Flat 285 La Suite

Hotel Description

Look, I’ve stayed in my fair share of Rome hotels, and Flat 285 La Suite honestly caught me off guard in the best way possible. When you first walk up to Via Cola di Rienzo 285, you’re not exactly expecting much – I mean, it’s tucked into this busy shopping street in Prati, and there’s something almost unassuming about the entrance. But once you get inside, it’s like stepping into someone’s incredibly well-appointed Roman apartment, which is sort of the whole point.

The thing about this place is that it actually feels like you’re living in the neighborhood rather than just passing through. You know how most hotels stick you in some generic room where you could be anywhere in the world? This isn’t that. The suites have this lived-in elegance – think quality linens that actually feel good against your skin, kitchenettes that you’ll actually use (not just for storing leftover pizza), and windows that open onto real Roman street life. I spent way too much time just listening to the sounds drifting up from the cobblestones below, especially in the early morning when the shopkeepers are setting up and the espresso machines are firing up at the corner bars.

What really sold me on this place, though, is how it sits in Prati. Honestly, most tourists have no idea this neighborhood exists – they’re all crammed into Trastevere or fighting crowds around the Pantheon. But you’re literally a ten-minute walk from the Vatican (and I mean a pleasant ten-minute walk, not some tourist-trap gauntlet), and Via Cola di Rienzo is basically Rome’s answer to a proper shopping street. There’s this amazing cheese shop about three doors down where the owner will actually teach you about proper pecorino if you’re interested, and the morning market nearby has spoiled me for grocery shopping back home. The metro connection is solid too – you can get to the Spanish Steps or Colosseum without the headache of navigating Roman traffic.

The staff here gets it, you know? They’re not doing that overly formal hotel dance, but they’re not treating you like a backpacker either. When I had trouble with my room’s AC (it was July, and Rome in July is basically survival mode), they had someone up within twenty minutes, and the guy actually explained how to optimize the system rather than just fixing it and leaving. Little things like that make a difference when you’re trying to recover from trudging through the Forum in 95-degree heat.

I’ll be honest – it’s not the cheapest option in Rome, and if you’re looking for a traditional hotel experience with a big lobby and room service, this might not be your thing. But if you want to feel like you’re actually experiencing Roman life rather than just checking tourist boxes, Flat 285 delivers. The 8.3 rating makes sense to me – it’s doing something specific really well, even if it’s not trying to be everything to everyone. I’ve already booked it for my next trip, which honestly says more than any review could.

Rooms

• Estimated price from: $282. Deluxe Double Room with 1 large double bed for Max persons: 2
• Estimated price from: $338. Superior Triple Room with 1 single bed and 1 large double bed for Max persons: 3
• Estimated price from: $393. Luxury Quadruple Room with 1 single bed and 2 large double beds for Max persons: 4

Reviews

• Excellent good accommodation very clean – Lewis from United Kingdom – 27 June 2025 (7/10)

  Location was excellent did not participate in a breakfast
  
  What could be improved: Noisy toilet system 😡

• Very good – Olga from Romania – 22 February 2025 (8/10)

  Everything else was very good, especially the location.
  
  What could be improved: We had to wait for half an hour for the receptionist, in order to make the check in.

• Okay, but a bit expensive – Esley from Netherlands – 4 September 2024 (7/10)

  It was clean, the location was good and staff was friendly
  
  What could be improved: The walls of the rooms are very thin and therefore noisy. During our stay, there were unfortunately 2 other groups staying who always came in late at night and being very loud, not considering other guests. Because of the thin walls and the shared space that was also not really separate, it was not very comfortable. When trying to contact the staff with the number they supported, they did not respond and were only available between 8:00 and 20:00. Outside these hours they were not reachable. Moreover, our toilet leaked which was a small inconvenience.

• Highly recommended! – Stephanie from Portugal – 23 June 2024 (8/10)

  Great location, close to the Vatican, Castel Sant'Angelo, and a metro station. The room is spacious with a comfortable bed, and the bathroom and shower are excellent. Service and support are 5-star, with prompt and friendly assistance for any issues. It’s definitely worth it!
  
  What could be improved: The air conditioning is ineffective and very noisy. The area is quiet, but hallway noise can be intrusive.

• Nice – Ingrid from Brazil – 31 May 2024 (8/10)

  Very close to the Vatican.
  
  What could be improved: The room is tiny, but in accordance to the description.

• Good location commucation is poor if u hsvd issues breakfast is boring – Diana from Australia – 11 May 2024 (7/10)

  Location is great that’s all that’s going for this place
  
  What could be improved: Lack of commucation from staff about several issues with the 2 rooms we had it took me getting in touch with bookings.com to get a response no staff at reception over the 5 days we were there everything is done via what’s app, you don’t have items broken or not working and charge premium prices and ignore us when we ask for a resolution.
  
  Breakfast for 5 days was the same boring food
  And u need to book a time slot not enough chairs only 9 chairs 6 rooms in building it’s very much a b&b unsupervised but get cleans get daily weird concept
  Definitely not family friendly. Either getting told off for my kids having a laugh
  Disappointed we have traveled the world and to experience such bad customer service paying premium prices for Rome
  
  My videos won’t load of broken shower door
  Leaking toilet
  Dripping toilet all night long for 5 days straight
  Basin taps leaking 5 people using one shower instead of 2 because that’s what we paid for 2 rooms

• Superb – Lise from Denmark – 1 May 2024 (9/10)

  Location, coziness and the staff

• Very good – Demir from Belgium – 15 April 2024 (8/10)

  De ligging was perfect

• Overall a very good experience! – Jade from Canada – 17 March 2024 (8/10)

  We enjoyed the breakfast and the staff were super helpful and friendly! Beautiful view from our room!
  
  What could be improved: Noisy at times from other rooms – no fault of the property. It was farther than we thought from some of the activities we wanted to do.

• Overall, the apartment was ok for a few days, but we would not recommend it to our friends. – Bianca from Germany – 22 September 2023 (7/10)

  The apartment is located quite central and in a nice area and you can quickly walk to the old town and the famous sights. The host was very nice and helpful.
  
  What could be improved: We were disappointed with our room because unfortunately it did not look like the photos. There are no photos of our room in the picture gallery on the booking.com page. Our room was ok in size and facilities, but just not as nice as shown in the photos. And instead of looking at St. Peter's Basilica, we looked into a small noisy backyard. This was not sufficiently clear from the description of the room.

SURROUNDINGS

Facilities