Overall, this was a very nice hotel - but with limitations.
It's in a good location, in two Renaissance palaces on one of the main shopping streets in Florence, less than a 10-minute walk away from the Florence Cathedral and the Uffizi Gallery. Our room, which was on the first floor, was spacious and decorated in sophisticated period furniture, with original wood-beamed ceilings and elegant draperies over the bed.
Complimentary continental breakfast is served every morning on the second floor from 7:00 to 10:00 AM. Room keys are the old-fashioned metal kind, not magnetic strip cards, which are dropped off and picked up at the lobby desk, so you never have to worry about losing them. There's a lovely rooftop garden with lots of potted flowers and a nice view of the other rooftops of Florence.
The not-so-good things about our stay:
* The light in the entrance foyer of our room, which was set off by a motion sensor. This may sound convenient, but it was actually overly-sensitive and came on with every little movement, which was especially annoying in the middle of the night. We ended up draping a towel over the motion sensor to disable it.
* The noise. We were located on the ground floor directly underneath the second floor dining room, and you could hear chairs scraping over the wooden floors and kitchen staff preparing for breakfast very early every morning. The couple we were traveling with had a room facing the street, and they were kept awake every night by the thumping disco music from a restaurant directly underneath them.
* The brewed coffee that was part of the complimentary breakfast, which was really awful. It was the kind of muddy sludge you get when it's been sitting on the warming plate for too long. Their espressos and cappuccinos were good, but you had to order them off the menu and pay for them separately.
* The service in the rooftop bar. Everyone was very friendly, but the wait to get a drink was very long, even for Italy, which has a much more leisurely pace than the States. And I don't think they got our order right once. We only came here twice; there are plenty of other restaurants and snack bars in Florence where you can get a drink.
Since this is an older building, the rooms can vary greatly in size, location, and appointments. It's probably best to check out your rooms before you unpack, and I would strongly advise asking for a room on a higher floor not overlooking the street. read more