3 of the ten hotels in our Rome edit qualify. They are in our order of preference for this, not a ranking of the hotels overall.
What we looked for: The most hotel for the money, where a smarter choice beats a famous one.
The smart money1 / 3
A family-run villa on a quiet Aventine square where every room is decorated differently and a double books from about EUR 95 a night in January on the hotel's own site.
QuietBeach & pool optionalStrong sense of placeLocal & connected
€From about €95 a night
The insider one2 / 3
Ninety-four rooms in the monastery Borromini began in 1642 for Camilla Virginia Savelli, entered through his own unfinished facade, with the first and second floor cells re-adapted as the Deluxe rooms.
Strong sense of placeBeach & pool optionalWellness minimalCentral & walkable
€€From about €220 a night
The all-rounder3 / 3
Twenty-one rooms inside the Collegio Innocenziano, the building Borromini began for Innocent X, with a fourth-floor terrace over Bernini's fountain on Piazza Navona. Seventeenth-century frescoes are in some Deluxe Suites and the one Luxury Suite, not throughout.
Central & walkableStrong sense of placeIntimateBeach & pool optional
€€From about €195 a night
Questions people ask
Hotel San Anselmo. A family-run villa on a quiet Aventine square where every room is decorated differently and a double books from about EUR 95 a night in January on the hotel's own site.
Independently, through extensive research, trusted sources and increasingly first-hand visits. Hotels cannot pay to be included, and every one of the ten has to exist for a different reason.