Hotel Suggestions - Florence $120 US max?

I can recommend Hotel Johlea in Florence. Our last stay cost 90 euros with breakfast and I believe it is a ***. The room(with private bath) overlooked a quiet treed courtyard and was comfortable and nicely decorated. Would not hesitate to stay there again and I think they will arrange for parking. I would imagine that would come at a high price. We drove out of Florence once and would not do it again. Most streets change names on every block plus you will have the ZTL restrictions.

120 U.S. dollars won't get you a 3 or 4 star hotel, it's only 88 euros. Sharing a bath is not as common as it was years ago so it shouldn't be a problem. You can check venere.com in the train station area for the least expensive hotels. You can narrow your search by budget and location on the venere site to help you find something within your budget. Just as an FYI, star ratings in Italy are only an indication of amenities, not quality. A hotel with a restaurant, no matter how bad the restaurant, will get a higher star rating than a great hotel without a restaurant. Donna

Have you bought at least the RS Italy 2011 book yet? If not, you really should. It answers exactly these sorts of questions. It will be the smartest $16 you've ever spent. Good luck.

Residenza della Signoria is well priced, with lovely rooms (with bathrooms), smack in the center of everthing on Via Calzaiuoli between the Duomo and Piazza della Signoria. Of course they don't have parking, but I believe they do have an arrangement with a nearby garage.

Here's one brief description of what the star ratings mean in Italy (cribbed from www.4hoteliers.com) One-star hotels: reception must be open at least 12 hours a day; cleaning of rooms at least once a day; minimum size of double rooms 14 square meters; change of sheets once a week. Two-star hotels: must have an elevator; change of sheets at least twice a week. Three-star hotels: must have a bar service, receptionists must speak at least one foreign language; the reception must be open at least 16 hours a day; personnel must wear a uniform; each room must have internet services and private bath. Four-star hotels: in addition to daily cleaning, the room must be re-set in the afternoon and sheet and towels must be changed daily; must offer laundry services to clients; must have parking for at least 50% of the rooms; double rooms of at least 15 square meters and bathroom of at least 4 square meters. Five-star hotels: reception must be open 24 hours a day and must offer at least 3 foreign language capabilities; single rooms must be of at least 9 square meters and double of at least 16 square meters.

Be extemely cautious about having a car in Florence. Most of the entire historic area, as well as other areas of the city, are inside the dreaded Zona Traffico Limitados (restricted areas). When you enter these zones, cameras get your license plate. Very expensive tickets arrive nearly a year later. It is legal to drive in these zones if your hotel notifies the police and tells them your license number. But no guaranees that the process really works. What other areas do you wish to see. The train or bus can get you most any place that you want to visit. I agree with the above that you should invest in the RS Florence & Tuscany book. RS has great listings of places to stay in your quoted price range.

So appreciate the replies!! I am going to Rick Steve's 1.5 hour "Italy travel" presentation this weekend and hope to get some more information including the guide. I am going to be spending 5 days in Florence and I have heard the surrounding area is just amazing to explore. I am not interested in seeing Pisa (I hear other than the tower there just isnt much worth the trip), but I have had strong recommendations to see Siena, Lucca and Montepulciano. I plan to make Florence my "home base" however and only expect to take the car out of the city 2 days and turn in the car after and spend 3 days in Florence. My trip begins in Milan, I was considering driving to Florence from Milan and keeping the car in Florence so that I can explore the surroundings.

Is anyone familiar with this B&B in Florence? Relais il Campanile
http://www.relaiscampanile.it/?act=info The reviews, price, location and photos seem great! I also have a silly question..... Can you come and go as you please when staying at a B&B or are you limited to certain time guidelines?

Have you tried Tripadvisor? I always consult it and usually it's very accurate. I dismiss any comments that are horrible or fantastic if everything else is pretty much the same.

I just booked Hotel Dali for E80. It had great reviews. Marco is who I dealt with. If you contact him, please mention my name because I promised him I'd get the word out if he gave me a great room!!!! I'm staying April 10,11

Having driven all over Italy many times I would suggest you stay in the heart of Florence for a few days without a car, then pick up you vehicle at the airport and leave the city to explore the surrounding areas with your car. It is expensive and difficult to drive in Florence and definitely not necessary. Another option might be to stay a bit further out near the airport with your car and take a hotel shuttle to the city center. There would be parking at these hotels and also you would be close to freeway for exploration. Not very exciting and I cannot remember what it cost, but I ended up staying at a Holiday Inn out near the airport one time and it was easy with the car.

This is a handy list to start looking for the hotels in your price range: http://www.florence-journal.com/florence/2009/10/hotels-in-florence-for-under-150.html Having the car, and being in the center - is an issue. You really don't need the car at all in Florence, it will cost you extra to park, the ZTL can be costly if you mess up, etc. Most places are easily visited by train or bus - you may want to think about that. Then you can also enjoy some wine with lunch or dinner and not worry about driving too -