Lirico Hotel

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My wife and I left it a bit late to book for a long spring weekend in Rome, so it was triply lucky (a) that the Lirico had a room for us, (b) that its rate was well below the prices of some of the others we tried to book at, and (c) that it turned out so pleasantly that if we're ever lucky enough to revisit Rome I see no reason to stay anywhere else.
Its location struck us as just about ideal -- everything from the Vatican to the Villa Borghese and the Palatine Hill seemed just a short walk or walk-and-ride away -- and although it is so close to major streets we enjoyed quieter nights than we do in our flat in outer London.
From the receptionists to the breakfast waiter to the bed-maker, the staff were all excellently helpful and friendly, and our gross inability to speak Italian was never a handicap.
Everything in the hotel, from the front door up the stairs and via the lift to our room with its tall window opening into the sunshine, was agreeable, comfortable, accommodating, pleasant in decor and just generally Right. The same went for the breakfast room, which offered a very good start to each day. Our beds were comfortable, and the room and its en-suite bathroom were distinctly roomier than many others we've found ourselves in In Europe. (The one handicap was that the supply of hot water seemed to fade out as the hour got later, so the trick was to get your bathing done early. A small price to pay, we thought, considering everything else the Lirico offered.)
Judging by the breakfast room, the hotel was doing a brisk trade, yet we were never disturbed by fellow-guests -- in fact everything was so quiet that if it hadn't been for the breakfast room we might have imagined that we were almost the only people there.
Thanks partly to unexpectedly beautiful spring weather, our first visit to Rome was magically enjoyable, and the Lirico helped to make it so. I am very glad indeed that we were lucky enough to chance upon it, and strongly recommend it to anyone looking for a place to stay while visiting Rome.