Hotels in Florence, San Gimignano, and Chianti region

Do you have either the RS Italy or Florence/Tuscany books? It will be the smartest money you spend on your vacation, esp. for your first time.

We stayed at Soggiorno Battistero in Florence and absolutely loved it. It is literally on the square with the Duomo and easy walking distance to museums, restaurants, and train stations. We only met Kelly, who was extremely helpful. They booked our reservations at the Accademia and the Uffizi months before we got there (highly recommend it to avoid lines). It is several floors up and there is no elevator, but it's definitely worth it. I heard a rumor that an elevator was being put in, but I don't know if it's true or not. Breakfast is brought to your room every morning at the time you specify. It had hard boiled eggs, toast, jam, a pastry, tea (for me), and coffee (for the hubby). Definitely enough to get by on until lunch. Most of what you'll want to do in Florence is right around the Duomo, and cars either aren't allowed or you have to pay tons of fees. So at least in Florence, definitely no car. (IMO)

In San Gimignano, you might look into La Cisterna. It's rated #14 out of 33 hotels in San G. by Trip Advisor. I haven't stayed there but it interests me as it was the San G. hotel in the movie Tea with Mussolini. Here's a LINK to the TripAdvisor page of top hotels in San G.

Hi Michelle, We stayed at Hotel Silla in the Oltrarno district, on a Rick Steves tour in May. It has an elevator. It was very clean and had a pleasant breakfast room. On nice days they serve breakfast outside on the patio. Very modern, yet in a seventeenth century villa. You have to walk a bit to get to the main sites, but it is not too far. Have a wonderful time!
Ruth

For B&B's in Florence you would be lucky to find better value than the Relais Tiffany near the station. I can't remember the exact price we paid but it worked out at under $100 a night for the two of us with breakfast, which is good for Florence. http://relais-tiffany-firenze.com It has air conditioning, free wifi, a garden...and helpful staff. As for wine tours, we had a really good day on the 'Slow day in Tuscany'- a small group tour into the Chianti wine region, not at all rushed and with superb food. http://www.slow-days.com We didn't rent a car, but took the bus to Siena and train to Lucca- both nice day trips if you have the time. The trains are good but they only go to the bigger or more industrialized towns: no good if you want to visit the villages or countryside.

I can tell NOT to stay in Hotel de Ville in the summer. 5 star hotel but air conditioning absolutely does not work. Franco Fadda's wine tour was a 12 on a scale of 10. Super personalized, detailed, service orientated. Great wineries, fabulous lunch, it was the highlight of our recent trip.

In ref to a car vs train, it just depends on if you want to venture out into Chianti and Tuscany. IMO, then a car is necessary. You could rent a car for a few days after visiting Florence. How long is your trip? Where are you flying into/out of? Renting a car allows you to also stay in the smaller villages and the countryside.