Luxury on the River

The first deadly sin to which I succumbed was envy. Though I have been fortunate enough to live in some of Europe and America’s most exciting cities, the beauty and majesty of the Italian capital, its animated inhabitants and their characteristic gesticulating, not to mention its exquisite cuisine, all make me desperate to sell up and move to the Eternal City.

As a student, I extensively studied the history of Roman architecture, from the Imperial Forum, to the Palazzo Barberini, to Zaha Hadid’s Museum of Arts of the 21st Century. But it is only through visiting Rome that I have come to know its uniquely Italian idiosyncrasies. I know exactly where to store my luggage and rest my walking-weary legs each time I come to discover more of the city, though: right at the heart of the city, to benefit from the peaceful Tiber and the proximity to Rome’s most iconic attractions, the Piazza di Spagna, the Palazzo di Guistizia, or the Vatican City. The Luxury on the River hotel not only occupies an ideal location in the city centre, but also offers guests an intimate bolthole tastefully decorated with contemporary Italian style.

Luxury on the River is unsurprisingly opulent, but with just eight rooms – each the size of a small apartment suite – every guest to the hotel is among an exclusive group of privileged cognoscenti. The hotel is luxurious, too, thanks to its sophisticated interiors. Pushing the heavy wooden doors aside, we crossed the lobby and while my partner checked us in with the assistance of a competent, polite member of the concierge, I took an opportunity to snoop around our home for the weekend.

The ambience was hushed but homely, with wall-to-wall bookshelves and deep velvet loveseats. The breakfast room was intimate and stylish, with Philippe Starck dining chairs, vertiginous ceilings and stunning panoramic views over the Tiber. The second cardinal sin to which I succumbed was gluttony, unsurprisingly: breakfast is complimentary courtesy of VeryChic, and here we tucked into a range of sweet and savoury treats, including eggs cooked to order. We truly enjoyed bread and circuses in the bright dining room as we shared an indulgent breakfast whilst flicking through books chosen from the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.

We succumbed to two sins at once upon being shown to our room: lust, as I found myself inspired by the décor of our stylish suite, and sloth, as he hurled himself onto our large bed and promptly started to snooze. Decorated in cool shades of white and grey, our room was a tranquil haven relative to the sun-drenched, tourist-mobbed streets of the Italian capital. A wooden staircase rose up to a mezzanine level, where an intriguing collection of books lined the walls. Our bathroom was tiled in dark grey stone, and ornate gilt-framed mirrors gave a decorative nod to the building’s heritage in an otherwise contemporary space.

Waking my lazy partner, I proposed venturing outside to rediscover our neighbourhood: fortunately for him, the hotel’s ideal location offers guests the luxury of not having to walk far at all, as many of Rome’s principal attractions can be reached on foot. The neighbourhood surrounding the Luxury on the River boasts glittering boutiques from all of Italy’s major fashion houses, with the legendary Via Condotti just ten minutes’ walk from the front step. Unfortunately for him, I was about to yield to another cardinal vice: greed. I caved at Prada, Tod’s, and Gucci. A VeryChic weekend indeed.

Happily, we were never pushed to succumb to the worst of the deadly sins, wrath, thanks to our tranquil, glamorous hotel and the polite, professional team staffing it. The only spark of anger was at our departure: we were disappointed not to enjoy the comfort of the hotel for just a few more days. Finally, pride: though we were tempted to keep our intimate urban retreat a secret, we are proud to share this little Luxury on the River. When we left, we threw a coin in the Fontana di Trevi, hoping that we could return to Rome as soon as possible – perhaps we’ll see you there…