Hotel Splendide Royal in Rome – Not splendid, not royal

Hotel Splendide Royal

The 5-star Hotel Splendide Royal in Rome is a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World and advertises itself as “designed to be royal and luxurious.” We really don’t know what royalty they are talking about but suspect those that have lost all their money gambling and now reside in this hotel that at least has “royal” in its name. We stayed in a suite that was smaller than most standard rooms in an average 5-star hotel. The so-called living room could barely accommodate two people. The bedroom wasn’t much bigger.

The lobby

The top floor Restaurant Mirabelle boasts of having one Michelin Star. We suspect the Michelin people have not been checking on their client recently. Sure, the view from the 7th floor over Rome is amazing, mesmerizing and the atmosphere romantic. But the food was really below any standards. The pasta was overcooked and the sauce tasteless, the fish a bit chewy. There is no bar downstairs and the one upstairs closes in the evening when the restaurant opens. To call it a bar is probably a bit pushing it since there are only two bar stools and enough space for about 3-4 people to mingle without getting their elbows into each others faces.

Hotel Splendide Royal definitely does not deserve its 5-stars, 4 maybe, if not 3.5. Or it needs a major face-lift to get up to the level it professes it is already.

Rating: 2/5

All roads lead…back to the hotel

The Spanish Steps, 5 o’clock in the morning

We went to Rome ealier this month. OK we forgot to tell you that but honestly we don’t have very much to report. And the reason is spelled H.E.A.T.W.A.V.E.

Of course we were aware it can be apocalyptically hot in Italy during the summer months but this was ridiculous. Hanna’s nail polish and Alex’s hair wax were melting away before they even finished putting it on. Not to mention Sam who was begging to go back to the Sahara desert. For starters:

– We had to stay in our Hotel between 10AM and 8PM. We just couldn’t go outside since it was way too hot to handle.

– To see any of the most important historical sights, like the Coliseum, the Vatican (we hope the Pope has air-conditioning), we had to get up at 5AM!! This was supposed to be a relaxing holiday not boot camp, right?

The first morning we went to the Coliseum. Yep, we made it! But when it was time to go back to the hotel the heat was just unbearable so we had to take a taxi. To make a long story short – we spent a fortune on taxi rides to various historical sights. Trust us, we were NOT planning to see Rome from the backseat of a car licking on an ice cream to keep cool.

Just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse, well, it did. Later in August the temperature went up to 40C and take a look at what happened as soon as we left the city: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/climate-weather/stories/italy-heatwave-brings-down-historic-wall-section-in-rome