Hotel Raphael ★★★

Bedroom in Hotel Raphael

Five-star, ivy-clad luxury just off Piazza Navona in Rome, Italy

Even from the outside, you just know this place will be special: an ivy-covered palazzo snuggled into the tangle of medieval, lightly-trafficked streets just off elegant Piazza Navona.

I passed by it for years, gazing at that mighty ivy wall covetously, before I finally nabbed a travel writing assignment that allowed me the luxury of booking a room and spending the night.

I was not disappointed. The Raphael does, indeed, make for an excellent plush choice, with well-appointed contemporary bedrooms and a terrific view from the roof terrace.

It has amenities and facilities galore (including a fitness room), but be warned: a few of the rooms are quite small. Other guest quarters, on the other hand, have columns dividing them into multiple rooms, as if you were staying in your own, private Roman flat. The Raphael was worth the wait.

Rates & Availability

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Tips & links

Details

Largo Febo 2 (Upper Tiber Bend) - Just off the northwest corner of Piazza Navona
tel. +39-06-682-831
www.raphaelhotel.com
€€€

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Bus: 30, 70, 81, 87, 130F, 186, 492, 628; 46, 62, 64, 116T, 571, 916, 916F
Hop-on/hop-off: Vaticano

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Rome hotel & lodging links

Useful Italian for lodging

English *(Inglese)*	Italian (Italiano)	Pro-nun-cee-YAY-shun
Good day	Buon giorno	bwohn JOUR-noh
Good evening	Buona sera	BWOH-nah SAIR-rah
Good night	Buona notte	BWOH-nah NOTE-tay
Goodbye	Arrivederci	ah-ree-vah-DAIR-chee
Excuse me (to get attention)	Scusi	SKOO-zee
thank you	grazie	GRAT-tzee-yay
please	per favore	pair fa-VOHR-ray
yes	si	see
no	no	no
Do you speak English?	Parla Inglese?	PAR-la een-GLAY-zay
I don't understand	Non capisco	non ka-PEESK-koh
I'm sorry	Mi dispiace	mee dees-pee-YAT-chay

Where is?	Dov'é	doh-VAY
...a hotel	un albergo	oon al-BEAR-go
...a B&B	un bed-and-breakfast	oon bet hand BREK-fust
...a rental room	un'affittacamera	oon ah-feet-ah-CAH-mair-ra
...an apartment for rent	un appartamento	oon ah-part-tah-MENT-toh
...a farm stay	un agriturismo	oon ah-gree-tour-EES-moh
...a hostel	un ostello	oon oh-STEHL-loh

How much is...?	Quanto costa?	KWAN-toh COST-ah
a single room	una singola	OO-nah SEEN-go-la
double room for single use [will often be offered if singles are unavailable]	doppia uso singola	DOPE-pee-ya OO-so SEEN-go-la
a double room with two beds	una doppia con due letti	OO-nah DOPE-pee-ya cone DOO-way LET-tee
a double room with one big bed	una matrimoniale	OO-nah mat-tree-moan-nee-YAAL-lay
triple room	una tripla	OO-nah TREE-plah
with private bathroom	con bagno	cone BAHN-yoh
without private bathroom	senza bagno [they might say con bagno in comune—"with a communal bath"]	SEN-zah BAHN-yoh
for one night	per una notte	pair OO-nah NOH-tay
for two nights	per due notti	pair DOO-way NOH-tee
for three nights	per tre notti	pair tray NOH-tee
Is breakfast included?	É incluso la prima colazione?	ay in-CLOO-soh lah PREE-mah coal-laht-zee-YOAN-nay
Is there WiFi?	C'é WiFi?	chay WHY-fy?
May I see the room?	Posso vedere la camera?	POH-soh veh-DAIR-eh lah CAH-mair-rah
That's too much	É troppo	ay TROH-po
Is there a cheaper one?	C'é una più economica?	chay OO-nah pew eh-ko-NO-mee-kah

Rome's hotel tax

In January, 2011, Rome began charging a hotel bed tax. This is the city's doing, and sadly it is not a scam.

The following tax rates are per person, per night for all guests over the age of 10 and can be charged for stays of up to 10 days:

1–3 star hotels: €2
4–5 star hotels: €3
B&Bs: €2
Apartments: €2
Rental rooms: €2
Agriturismi: €2
Campsites: €1 (up to 5 days)

So a couple staying three nights in a four-star room would pay an extra €18.

Some hotels have begun folding this tax into their quoted rates; others tack it on when you go to check out, so be prepared.

How long does Rome take?

Planning your day: Rome wasn't built in a day, and you'd be hard-pressed to see it in that brief a time as well. Still, you can cram a lot into just a day or three.

To help you get the most out of your limited time in the Eternal City, here are some perfect itineraries, whether you have one, two, three, or four days to spend in Rome. » Rome itineraries

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