offers James Bond’s 20 favourite drinks and was voted one of the best bars in Italy by Gambero Rosso guide, Bar d’Italia.
My companion and I had champagne and scotch there, which was an ideal way to celebrate the end of our Roman holiday in the Eternal City.
For further information or to make a reservation, please contact your concierge.
Website: www.royaldemeure.com/en/hotel_inghilterra/
Address: Via Bocca di Leone, 14, 00187 Rome, Italy
Phone: +39 06 699811
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