Gran Meliá Rome

Given the sheer size of the Gran Meliá Rome, a hotel whose gardens and lawns and imposing façades are impressively out of scale with its mere 116 rooms, it’s remarkable that it occupies such prime real estate. Put it this way: the Pope is practically a neighbor. More specifically, it sits on a hill (Gianicolo, Rome’s second highest) above the western bank of the Tiber, a five-minute walk from Vatican City and not much farther from the cobblestone streets of Trastevere.

Perhaps even more impressive than the location is how seamlessly the Gran Meliá has managed to weave the character of the Eternal City into a sparklingly modern hotel. This being Rome, it was perhaps nearly inevitable that the construction of the hotel should have unearthed the ruins of a villa from the 1st century AD, and the archeological pieces on display are well worth a look. It must have been tempting, in these surroundings, to go all-out classical in style; instead there’s as much glass as marble, and several clean-lined pieces of furniture for every cherub or bust.

The suites with terraces are the ones to get, outdoor tranquility in the middle of Rome being quite a rare luxury. The 750-square-foot interior of the Eternal City suite does not lack comforts, but it’s the 1,300-square-foot terrace, with views of the Vatican Dome and the botanical gardens from its private whirlpool, where you’ll likely spend most of your time. That’s just a notch below the Gran 360˚ Rome View suite, which itself has an enormous terrace that is dwarfed by that of the Penthouse suite. The Penthouse’s terrace alone is probably larger than most of the B&Bs in town — and good luck finding a B&B whose hot-tub-side Balinese day bed has photo-ops like these.

• 116 Rooms
• Style: Modern Design
• Atmosphere: Lively

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