Valerie N.
Yelp
The St. George is an absolute pearl in the IHG collection of hotels. We've had the pleasure in staying in many IHG offerings, including numerous Intercons and Indigos, and I must say this easily ranks at the top. It won hotel of the year a few years back according to the plaque by the elevator, which I can easily see why.
Tucked away on the quiet via Guilia, the St. George is perfectly situated for a stay in Rome. An easy walk to the Vatican, a great place to take a stroll along the tree-lined Tiber, the perfect spot to jaunt to Piazza Navona, Campo d Fiori, the Pantheon, and more. We were so glad we stayed here as it ensured proximity to everything we wanted to see as well as charming walks back to our hotel every night from dinner.
Booking was relatively simple. I booked online about 6 months out from our arrival. I used a mix of points and my annual free night to secure a 4 night stay. Easy peasy. From there, I made numerous requests to the concierge via email - assistance with transport from Roma Termini to the hotel, dinner bookings (Pierluigi, Taverna Trilussa, Taverna Lucifer's), an oscillating floor fan, assistance with tickets to Vatican and Colosseum. Every email was swiftly and pleasantly responded to and every single request executed flawlessly.
Check-in was an absolute pleasure. James checked us in and warmly recognized us as IHG platinum members and took a moment to recognize our 10th wedding anniversary, the purpose of our trip. He upgraded our room without asking, and ensured we had everything we needed, noting we had full access to our minibar and drinks on the rooftop bar. Upon opening our door, we were delighted to see a larger than normal European guest room, decorated simply but fun with its Fiat photos. A knock on our door and we were presented a chilled bottle of prosecco and delicious canapés from the restaurant downstairs in honor of our anniversary, as well as a lovely box of chocolates. Pillows and extra towels were promptly received. We loved the auto-on/off light in our walk-in closet. The air con was a beast and working amazingly well throughout our stay; it was super quiet too. That with the oscillating floor fan meant we were extremely comfortable at night since we both like to be very cool when we sleep.
We took James up on his offer for the breakfast buffet of 15 euro daily per person. With early appointments at the Vatican and Colosseum, we knew we needed to be adequately fueled to face the day. The buffet is divine and worth the cost. The variety of beverages is amazing and includes prosecco and smoothie. The scrambled eggs on the buffet - which I skip everywhere else - tasted fresh, delicious, and recently scrambled. While the bacon isn't American bacon, why eat that when there is delicious salami and mozzarella to be had? This was the healthiest breakfast buffet I've ever seen with loads of fresh fruits, nuts, yogurts, and other offerings to keep your breakfast light if you know pasta is ahead of you later that day. You can also order a la carte plated meals; we just never had time to do so as we usually had less than 20 mins to eat. Delicious cappuccino and hot tea as well. It was nice to start the day in a beautiful outdoor space over a yummy breakfast. Worth it!!! Note: we had a good breakfast close by at the Coromandel and our bill was 30 euro so figured the buffet was comparable to eating outside the hotel anyway, with less hassle!
We used our free drink tickets on the rooftop bar late one night, which was stunning. You can see everything up there! A definite must!
There are fantastic spots nearby that are worth mentioning. In the immediate vicinity: Enoteca Il Goccetto and the Achilli Bar in the DOM hotel. Both spots are fantastic and a must if you love wine (Enoteca) and cocktails (Achilli). We had an amazing seafood dinner at Pierluigi - spiny lobster and langoustines, oh my! We also found Taverna Lucifero, mentioned in another review for this hotel. Taverna Lucifero is TRUFFLE HEAVEN and a must visit if you love them. Finally, a bit further but still walkable: Roscioli. Wish we had gone there for every meal!!!
Minor notes: we didn't have a shower door, which meant we took extra care to ensure we didn't accidentally spray the bathroom floor while showering. A bathtub would have been lovely for soaking after all that walking over Rome. The gauzy curtains, while lovely, do nothing to block the sunlight that peeks in around the shutters so our room was bright as soon as the sun came up around 6am. The pillows were either super hard or super soft; a foam medium option would have been nice to have. These are all minor points of negativity and truly are nit picky as the St. George is truly a gem!
We were extremely comfortable in our stay at the St. George and felt very cared for by the staff. This is what i expect from a hotel in this class. I strongly recommend for the service, comfort, and location if you're staying in Rome.