Lowdown

My heart leaps at the sight of the “family suite” in the Relais Le Clarisse a Trastevere. It’s just a light, spacious room with a vaulted ceiling and travertine floor, but it’s as charming as the staff at this small but beautiful hotel.

The location

The hotel is wrapped around a lovely, quiet courtyard in a buzzy market street in the lively Trastevere district, whose cobbled passageways are crowded with osterias, trattorias, pizzerias, bars, shops and cafes, just five minutes’ walk from the River Tiber.

Nearby historical attractions include the ancient Basilica of Santa Cecilia and the medieval mosaics of the Basilica of Santa Maria, and Trastevere is only about half an hour’s absorbing (if bumpy) stroll from the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain or the Roman Forum. 

Forlorn-looking migrants sell phone chargers on street corners – which is reassuring for tourists who’re using their phones as keys.

Concierge

The front desk is staffed by a rotation of patient and obliging concierge-receptionists, who explain and demonstrate the door procedure and enthusiastically engage guests in conversation about, well… anything. This is slightly unusual in a small Rome hotel.

The room

I have the largest suite in the 18-room hotel, which is sold to me as a single room because I’m on my own. The wrought-iron bed is big enough for a family to share, although you’d probably want to put the kids on the sofa bed. There’s an ottoman at the foot of the bed, but I don’t know what ottomans are for.

The walls are decorated with tasteful prints of historical Rome - like windows into the past – and a commanding desk stakes out the room as my kingdom. The bathroom has a large spa bath as well as a shower, and a separate chamber for the inevitable bidet. 

While the suite door opens with a genuine, simple, rustic key-shaped key, the reception is only staffed until 8pm. Guests coming back later in the evening must use a smartphone and a weblink (not even an app!) to unlock the street door. This means that I spend the whole night worrying that my ageing iPhone will run out of battery.

Breakfast

The hotel does not have a restaurant, but there are literally hundreds within walking distance. A buffet breakfast is served in an uninspiring below-ground chamber, but can be taken outside the rooms in the sunny courtyard, under an olive tree. Bread, tarts and pies are freshly baked. The crostata is the best I’ve had (and, after nine days in Rome, I’m a crostata connoisseur). The cheeses are well chosen. People who enjoy cooked breakfasts (not me) tuck in to the bacon and eggs enthusiastically. You fetch your own coffee from an espresso machine.

Minibar 

The bar fridge contains two free bottles of water (which often comes at an extra charge in Rome hotels) and a cute complimentary 200ml bottle of Prosecco. No one mentions the Prosecco (it seems to be a grace-note gift) but when the cleaner comes in the morning, she reminds me to drink the water.

Presumably, the Prosecco is meant to be enjoyed with a partner in the two-person spa. I can’t find a glass so, after my disappointing spa experience (see below), I drink it alone and from the bottle.

What’s hot

The peace is divine. The staff are superbly good-humoured. The cleaner speaks better English than most Italian hotel receptionists. The courtyard seems to belong to another time. The ambience is magically calming. 

What’s not

Well, the water. Although I’m only one person, I decide to sample the spa experience anyway. But the bath is so big that the water runs cold before the waterline covers the jets.

This probably wouldn’t be an issue if I were in the bath with a friend, as together we would displace sufficient water to solve the problem. But I’m not. So I lie in a half-filled bath, being buffeted around by cold water and compressed air.

The verdict: 9/10

Relais Le Clarisse is comfortable, relaxing, simple and affordable. Everything about it feels somehow special. It would be a lovely spot for a romantic break in Rome, if you remembered to take your partner with you.

Rooms at Relais Le Clarisse a Trastevere start at €83 ($135) in the European winter months.