Italy Rome Golden Tulip Mecenate Palace Hotel Central

[Rhine-and-Roses]

I cannot say how much we enjoyed our stay at Mecenate Palace. Incredibly good service, lovely hotel, room, view. Perfect stay for us.

We stayed at the Mecenate Palace for MLK weekend of 2008. I cannot say enough how much we enjoyed our stay here. From the moment we arrived we were treated like royalty, even though we clearly had managed to book this hotel far below the normal price. The room we were given was beautiful- really one of the prettiest, most elegant rooms I've stayed in, although it was small. The walls were covered in fabric, the ceiling had beautiful woodwork, ceiling medallions, and a gorgeous chandelier. The draperies, headboard, and upholstery were all custom, opulent, and gave the room the feel of Versailles, without being over the top. I do not know how they keep the fabric so clean.

But the best was yet to come. When I opened the window, which was small, I found a BIG view of the Maria Maggiore church. I couldn't believe my eyes! From that same window, we were treated to a bird's eye view of a saint's procession on Sunday. The soundproofing was excellent in the room- I did not hear the procession until I opened the window. The bathroom was dark marble, with double sinks, and a separate bath/tub/toilet/bidet area. Everything was incredibly clean, and hot water came quickly and did not run out. There were toiletries, although my ONLY complaint is the teeny tiny package of 3 tissues. (I'd prefer a full box, thank you!)

The room had a safe, mini bar, and a coffee/tea service. There was a tiny flat screen TV, with lots of channels, including English, German, French, as well as Italian. The room had comfortable beds, a small (tiny!!) easy chair, a desk with chair, and a small table, as well as two night stands. The closets were fitted with drawers, plenty of hangers, a couple of extra pillows and blankets. There was no iron in the room. I did not take photos. The pictures on Trip Advisor which show more stark rooms were not in the building I was in. The common areas of the hotel were as pretty as our room- lots of crystal chandeliers and beautiful paintings/ murals, and molding.

The breakfast was included in the cost of the room and was in a rooftop, enclosed garden. The service was friendly. (Our waitress spoke a bit of English, fluent French, so we worked in French.) The food included rolls, pastries, yogurt, cheese, cold cuts, cereal, canned and fresh fruit, and more. For an additional 5-10 euro, you could also order a hot breakfast with eggs and ham. The rooftop restaurant is apparently opened part of the year, but not when we were there. We ate one evening in the tiny lounge downstairs. The food was good, but the "menu" was extremely limited, and it was really something more of a heavy snack than a light meal. I had turkey and potatoes for 12 euro, while my daughter had a bowl of salad (greens and a few vegetables) for 8 euro. I think the drinks were around 2.50. The neighborhood has a few cafes/bars/bistro. We could not find a real restaurant handy, but I confess we were tired and ended up happily in the hotel lounge.

The hotel was an easy walk from the train station -about 4 blocks. The traffic was so heavy that I think it is faster to walk if you do not have a lot of luggage. The location was about a 10-15 minute walk to the Collosseum. It was a good bit further to Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. We took the subway from the train station. It was PACKED.

The desk at the hotel booked us on Ciao Roma tours, which was a hop-on/off tour. It was fine, but I did notice there are several companies, so you might want to check and see if the other companies are better for you. The Mecenate Palace desk staff were very efficient and helpful. They did offer to pick us up at the airport for 55 euro, but we had already booked the Leonardo Express train for 22 euro each RT. They also booked restaurants and other tours.

Everyone's English was respectable. There was WiFIi access throughout the hotel, and a computer with internet and printer available for 3 euro per 1/2 hour by the lobby.

If you enjoy a romantic, lush look in a comfortable hotel, I highly recommend this hotel. We loved it!