Near+Far Bulgari Hotel Roma rating: 10/10

Why book Bulgari Hotel Roma

The opening of Bulgari Hotel Roma was a homecoming for the luxury giant, founded in Rome in 1884 and built on Italian excellence. 19 years after the first Bulgari Hotel opened in Milan, Bulgari Hotel Roma opened its doors, bringing Sixties Italian glamour and the sparkle of its jewellery to the city’s hospitality scene. The hotel is exquisite – starting with the location, right next to the majestic Augustus Mausoleum, and its 114 rooms each feel like jewellery box hideaways. There’s a glitzy yet unexpectedly understatedly feel, with plenty of jewel tones, and guests will adore international-standard amenities like coffee machines, kettles, teas, milk (still sometimes an enigma in Italian hotels) and more, plus wellness space with gilded Roman-esque baths and a restaurant and cafe by star chef Niko Romito. In this reviewer’s opinion, it’s also home to the most beautiful rooftop in the city – which, while open to external guests for drinks at night, is a jungle residents-only haven in the daytime where you can hide away with a book or coffee and not be disturbed. Bulgari Hotel Roma is a true luxury hospitality at its finest.

The vibe

The location sets the tone for the property – overlooking the ancient Mausoleum of Emperor Augustus, one of Rome’s most impressive yet underrated sites (you won’t find crowds here). From here, the mood is set, continuing into the small yet perfect lobby where a 2,000-year-old seated statue of Augustus himself stands proudly under Murano glass drop chandelier (a loan from the city, thanks to Bulgari’s extension donations to its renovation). An enfilade of gilded rooms unfolds, each with a museum-like case of Bulgari’s glittering jewellery, bags and artwork on the walls. There are always people about, creating a social, yet discreet, feeling space buzzing with elegant energy. Guests come from all over the world, with a strong clientele from the GCC, and you’ll find them on the sun-dappled Cafe Romito terrace clad in oversized sunglasses and sipping espresso. The restaurant and bar attract the same refined crowd, with the bar chic Roman locals enjoying after-work aperitivo. That said, the property is child friendly, too, and we spot little ones enjoying the expansive swimming pool. There are nods to Bulgari’s heritage throughout the property – from mosaics from its first store to artwork – and walking it is like wafting through a museum.

Location

For a new hotel, Bulgari Hotel Roma has managed to snap up one of the most fantastic locations in the city – in the chic northern reaches of the Aurelian walls, moments from the river, Piazza del Polpo, the Villa Borghese, Via Condutti with its glossy boutiques and designer flagships (including Bulgari’s own) and of course, the magnificent tomb of Emperor Augustus (a site that makes the rooftop terrace so special). Famous sites like the Trevi Fountain and Pantheon are just a 15-minute walk away, and the Roman Forum and Collomseum are around 35 minutes on foot. The location is close to Rome’s main thoroughfares which throng with people but step off into the piazza and they all but disappear. The hotel itself has quite the history, built in the 1930s as the HQ for Italy’s Social Security agency, before becoming offices, and a spectacular display of geometric rationalist architecture. Note the square is currently undergoing renovations and excavations, with the mausoleum itself temporarily closed and scaffolding erected around the moment (another reason to head to the hotel’s rooftop for a bird’s eye view).

Rooms and suites

Bulgari Hotel Roma enlisted the help of Italian interior firm ACPV ARCHITECTS Antonio Citterio to map out the 114 rooms and suites, creating a soft and cocoon-like city sanctuary within the historic and imposing stone building. Corridors are dark and moody, with black and gold accents and prints of iconic jewellery designs like the Serpenti watch, but things take a turn in the rooms. Warm textiles and soft furnishings create incredibly plush and cosy feeling abodes, with each room having its own Bulgari-inspired colour palette – either white, yellow, red or green. We check into a white and cream Junior Suite in bed with ochre tones, filled with tactile materials like a cream chaise, leather pouffe, and a butter-soft Bulgari throw on the marshmallow bed (a lovely note lets you know this is deep cleaned between uses – just another example of this hotel’s perfection).

No expense has been spared – in the glossy bar cabinet with its coffee machine and ultra-modern push kettle to the maxi bar ready to whip up an aperitivo (a fresh ice bucket seems to miraculously always be waiting). Walk-in wardrobes have everything you need, including the all-important iron and ironing board – though you might not need it with complimentary pressing each day. Our bathroom is decked with golden-yellow mosaic tiles reminiscent of a Roman bath – the tub screams to be soaked in, and everywhere is stocked with gorgeous mini Bulgari toiletries. Our windows look out onto a leafy, cobbled street with a trendy coffee shop and a jumble of pastel-hued apartments, while others onto Piazza Augusto Imperatore.

Food and drink 

As with its global properties (including Bulgari Resort Dubai), Bulgari Hotel Roma has outlets from superstar chef Niko Romito, who is best known for his three-Michelin-starred restaurant Reale in his native Abruzzo. Romito’s Il Caffè on the ground floor offers an upscale, all-day vibe, hidden from the street by a scattering of potted trees, with poppy red lacquered tables, purple menus, and a variety of floral china. Breakfast is served here, which is truly sublime – all a la carte where guests can order from a huge offering which includes continental, healthy, Arabic, Italian, Chinese menus and more, and throughout the day and into the evening, enjoy Roman trattoria food (albeit elevated) like cacio e pepe, supplì, foccacia and rigatoni all’Amatriciana. Upstairs is the fine dining Il Ristorante – Niko Romito Roma, where the chef takes a more experiential hand to classics using local and seasonal ingredients- think a Vitello tonnato, lobster salad, Milanese risotto and a whipped tiramisu light as air.

Though we intended to head out, we ended up in the Bulgari bar each night, a jewellery box-like hideaway transporting you to glamorous Sixties Italy. We sip Italian wines and enjoy aperitivo on a grey evening and spritzes on the terrace on a steamy summer night. The showstopper is the rooftop, which transforms into a cocktail bar in the evening and offers uninterrupted views over the entire city. Make sure to check ahead before planning an evening, as thanks to its splendour, the rooftop and terrace bar are often booked for private events.

Spa and facilities

Bulgari Hotel Roma seems to quite literally have everything you need: a quiet, guest-only drawing room for coffees, meetings and readings, rooftop cabanas for gazing and sun-soaking and a showstopping two-story wellness area home to a Roman bath-style swimming pool with glittering gold and green tiles, Roman sculptures, doric columns, plush loungers and cabinets stocked with snacks and water. The Bulgari spa offers the usual indulgent experiences and a gym with personal training sessions. Start your day with a swim, sauna, steam and ice fountain before exploring the city. Make full use of the hotel’s fantastically connected team and concierge, who will recommend the best restaurants, show you the most beautiful streets to walk and book experiences – from personal shoppers to day trips out of the city.

Anything to add?

Make full use of the public spaces, the ‘champagne lounge’ with its bookshelves and cosy corners, the charming little chocolate shop and patisserie, the guests-only lounge, and the rooftop—which during the day is practically empty and lets you switch off and hideaway without needing to engage. The rooftop is home to hundreds of plants dating back to ancient Rome, creating a botanical oasis above the Eternal City.

Superior rooms from €1,700 (about AED7,000), €; bulgarihotels.com, @bvlgarihotels

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