Hotel Majestic Roma by Jamie Dunford Wood

The lobby of this hotel promises great things - rich dark wood paneling and silk hangings provide a link with its past, with a real feel for an historic Edwardian hotel. The reception rooms and sitting areas too are magnificent, with parquet floor, red silk damask walls, chandeliers and an impressive painted ceiling. Just inside the entrance is an Edwardian reading room, where grandfather clocks stand sentinel for a more refined era. However, the 'modern classical' decoration of the guest rooms seems to follow no particular theme, the designer - or perhaps designers - using a profusion of fabrics and colour ways to produce what in some cases is verging on the giddying. The busy patterned carpets do not help. Unfortunately the windows are modern and double glazed, which for purists adds a jarring note. Some rooms come with balconies and the junior suites can be enormous. Still, the rooms certainly have character - you just need to come in a quiet season and be prepared to change until you get one you like. Once found, you may want to come back to it again and again. Unusually for central Roman hotels, the hotel is surrounded by greenery.