Sofitel Villa Borghese Rome, Italy: our hotel review

Kathy McCabe checks out the view from the terrace of the Sofitel Villa Borghese in Rome

Hotel with a view in Rome

ALIGHTING in Rome for the first time after an 11-hour train ride from Paris, the city was bathed in golden afternoon sun.

As the taxi wound through the architectural landmarks familiar from a diet of 1950s films and travel television, I was infected by a girlish excitement at heading to a hotel that had hosted Liz Taylor and Richard Burton in their tumultuous heyday. The Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese lived up to its romantic promise. Set above the Villa Medici and the Spanish Steps, it’s elegant and historic. This is the kind of old-world luxury which transports you back to the glamorous days of the international jetset. My Superior Room was furnished in classic Roman style with the modern amenities you would expect, including an LCD TV, Wi-Fi connection and Bose iPod docking station. It feels like history, although the bathroom is a bit of a throwback to kitsch ’80s with its peach walls, grey and beige marble decor. Most of the rooms on the lower floors don’t have a balcony to enjoy the view. My windows glimpsed the famous Roman pines on one side and a wall of rooms above a courtyard on the other. My companions’ enjoy rooms on higher levels with sweeping views of the villas adjacent or the Roman skyline. Jealous? Not really because when you head upstairs to La Terrasse, any view envy is eclipsed by the spectacular 270 degree vista of this European citadel. Before exploring Rome you can relax in the mezzanine lounge off the lobby and enjoy all the intriguing artworks, or breakfast in the old stables where painter Caravaggio once slept. Or you could spend hours parked at an outdoor table at La Terrasse, the rooftop bar and restaurant. It gets busy as the sun begins to set over the city, with the azure sky taking on a dusty pinky orange glow, the Villa Medici gardens, St Paul’s Cathedral and all its famous landmarks providing the perfect backdrop. As we toast with a chilled glass of champagne, a colourful assortment of canapés are presented, with a special plate for this gluten-free girl. The deconstructed caprese salad, terrine, bruschetta and chopped carpaccio with crisp bread sticks are delicious and generous morsels, bursting with freshness and flavour. The writer was a guest of Sofitel. For more information on the Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese, Via Lombardi, see sofitel-rome-villaborghese.com