There are few hotels whose mere mention can make grown men grin like children. The Rome Cavalieri is one of them, thanks primarily to its restaurant, La Pergola, which elicits the same kind of excitement as El Bulli and The Fat Duck.
Situated in a 15-acre park in the hills surrounding Rome (a 15-minute shuttle ride in), the Cavalieri (a Waldorf Astoria hotel) overlooks the Vatican City, the Colosseum, St Peter's and the myriad alleyways and terracotta roofs of the Eternal City.
Inside, the views are equally impressive, especially in the lobby and the hotel's main arteries, where the Cavalieri's private art collection is displayed, with 5,000 pieces from Tiepolo to Warhol.
Designed to impress, this is a grand hotel with plenty of traditional glitz and glamour, but because it was built in the Sixties the façade is more tower block than castello. Don't let this put you off. It didn't faze Julia Roberts, who not long ago checked in for three nights and stayed for three weeks. Nor George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio, who call it home when in Rome.
The classically luxurious interiors of the hotel's 370 rooms feature lavish draping, giant pillows and marble details, and many have balconies. Book into the seventh or eighth and you'll have access to the Imperial Club with its 24/7 supply of fresh sandwiches, pastries, coffee and chilled Italian wines. No danger of hunger pangs here.
The palm-fringed pool area has a Fifties' Hollywood-glamour feel and is reminiscent of the Beverly Hills Hotel in LA. During Rome's stifling summers, weekends draw the city's chicest crowd here and the poolside Sunday brunch is legendary.
However, the Cavalieri's crowning glory is La Pergola. Situated on the top floor, it is Italy's only three Michelin-star restaurant and is an institution among the food cognescenti. It is the epitome of elegant dining. Waiters wear bowties and lady diners are given side tables for their handbags. Service is impeccable, not a fingerprint on a glass to be seen and there's even a napkin change before dessert.
In the kitchen, chef Heinz Beck makes a more-than-worthy adversary for Ramsay, Pierre White or Blumenthal. Beck comes up with an imaginative menu every three weeks, although the water menu and the salt trolley are fixtures. Yes, you choose your own salt from a dozen varieties including "black volcanic" and "pink".
The seven-course tasting menu is well worth investing in - you'll be in no hurry to leave, especially if you have a table on the terrace. Each course is quite light; Heinz prides himself on healthy eating. Apparently his kitchen is so well organised you can hear a pin drop and this perfectionism is evident in dish after immaculate dish.
Expect flamboyant cuisine such as "infusion of veal, herbs and tonka beans with tuna tartare and green tea sorbet" next to more traditional dishes such as ricotta tortellini with pecorino and broad beans.
It's well worth a trip to the Rome Cavalieri if only to visit La Pergola. Be sure to book in advance though, not surprisingly there's a five-week waiting list for a table.
Rome Cavalieri, Via Alberto Cadlolo, 101, 00136 Rome, Italy;
(+39) 06 3509 2031; Romecavalieri.com. Rates start at £250 per room, per night.
