Our stay at The Westin Excelsior

As the trip to Rome was actually a delayed birthday present from me to my boyfriend, I felt like he deserved the real king treatment. Part of that was staying at a beautiful hotel, and as my boyfriend is a big luxury hotel lover, the task of finding the right one that would impress him was somewhat a hard task. Then I found The Westin Excelsior and I knew that a room there would definitely make him happy. I am already a big fan of The Westin and I have stayed at various Westin’s all over the world – New York City and Cayman Islands and now Rome and counting 😉 

We arrived early in the morning after our 6 am flight from Berlin and lucky for us, our room was ready for us, and we were shown there by the nice receptionist who also explained to us more about the hotels and their amenities. 

She led us to the room, and the room was gorgeous to say the least – decorated in a romantic style with floor to ceiling long draped curtains, a beautiful couch, the biggest bathroom that contained not only a grand shower but also a bathtub, a big terrace balcony with a great view over Rome, and last but not least and most importantly, a BIG bed. This is really something my boyfriend and I enjoyed as we have a rather small bed in our apartment in Berlin. We went straight for a nap as we were tired after our early morning flight, and the bed was just perfect. Big, with all the pillows one could ask for and a thick, nice duvet, which I really value! I really hate when I arrive at a hotel and there is only a sheet – I am from Scandinavia, and I need my big, fat duvet 😉 

After waking up from our nap we chilled a little bit on the terrace before going out to explore Rome. We found out that we had just a 10 minute walk to both the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon, so the location was just spot on for tourists like us who want to see lots of the main attractions of the city, nestled in a perfect walking distance from all the main historic sights and attractions in Rome. 

Both nights we stayed at The Westin Excelsior, the concierge made reservations for us at two different restaurants, and they were both amazing. I love when you are at a place and you really sense that the people who work there are passionate about their jobs, and this is really something The Westin Excelsior succeeded in making me feel. 

The Westin Excelsior also offers a gym, pool and spa area, but unfortunately we had forgotten everything about bringing our swimwear, so we didn’t get to use it, but we went to see the pool area and it looked awesome. The whole hotel was decorated as in an old castle, and there is really almost nothing better than going away for a few days and staying in a nice hotel where you literally feel like you are someone royal. 

As I wrote in another Rome post, we randomly found out that we were celebrating Valentine’s Day in Rome, which was pretty good timing, because Rome is definitely what I would define as a romantic city. On Valentine’s Day we went to dinner at a Tuscan style restaurant the concierge recommended, and when we got back to the room I saw a big heart on the bed made from rose pedals. Beyond romantic and such a nice surprise that The Westin Excelsior helped my boyfriend to make it happen! 

Then of course there is the breakfast buffet… Oh, the breakfast buffet… Where to start?! Ok, if you are just as near a food lover as my boyfriend and I, you will love this buffet! It literally contains everything you foodie heart could desire. Prefer classics like toast, eggs, bacon and sausages? The Westin got you. Sugar-holic? Cake lover? Yep, there were at least 10 different cakes to chose from. They even managed to make me think of my childhood as they had a corner with all kinds of cereals one could think of – rice crispies, coco pops, corn flakes, granola, and I was in heaven – I love cereals!  Last but not least there was a corner with breakfast specialties from all over the world – hummus and pita and dates, Arabic style along with various Asian specialties that I knew from my Christmas vacation in Thailand.

This year, The Westin Excelsior is celebrating their 110 birthday, and throughout the year many talents, royalties, famous musicians and Hollywood stars have stayed at The Westin Excelsior such as Princesse Grace of Monaco and David Bowie. The Westin Excelsior also put together a guide to Rome that consists of 110 tips to try in Rome from where to eat, what to see and where to go. 

Read: I was welcomed at The Westin Excelsior as a guest, but as always, this review is an honest reflection of my experience. Thank you the Westin Excelsior for such a great experience staying in your beautiful hotel!