Prepare yourself for a budget time travel experience as you are whisked back to 1986 in this budget hotel for wayward travelers. The walls have the most unusual paint patterns done in garish shades of green, and the rest of the hotel is decorated in unusual, clashing colors. Hopefully you will spend few waking hours looking at this hotel, and it is quite possible that the breakfast is designed to make you run away to gorgeous Florence to forget the hideousness of your lodging.
In all honesty, the breakfast here is the worst breakfast we have ever had at a place that was not explicitly branded as a hostel. Some other reviewers mock the style of bread and the type of bowls offered for cereal. That is the least of your problems. The coffee served is honestly the most foul tasting swill I have ever had in my life, tied only with the instant decaf coffee prepared on American Airlines. When you ask for a coffee drink (that's if you are able to find someone who works there to ask for one), they will press a button on some ungodly machine and offer you the dirty sock water that has just come out. Next to the sockwater machine is a glorious espresso maker, likely installed to torture those of us who have grown accustomed to a cup of coffee in the morning to start the day. (NB: If you are an attractive young woman and the coffee attendant du jour is the surly butch female, she will make you a proper cappuccino). As for the food, there is enough to salvage a tasty breakfast. Avoid the strawberry yoghurt, as it has an odd, plasticky aftertaste. The sugar-crusted croissants make a scrumptious carrier for the sliced deli meats on offer. The buffet also offers a modest selection of honey, jams and nutella to go on your toast. Beware the juice--it tastes more like stale fruit punch with some extra sugar added for fun.
This is (mostly) where our complaints end. The bed is firm, but comfortable. The sheets are more than adequate. The air conditioning is glorious, and the wifi in the rooms is quite good (fast enough to download a movie or three) except at peak hours. While the pillows are on the flat side, there is an extra pillow and bedding in the closets to make due. The bathroom is spartan but clean, with unusual thin hand towels that work quite well. No hair conditioner offered, but that seems standard for Europe. Take advantage of the bidet! It works perfectly for washing clothes.
As for the service, our experiences were mixed. The front desk staff seems nice and willing to help, but they consider their job done when they have passed on a message to someone who is in charge of actually fixing your problem. I asked for help with the safe because the code wasn't working. When I asked how long it would be until someone came up to help us, I was told "5 minutes." 30 minutes later, I went down to request an adaptor (and one was kindly offered!), and mentioned that no one had come to my room to help with the safe. The front desk person then had an argument with the groundskeeper to get him to go and help me out. He clearly had no intention of going to my room. When we later asked if we needed to do anything to make the refrigerator turn on, we were told they would inform a colleague, but no one came.
At the end of the day, Hotel Meridiana offers a cool place to sleep with good AC and internet and a couple of edible breakfast options. Keep your expectations low and enjoy your stay in Florence. read more