October 9, 2013: ROME! Made it to our hotel by 1pm and HOLY MOLY WOWWWWWW. I picked the Rome Cavalieri as our longest stay based on what I had read about it… and it’s living up to the hype.  The first big win was our hotel room upgrade. We got bumped to a $2400/night corner suite with the following amenities:

• Doorbell


• Entry Hallway


• Living Room


• Metal complete blackout shades


• A MASSAGE CHAIR


• Binoculars to view Rome with


• Heated towel rack


• Ceiling showerhead (my favorite)


• complete marble bathroom


• turndown service, robes, slippers, etc.


• Salvatore Ferragamo amenities (face masks, eye creams, nail kit, face cream, bath fizz, loofahs, you name it)


• Umbrellas + kids-sized umbrella


• Balcony that spread the width of our room


• Access to Grand Spa


• Private Concierge


• Access to the Imperial Club, with food/drinks available from 7am - 11pm

Wow. As you can see… goosebumps. Best HHonors point redemption ever.

We decided to spend some of the first day at the hotel simply enjoying the amenities.  At night we went to Trastevere and ate at Carlo Menta on recommendation of a work friend. It did not disappoint!  It’s also been fantastic having our babysitter and friend Elaine along for the ride with us, another fantastic usage of points and miles for this trip! It’s been great having an extra set of hands for luggage and the kids!