Overview
Parco dei Principi is a classic 5-star resort-style hotel bordering Villa Borghese, and the reason it works for families is the same reason it works for anyone: it actually has room for pools, which almost nothing in central Rome does. A large outdoor pool sits in the hotel's own gardens, with an indoor pool at the spa for cooler days. Rooms and suites are elegant and traditional, and some come with balconies over the gardens or pool — worth requesting if you're travelling with kids.
Rome in August broke me the first time I tried it without a pool, and this is the hotel that taught me the lesson. Having two of them — one out in the gardens, one indoors at the spa — means the afternoon heat stops being something you endure and becomes something you plan around. I would rather pay for that here than commute to a resort outside the city and lose half a day to the drive.
Family features
- Large outdoor pool set in the hotel's own gardens, bordering Villa Borghese
- Indoor pool inside the spa — useful on a rainy or cooler day
- Some rooms and suites have balconies overlooking the gardens or pool — request one for families
- Villa Borghese park is a short stroll away for a low-key break between museums
- Part of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, with the space and staff-to-guest ratio of a proper resort
What we love
Two pools — one outdoor in the gardens, one indoors at the spa — inside a hotel that still feels like it's in Rome, not a 45-minute drive away. Villa Borghese next door means there's somewhere calm to decompress after a day of ruins and crowds.
Perfect for
Families who want a genuine resort day built into a Rome trip and don't mind paying for it — the two pools alone solve the biggest problem with a central Rome stay.
Getting around
- Villa Borghese park bordering the hotel
- Spanish Steps ~20 min walk or short taxi
- Historic centre taxi recommended — not a short walk