I have been remiss in not leaving this review. I stayed at Hotel Lunetta the first week of May, at the end of a Transatlantic cruise that ended in Civitavecchia. I cannot recommend Hotel Lunetta enough for anyone on their first time visit to Rome, like I was.
Firstly, the hotel is perfectly located. It's two blocks away from the famous Piazza Navona, and equidistant from most of the major tourist attractions in the city. You can pick a direction each day you are in Rome and hit every stop in 30 minutes. For example, our first day, we walked northwest and hit the cat sanctuary, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps before heading back. On day two, we headed southwest to visit the Forum and the Coliseum. On days three and four, we took two 20-minute strolls to Vatican City. Hotel Lunetta's central location cannot be beat.
Second, the hotel staff is incredible. Alexander, the concierge who greeted us, arranged for a private car to pick us up from the cruise ship port in Civitavecchia for less than the price we would've paid to take a transfer with six other people. Both the car and the ride itself were extremely comfortable. Alexander also had our room cleaned and our luggage brought up as soon as possible when we arrived before check-in time, and recommended a cafe for us to visit while we waited. After a restaurant we had hoped to visit denied us a reservation, another concierge secured us a table at La Fortunata at the last minute (literally; it was 9:00PM), where we enjoyed a phenomenal meal of hand-made pasta. Everyone was incredibly helpful and accommodating, and because we had Hotel Lunetta as our home base, we felt comfortable and welcome during our trip to Rome despite not speaking a lick of Italian.
The facilities at the hotel are also phenomenal. The continental breakfast offered every morning is varied, changes slightly day-to-day, and was delicious and filling. The spa facilities downstairs allowed us to relax after long days exploring Rome -- our sore feet and legs stopped hurting after an hour long visit each night. From the upstairs balcony, you can watch the sun set over Rome against the dome in Piazza Navona. Most importantly, our room was spacious and well-appointed. A lot of people have complained that the bedroom itself is small. I disagree -- it was plenty spacious, especially for a European hotel room, and had plenty of closet space for our luggage. Best of all, the bathroom was massive -- glass shower, spacious counters, makeup mirror, and (surprise) a bidet. We were perfectly comfortable in our room in the few waking hours we spent there -- after all, we were there to explore Rome, not to mill around in our room.
Hotel Lunetta is a great place to stay, and I have been recommending it to family and friends since returning to the U.S. We will be staying there on our next trip to Rome, and my parents will be booking a room on their visit next year. You can't go wrong with this excellent boutique hotel. read more