Rome review: indulging in hotel luxury and seeing the sights during 24 hours in The Eternal City
When in Rome... as they say! But what do you do if you only have 24 hours to spare? Is it enough time to see all of The Eternal City? Probably not. But for the cultural romantics among us, it's certainly long enough to fall hopelessly in love.
For my wife and I the emotional attachment was already there as this was our second trip to Italy's famous capital, but before setting off on a week-long cruise from Civitavecchia, we decided this time to indulge in one of the city's more luxurious offerings with a stay at the five-star InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace.
Centrally located on the iconic tree-lined avenue of Via Veneto, which links Quirinal Hill and the official residence of Italian president Sergio Mattarella, the hotel is close to several other prominent sites, including the iconic Trevi Fountain.
Any sightseeing would be put on hold until the following morning and the only pressing item on our 'to-do' list was to immerse ourselves in the opulent surroundings of the hotel, with the welcoming sight of the lobby's majestic marble staircase a joy for the eyes to behold, setting the tone for what would be the most lavish of overnight stays.
Rooms and suites at the InterContinental are inspired by 'La Dolce Vita', meaning 'The Sweet Life', with the wooden floors and designer furniture all Italian-made, purposely complemented by warm-tone fabrics which only enhance the hotel's obvious sophistication.
Ours was one of the stunning Junior Suites complete with king-size bed and landmark views from the picture windows, as well as an impressive marble bathroom with waterfall shower and soft cotton terry cloth towels, not to mention other high-end amenities including a coffee maker, two large smart TV's, an in-room safe and luxury branded toiletries.
When it comes to wining and dining in Rome tourists are likely to go hunting for their favourite restaurants, and there are plenty of them, but with a stay at the Ambasciatori Palace there's really no need to venture out, especially if you're looking for that extra special gastronomic experience.
Which was our sentiments entirely, and with an evening reservation at the hotel's brand-new VICI Ristorante, we were excited for the culinary journey ahead, but not before setting the mood with some pre-dinner cocktails at Charlie's Rooftop Bar, all while overlooking the city's dazzling skyline before it faded into a romantic sunset panorama.
Throwing in some live music along with a few Italian bar snacks, it created the perfect night-time oasis, with the talented mixologists wetting our whistles with some of their finest signatures, including the simply-named 'Water', a vodka-based cocktail with Aperol and passion fruit syrup, and 'Fire', an excellent pineapple rum concoction with passion fruit and mint soda.
Onto dinner, and we already felt part of a very special occasion, especially as we learned it was also the first opportunity guests would have to taste VICI's exciting new menu, expertly shaped by the creativity of Executive Chef Marco Ciccottelli whose main aim is to embrace diners in an elegant and relaxed atmosphere while serving the deepest and most refined Italian flavours.
Kicking off with 'Crudo di ricciola', an amberjack carpaccio with tomato and cucumber extract, was a light, fresh and delicate start to proceedings, with the 'Gnocchi' dish that followed possibly the finest I'd ever tasted thanks to the delicious seafood accompaniments of clams, mollusks and sea asparagus.
Next up was the 'Pescato del giorno', Italian for 'Catch of the Day', which on this occasion was cod served with sauteed sea asparagus and citrus butter sauce which was topped off with caviar, giving the dish the culinary 'X-Factor' that only the best restaurants can pull off.
Rounding off the delightful foodie experience was 'VICI's Tiramisu', the most classic of Italian desserts, which was a fitting end to our mouthwatering adventure.
In addition, it would have been remiss of us not to compliment each course with the exquisite wine pairings served by the informative sommelier who, each time helped us cleanse and prepare our palettes for further tasting sensations.
After a blissful night's slumber on full tummies, a light breakfast the following morning set us up nicely for the 'activity' leg of our short Rome stay, which was a 'Private Golf Cart Sightseeing Tour' booked through leading online travel platform GetYourGuide.
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Safe in the knowledge of a pre-arranged pick-up from the front of the hotel, our smiling chaperone Ciro arrived prompt and ready to take us on a whirlwind journey across his home city, which took us to many of the historic monuments, piazzas and ancient ruins while also offering the flexibility of allowing us to dwell at various stops so we could savour the places which peaked our interests.
It's not easy to wade your way through 2,500 years of history in just two and a half hours and while I've only ever used a golf cart on the fairways of my local club, hopping on and off this nippy electric-powered vehicle was a fun and speedy way of covering the city's highlights, which included the panoramic views at Villa Borghese Gardens, the popular Spanish Steps and Pantheon, and, of course, the world-famous Colosseum.
A whirlwind tour was just what we needed to get the cultural juices flowing for the remainder of our trip, which would take us to the more sedate parts of Italy, but as far as whistle-stop city breaks go, this one will take some beating.
And we weren't quite done with GetYourGuide, as we also used them to book a seamless hour-plus transfer out of Rome to the cruise port, where our ship was docked and waiting to set sail.
We all know that Rome wasn't built in a day, but for us, 24 hours was just about enough time to see and taste the best of it.
TRAVEL FACTS
A 1 King Classic room at the InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace by IHG Hotels & Resorts starts at approx £530 a night. For more information about VICI Bistro & Ristorante, click here and hotel offers and packages can be found here.
Starting price for the Rome: Private Golf Cart Sightseeing Tour is £63 per person. For more tours visit the GetYourGuide website.
Why not begin your Italian adventure in style before you even set foot on the plane with a visit to Birmingham Airport’s Bottega Prosecco Bar? As you wait for your flight, it’s a great place to relax and escape the airport hustle and bustle with a glass of Prosecco or any other wines from the impressive Bottega range. You can also enjoy some delightful Italian dishes or snacks, as we did with breakfasts of salmon and prosciutto with scrambled eggs, complemented with a bottle of Bottega Gold Prosecco DOC Spumante Brut. For more information visit the Bottega website.
ASLO...
Booking an airport hotel with parking through Holiday Extras before you travel means you can enjoy more holiday with less hassle. Plus, with Flextras, if you need to cancel or amend you can without charge. One night’s accommodation at Premier Inn Birmingham Airport with 10 days’ Maple Parking Meet & Greet is available for £354.63, based on arrival on 20th October 2025. For more information and to book, visit the Holiday Extras website or call 0800 316 5678.