Relais Le Clarisse - Rome, Italy     

Relais Le Clarisse was a fabulous, emaculately clean, cozy, welcoming, friendly place to stay! I traveled with 8 other women for a cooking class in Tuscany, and we stayed at the Relais for our first two nights in Rome. I could not have asked for a better place! The staff could not have been more helpful, especially Maurizio, who took such good care of us. He picked us up from the airport, and took us back to the airport at the end of our two weeks, even though we did not stay at the Relais upon our return to Rome for our last night (BIG mistake!). Maurizio even picked us up in the middle of the city one day when our tour had ended and due to complications, we were going to have to take a cab back. He came to our rescue instead. You could not meet a more caring, honest, kind soul than Maurizio! I would highly recommend staying at the Clarisse! Many of the women in our group, upon returning to Rome for our flights home, changed their previous plans and booked a room there for the last night. I wish we had been able to do the same. As for the location, it was perfect as far as we were concerned. It was authentic, and did not have the hordes of tourists blocking the streets. It was an easy walk across the river, to many popular attractions. Rome is so enormous that no matter where you stay, you will not be close to everything! Relais La Clarisse was the place for us! I highly recommend it!

My husband and I picked this hotel, based on a feature on NBC's Today show. It turned out to be the best choice for us. Small with only 5-6 rooms, and very quiet. Rooms are large and comfortable and staff was friendly. Bathroom shower is huge. The neighborhood of Trastavere has many restaurants and lots of night life, and not as many tourists, so gives you a great idea of real Roman life. Within walking distance (across the river) of most attractions, but we took the bus most of the time which was efficient and easy to use.