The Credentials:
Located down a cobbled street (hurry up mayor Gianni Alemanno and get those streets re-cobbled – we gave up on heels by the second day) close to the fashionable streets surrounding the Spanish Steps, near Piazza del Popolo and just steps away from Piazza di Spagna, The First Hotel is a small five-star hotel (there are just 29 rooms) housed in a pretty 19th century building. It opened less than a year ago and boasts stylish furnishings, just-right lighting and 150 works by 40 international artists adorning the communal areas and rooms.
Dine:
Keen to explore the city, we only had breakfast at the hotel (a wedding party took it over one evening during our visit anyway). The dining room is beautiful and someone had clearly mentioned the service hiccups of our first morning – my friend was left waiting after initially being told that no-one was staying in her room and then had to chase up for a menu and for her order. Service was fine on the second morning. A centre table offers everything you could want from fresh fruit, cereals, pastries, cheeses and meats plus there’s a menu for hot breakfasts.
Close by, we loved Blanko (21 Via della Croce; 0667995569) for lunch (recommended by the manageress of Giorgio Armani) – a pretty lilac-and-white-colour schemed, reasonably-priced restaurant offering a selection of salads, pizzas, fish and vegetable dishes and only discovered Hi Res restaurant, which boasts fab views over the city and a varied menu (think sushi and wok dishes) on our last day. We also enjoyed dining in the buzzy area around Piazza Navona.
Sleep:
Our stylishly designed deluxe room featured a perfectly comfortable king-size bed, in-built bookcases furnished with design books, a 42inch LED satellite TV and a marble bathroom with multi-jet shower. However, there was barely room to move round the bed and the bathroom felt particularly poky. It seemed pointless to have a bidet when it got in the way of the mirror and surely a five-star hotel should offer a bath for every room?
Other annoyances included being able to hear those in the next room talking, having to order tea (at a cost of €17) as there wasn’t a kettle in the room and frustratingly, the room temperature was controlled from reception, so we had to call down twice to ask for ours to be switched off (it had been set at 26 degrees).
Who Goes There?
Stylish locals celebrated a wedding at the hotel’s restaurant, but we only spotted a young Australian couple and a middle-aged couple at breakfast.
Out & About:
I hardly need to mention the highlights of this 3,000-year-old city. We arrived in the middle of a taxi strike but the current economic situation didn’t stop an Olympic-standard fireworks display take place on the Saturday evening (we never found out what it was in aid of). Don’t make the mistake of partying too hard on the Friday evening (I’m sure the G&T measures at Harry’s Bar are quadruples) and miss the very limited opening hours for the Sistine Chapel.
The Best Thing:
Probably the rooftop bar (it isn’t covered or heated so you can only appreciate it in the warmer months).
The Worst Thing:
You can’t get away with staying in a standard room if you want to be able to relax in your room.
