Hello again,
Please advise nice economical hotel in Florence for family of four (kids are 10 and 12) we will be staying three to four nights in June of 2009. Thank you! also if we want to do the day trip to see Pisa--- do we need to stay over night or can we go and come back in the same day? (I know it is touristy, but it is on the list of things the kids would like to see and honestly I would like to see it with my own eyes as well..)
For a hotel, try Hotel David. It's a bit off the beaten path (south of the Arno). It gets tremendous reviews on Tripadvisor (I think that it's number 3 of all Florence hotels). We will be staying there for 3 nights this July.
As for a day trip to Pisa, it is very doable. You definitely don't want to waste an entire night there.
We stayed at hotel La Scaletta last summer, and it was the nicest quad room we had on our whole trip. One double and two single beds, decent bathroom and pretty fireplace. The hotel has a beautiful rooftop terrace that we enjoyed very much, and they went out of their way to get an early breakfast ready for us on the morning we had reservations at the Uffizi (and there were 11 of us they did that for!). The location is between Ponte Vecchio and the Pitti Palace.
Or consider an apartment rental. We had one right by the Duomo in October.
Pluses:
Great location. More privacy & roomier than hotel. Kitchen & washing machine. Can do your own cooking to save money. We had private balcony.
Minuses:
Buy & make your own breakfast. (But going out for fresh rolls at the grocery is like heaven.) No maid service. Feel guilty that you are not doing your own cooking.
I second John's recommendation. We're renting an apartment thru VRBO.com. 1 bedroom with a loft with 2 twins for 130E a night. I had trouble finding hotels with quad rooms. This one also has a washer, so we don't have to pack so many clothes!
Day trip to Pisa is easy to be back same day; it is good connected with Florence (train or bus).
To rent apartment is good idea, you can feel as "home", be aware to find good apartment need to book far in advance.
Here is suggestion for budget accommodation in centre of Florence equipped with kitchen and laundry facilities and nice roof terrace.
And suggestion for accommodation in Florence centre with four bedded big rooms.
Hope it helps.
Check out Hotel Gioia. Loved this place. We had a triple, but they may be able to squeeze in a quad. I found it quite reasonable, however, I believe the prices are much higher than when I was there. Check out venere.com. It will give you an idea. Most likely, you will be staying off the beaten path, which isn't so bad if you want truely economical logings that have ammenities such as breakfast, AC, etc.
HI, we are going in June and I have made reservations at the Hotel Giada in a quad room, we also are a family of four, and the rate was I believe 160 Euro a night and included breakfast....and it had good reviews on Trip advisor.
Hi Viv, My family of four (two kids 11 and 15) will be staying at Hotel Collodi, Via Taddea 6, www.relaishotel.com in July. We have a quad for 2 nights for 139 Euros per night including a/c and private bath. It's in a very central location near the Duomo and the Central Market. Check venere.com and tripadvisor.com for reviews. Looks like a great place, centrally located, accomodates families and is modest in price. Good luck.
Hi Viv,
I stayed at Hotel il Bargellino and it was one of my favorite hotels of my trip(http://www.ilbargellino.com/). A quad with private bath is 130 euro. The hotel is super easy to find (a straight shot 5 minute walk from the train station), super close to sights (duomo, accadamia), will book your museum reservations, has super friendly/helpful staff, and is beautifully decorated. They also have a rooftop terrace. I cannot say enough nice things. Good luck in your decision making!
Hotel Aldobrandini, is centrally situated. its an easy walk from the train station, and is clean and offers a nice breakfast. i have stayed there twice. it cost me 40 euros for a single this past may. also a major bonus is there is a little .99 euro cent store right around the corner which is great for a beer or soda or snacks. its not flashy and doesnt have a ton of extras, but you aren't in florence for your room. i highly recomend it.
Pisa is worth about 2 or 3 hours tops. the sites are cool but its touristy as you can get. do not stay a night there.
Pisa is very doable as a day trip by train. We took an early train - spent the day wandering Pisa, had a nice lunch near the tower, and train back in time for shopping on the Ponte Vecchio!
We stayed at the Hotel Pendini on the Piazza Republica. Don't know about rooms for 4 there though.
Do not stay at Pendini!
Go to tripadvisor and read the reviews. I've stayed there a couple of times and the problem is that (1) the management has changed, and (2) the odds of getting a really good room vs a really bad room are about equal...I don't like 50/50 odds when I'm spending that kind of money. Finally, I have never been asked to pay for my room in advance (3 nights) until our last trip to Florence. There are too many good alternatives to the Pendini...wait until it turns over again. Maybe with new owners there will be greater opportunities...the location is fantastic...but that is all that is guaranteed.
