Fodor's Expert Review Hotel Neri

Just steps from the cathedral, in the heart of the city's old Jewish Quarter, this elegant, upscale, boutique hotel, part of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux hotel group, marries ancient and avant-garde designs. The two buildings that comprise the Neri are restorations, with elements preserved from 12th-century and 18th-century palaces; the interior spaces are a remarkable mix of historic and minimalist-contemporary. Standard rooms have decor in soft tones and gray and beige, with splashes of color in the artwork on feature walls behind the beds; bathrooms have quartzite stone walls, robes and slippers, and Korres toiletries. Breakfast is served in an intimate little room (six tables), on the terrace in Plaça Sant Felip Neri behind the hotel, or on the small rooftop terrace—a lush oasis, bedecked with bougainvillea and hibiscus. Six apartments in a nearby building have well-equipped kitchens, king-size beds with good lighting, and lots of storage.