Hotel de Russie

A great hotel will make all who stay there feel utterly spoilt. A really, really great hotel will go the extra mile by indulging whims you didn't even know you had. (Before you were first offered a pillow menu, can you honestly say you had strong feelings on the matter of duck feathers versus goose?) As a case in point, allow me to relate an incident that took place at dinner on our first night at Hotel de Russie that made it clear this place was a class act.

Mr Smith ordered dessert. Torn between the delectable pudding menu and the knowledge that I had already consumed, over the course of lunch and dinner in Italy, my bodyweight in pasta and risotto, not to mention a fortifying ice cream in between, I regretfully declined. Five minutes later, the waiter returned, bearing not just (as I had hoped) one Tiramisu and two spoons, but two whole Tiramisu. ‘This one's on us,’ he explained as he presented me with my plate. ‘We really think you should try it.’ Oh, if you insist...

Hotel de Russie is a hotel in the elegant, grand, metropolitan tradition. The handsome building is impressively located on the Piazza del Popolo – the backdrop to much of Audrey Hepburn's Roman Holiday – with top-hatted doormen opening the doors wide for guests laden with Gucci and Fendi carrier bags from the nearby Via Condotti; there is a see-and-be-seen bar with whizzy bartenders, and long legged guests dangling from bar stools.

It has heritage and history – the Stravinskij bar and the Picasso suite are named after just two of its more famous guests – and, having enjoyed a recent makeover at the hands of Rocco Forte and Olga Polizzi, is once again among the places to stay in Rome. The cast of Ocean's Twelve made it their base during three months of filming in the city (and apparently, the staff had their work cut out seeing off the Clooney fans who took to dressing up in chambermaids' uniforms in order to get into George's suite).

The rooms are classically decorated, with bedrooms in soothing shades of cream and brown and large bathrooms with gleaming chrome fittings. They are very comfortable, with squidgy armchairs perfect for a lazy hour with a novel, and thick wooden shutters in case you need to sleep off an excess of Chianti. But truly, this is not a hotel you choose in order to hide yourself away, for the real high points are in the communal spaces.

The luxurious terraced gardens, lush with orange and lemon trees and dotted with brightly-coloured butterflies of both the winged and the social variety, provide a luxurious tranquillity in the heart of a hot-tempered city. What's more, the people-watching is of the best quality: this is a hotel for which you pack a selection of handbags and shoes, rather than just a wardrobe of lingerie. (The provision of both wooden and padded silk hangers in the wardrobe reflects a clientele which takes fashion seriously.)

We sat out in the herb-scented gardens in the late morning sun, sampling cappuccino (deliciously creamy, and served with a plate of tiny almond biscuits) and were back on the terrace before dinner to try the signature De Russie Martini: vodka shaken with a few drops of sherry, and served on a bowl of ice, with a spoon of caviar on the side. Dry, strong as dynamite and scrumptious.

In between, we took advantage of the excellent location. For a quick culture fix, walk a hundred yards to the right, on leaving the hotel, and you will find the Santa Maria del Popolo church, where two gorgeous Caravaggios nestle in a tiny corner chapel. For retail therapy, you need only retrace your steps and continue a hundred yards in the other direction, beyond the hotel, and you are in the heart of one of the prettiest and most upscale shopping areas in Europe.

Staying in a large hotel can feel anonymous, but despite some 129 rooms the hotel maintains a high standard of personal service. On arrival we were told the spa was fully booked, but an hour later the concierge rang my mobile to say that they had moved a few things around and found space for two simultaneous (Mr and Mrs) massages in the early evening, and had adjusted our dinner reservation to suit. The spa, done out in turquoise mosaic, is a delight, with skilled masseuses and a vast 'hydrotheraphy pool' which turned out to be essentially a very posh, very large Jacuzzi. (It is mixed, and bathing suits are the order of the day, so don't forget yours.)

Pummelled and pampered, it was time for dinner. Even before the free pudding, it was clear that Hotel de Russie would be a hard place to go hungry: with our cocktails came delicious slivers of fried polenta, and tiny stuffed bell peppers. Having polished these off, we were presented with an impressive plate of amuse-geules to munch on while pondering the dinner menu. So – another two courses later – you can see why I thought I didn't need pudding. But with hindsight, I was wrong, and the waiter was right: a little bit of what you fancy does you good.