00187 Travel Guide
Celebrity Scoop / Mark Zuckerberg / Priscilla China / Rome Hotels / Billionaire Hotels / Honeymoon Hotels / Lungarno Collection / → All Tags
The Zuckerbergs Stayed at The Portraits Suites Hotel in Rome (Maybe for the Free WiFi?)
There are many places we dream of going if we had unlimited funds and Italy is definitely at the top of the list. So when we heard that billionaire Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his new bride, Priscilla Chan, were honeymooning in Rome, we had to find out where they were staying.
Fortunately, it wasn't too hard to determine where. The Daily Mail reports the newlyweds shacked up at Portraits Suites, a hotel that we recommended back in September for a Twitter follower.
Josh Flagg / Rome Hotels / Le Meridien Hotels / Killer View / Starwood Hotels / Luxury Hotels / → All Tags
When in Rome, Do as Josh Flagg Does and Stay at Hotel Eden
Our resident celebrity hotel hopper, Josh Flagg is about to invade your living rooms again when the fifth season of Million Dollar Listing premieres on Bravo on June 6. But life isn't all "house" work for Josh. As soon as filming finished, he packed up and resumed his whirlwind travels. Here's where he prefers to stay in Rome.
I must have stayed in Rome at least a half dozen times over the course of my short-lived life, however i have never really found an extraordinary hotel. The Hassler was nice...fifteen years ago. The St Regis is beautiful...if you don't mind using a flashlight when going out at night.
But I've now found a new favorite--Hotel Eden, a Le Meridien Hotel.
A block from Via Condoti and a block from Via Veneto, it is in the perfect location. The hotel exudes luxury and just the right amount of charm. The views are extraordinary and the staff is extremely nice and not snooty like at most of the other five star hotels in Rome. If I had my own star-rating system, I'd give the hotel five stars but the views, six stars.
Heading to Rome this summer and want to take up Josh's recommendation? The Hotel Eden's rates start at around 400 Euros a night. If you stay there, let us know how it went!
Hotel Hell / Rome Hotels / Royal Demeure Hotels / → All Tags
The Hotel d'Inghilterra in Rome Has Let Itself Go
It’s never nice to hear about a good hotel going downhill, but when it’s one you’ve loved and recommended, it’s even worse. So we’re feeling pretty sad right now about the Hotel d’Inghilterra in Rome.
We stayed in the Inghilterra a couple of years back and loved it – a tiny, quiet little hotel, tucked away down a side street off Via Condotti. So when our friend decided to go to Rome for Easter, we immediately suggested they go there.
When we went, we’d been upgraded to a suite, so we knew we were in for a good time, but we’d peeked in a few of the standard bedrooms and thought they passed muster. So we were surprised when we got a phonecall from our friend on the first day, saying that the room wasn't up to scratch, then followed by a plaintive email mid-stay:
Hotel Packages / Rome Hotels / → All Tags
Get Your 'Angels and Demons' Experience at Westin Excelsior Rome
Ah, we knew it: in all the hype surrounding Twilight (and, somewhat alarmingly, still surrounding Twilight), you totes forgot that the Angels and Demons movie was coming out, didn't you? Yeah, 'member that whole thing? That little book called Da Vinci Code that swept the naysh between the Harry Potter and Twilight crazes? Yes, well, Angels and Demons is the sequel — and now the movie's coming out on May 15th.
Westin has been named the official hotel partner for the movie, and Dan Brown fanboys and girls can get all sorts of into it with a whole Angels and Demons immersion experience in Rome at the Westin Excelsior. If you book the package, you get a night in a double room, an official Angels & Demons private or group tour, 20% off at the hotel's restaurant and bars and a 20% discount on the Angels & Demons "theme menu" at the Doney restaurant.
What is this "official tour" we speak of, you ask? 'Tis this: if you book the Group Tour, you get a 4 hour Rome excursion with other people (24 max), which includes a Castel Sant'Angelo Entrance Ticket, a map of the Illuminati, a coffee break, and transporation in air-conditioned bus (yeah, Rome in the summer? Not so cool). Opting for the private tour will get you an upgrade to a GrandLuxe room if it's available, and a 4-hour private excursion including a pickup and drop-off at the hotel in an air-conditioned car.
The private tour starts at €433 (around $592) and the group tour will run you €326 ($446) per night. Book here.
Celeb Scoop / Hotel Restaurants / → All Tags
Madonna Drops In On Hotel Wedding
Madonna continues her wacky touring hotel escapades by popping in on a wedding at a hotel in Rome.
Superstar Madonna surprised a bride and groom in Rome, Italy, over the weekend, when she interrupted their reception to congratulate the newlyweds.
British couple Imogen and Neil McCarthy were holding the wedding reception at the Hotel De Russie restaurant when they realized Madonna and her husband, Guy Ritchie, were also dining at the eatery.
After the DJ put Madonna's hit "Hung Up" on the turntable, the Material Girl decided to pay the happy pair a visit and wished them good luck for their future lives together."
The hotel restaurant we assume Madge and Guy ate at is the Le Jardin du Russie which features alfresco dining "in a tranquil oasis amidst the bustle of central Rome." The restaurant serves a gourmet Mediterranean cuisine created by Chef Nazzareno Menghini but presumably Madonna brings her own Kabbalah water.
Related Stories:
· Madonna the Wedding Guest [SF Gate]
· Hotel De Russie reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Madonna Fans Flip the Bird at St. Regis Grand in Rome [HotelChatter]
Hotel Heaven / Marriott Hotels / → All Tags
Marriott Grand Flora in Rome
[Ed Note: Finding hotels in Italy always appear to be a challenge, which is why we should all pay attention to Jolie's good find in Rome. Enjoy.]
Last month I had the pleasure of staying at the Marriott Grand Flora in Rome for a week. Located on historic Via Veneto across the street from Harry's Bar, next to Villa Borghese and a five minute walk from the Piazza di Spagna and Via dei Condotti, the hotel could not have been more perfectly situated, and we didn't need to take a cab or the subway anywhere.
Hotels / → All Tags
The View From Hotel Hassler
We have told you about the Hassler Hotel before. It isn't the best value hotel in Rome, but the view is spectacular.
Esquire magazine featured the Hassler Hotel view (pictured to the right) in this months issue on a list of "10 things that will enhance the quality of your life by 10%."
We aren't very good at math, so we will leave the calculations to the scientists at Esquire, instead we will just quote a recent Hassler guest:
The view from the Rooftop restaurant is breathtaking, on a clear day you can see all of Rome!
Related Stories:
· Tom Cruise Woos Joey at the Hassler Hotel [HotelChatter]
· Hotel Hassler Reviews [TripAdvisor]
