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B&B or Hotel in Florence?

I booked a room at the Hotel Balestri b/c of a recommendation from a travel agent. It's on the right bank of the Arno River. Rate is 95 euro a night so I'm assuming this is a smaller room w/no river view. Not bad but as I'm poking around tonight, I checked out some B&Bs and there are a few that are still available in the Piazza della Repubblica area right by the Duomo (and closer to the train station). Some rates are actually cheaper as well - averaging 85 euro; some are slightly higher than the Balestri. Looking for advice -- would this be a better place to stay or should I stick with the hotel? If anyone has B&B recommendations that are centrally located, I'd love the suggestions as well. Here are a few I've found: the Repubblica, Magnifico Messere, Soggiorno La Cupola. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! =)

Rebecca

Posted by
267 posts

I would first write to the hotel and ask them if there is a view of the river from the rooom you have reserved, and go from there. If there IS, I'd say keep it! The location is very close to Ponte Vecchio, the Uffizi, Santa Croce, and the Science Museum (gotta go see Galileo's finger there!). So if you're going to those places anyway, might as well stay put.
I looked it up online and it looks like a really nice place. We stayed in a place that was 75 euro per night, was very small, bathroom across the hall, not super clean, no outside facing windows, packaged "breakfast" items (in-room packaged croissants, etc), and we had to lug our luggage upstairs cuz there was no elevator. It was a few blocks off the Arno, on the other side of the river from your hotel, and we found walking to all points of interest easy and didn't take long at all.

Posted by
255 posts

Rebecca....

I can recommend the Soggiorno Battistero right next to the Duomo (some stairs to climb and you will hear the church bells) as well as Residenza Giotto right around the corner (has elevator). We paid less than 100 euros per night back in 2002 for Battistero and about 145 euros in October last year for Giotto. Both are great places and very centrally located for exploring Florence. Giotto has a wonderful terrace with views overlooking the Duomo. Both places included a very basic continental breakfast in their rates.

Posted by
88 posts

If I may suggest yet another, we were there in July this year and stayed at the La Residenza Hotel on Via Tornabuoni, which is the street with all of the designer stores. We stayed here for 14 nights at 80 euro a night, had a wonderful breakfast with meat, ham fresh fruit yougert etc. and wonderful service. The location is just great close to everything between the train station and Duomo, so everything is quite close. You might want to check it out, not sure when you are going, but the prices are really good for this area. That was my second trip to Italy and my first time at this hotel, but I am planning already to go back next year and plan to stay here.

Posted by
250 posts

I have to second the recommendation for Soggiorno Battistero. We opened the window of our room and looked right out onto the Baptistry and Duomo. Windows were double paned, so noise was not a factor. Couldn't be more centrally located. No breakfast room - they deliver a light continental breakfast to your door.