I'll be in Florence from Dec. 29 to Jan 1 and like most travelers I'm looking for that magic place to stay (3 adults) that is inexpensive (150 Euros max), clean, private bath, great location and provides a good breakfast. I'd love to hear from you.
So far, with the help of this website, I've found a great place in Venice- Corte Campana B&B (cortecampana.com), the Hotel Nardizzi in Rome (HotelNardizzi.it) and the Hotel Amleto (hotelamleto.it) in Pompei.
Thanks for all your help.
Bob in NJ
Bob, I stayed at a small pensione - Il Bargellino in Florence last May and will return in mid-December. They have 10 rooms, several of which are triples. They do not serve breakfast but each room has a small refrigerator. There's a market close by where you can buy breakfast items. The hosts Carmel and Pino are great.
We like the Hotel Pendini. It is on the Piazza de Republica - in the center of the pedistrian only area.
We stayed at the Antica Posta B & B. It is a little out of the way of the center of the city...maybe a 10 - 15 minute walk. We loved it. It's the first floor and they have about 5 or 6 rooms. The people who run it were very friendly and they leave your breakfast in your room the day before...croissants, kettle with water, coffee, tea, juice. there is also a fridge in the room and own private bath. We really enjoyed it there. Good luck in your search.
We have reservations for Tourist House Ghiberti -- based on tripadvisor.com reviews. It is located near the Duomo. I made the reservations via internet, and their response was very quick. http://www.touristhouseghiberti.com
I just got back from Italy and stayed at De'Benci B&B in Florence. It was the nicest place we stayed at in Italy. It is near Santa Croce, walking distance from everything in Florence. The rooms are large (large enough to add an extra bed), private ensuite bathroom with new modern fixtures and large shower, AC, LAN internet access in the room, lift, breakfast. The price was only 110 euro a night which I think was a steal.
Bob
My wife, her monther and I shared a beautiful apartment for five nights last week in the Oltrano section of Florence, about 200 yards the Ponte Vecchio. You can see it at:
http://www.pitcherflaccomio.com/new/index.php?file=oneaffitti&form_id_affitti=6
Afterward, you can go to their home page and contact Lori Hetherington, who helped us find it. This one is within walking distance of everything, but she will have others. If you're interested, email me and I'll give you her email address and cell phone number, or answer any questions. Good luck.
Jim
We were in Florence recently and stayed here
http://www.relaiscampanile.it/
The husband/wife duo that run this place are extremely knowledgeable and helpful. They speak very fluent English and do not charge very much. It's a B&B with few rooms, but each room is spacious and all are en-suite. It is also within walking distance of the Duomo and central station. Before we booked this place, we read reviews on booking.com, tripadvisor and a few others. I don't think we found a negative review. To top it off, our stay only cost 55 euros for a weekend in August.
Hotel Enza was convenient to everything and inexpensive. I liked it and would return my next trip. As in most hotels in Italy, breakfast is extra (5 Eu). Free internet was available in the lobby. The desk personnel made reservations for me at the Uffizi and Accademia. You have to make your own magic. www.hotelenza.it
I stayed at Hotel Accademia with a RS tour group (http://www.accademiahotel.net/en/index.htm). Centrally located (translated: a bit of downtown noise), decent breakfast, friendly hotel staff. I did a quick search and they have rooms available at a little more than your budget - $190/night for a triple room (you might have issues because of the holiday weekend)
I stay at hotel Ritz not the 5 star version and itr is great with a super brfast.
Ritz@dada.it
Thanks to all for the great suggestions. I'm in the process of checking them out. Please feel free to leave more if you wish. I'm sure others will make good use of this info.
Bob in NJ
We used Hotel Maxim--right down from Duomo--great breakfast included, very nice people.
Hotel Enza is a great hotel. Recommmended by Rick Steves. Good location. You can walk everwhere in Florence. Free internet in lobby which is a must for me. Breakfast extra which we never had but there is a shop nearby where we had our danish and cappacino every morning. Email the hotel directly to receive the best rate. I think we paid 110 Euro.
My family and I stayed at the Fenice Palace hotel. We booked through Orbitz and I think the price was within your price range even in summer. The breakfast was not good but the location was fabulous. We were literally steps from the Duomo and the Baptistry. We came by train so location was incredibly important. The rooms were very nice and seem to have been recently renovated. The elevator was small but fairly standard for what we found in Italy.
Have a lovely time.
Right now I am at Hotel Centrale. It is fabulous. Perfect location, super helpful, wonderful bathrooms, great rooms and great breakfast. I will stay here again.
I stayed at Soggiorno Battistero, right on the piazza for the duomo with a view of the baptistry and the duomo's facade. Very simple rooms, but they are clean and the place is effeciently run. They have those sound-proof windows so you can't really hear anything out there at night (and trust me, I am picky about sound at night). They serve breakfast in your room. 70 euros.
I would absolutely recommend Residenza Il Villino. We stayed 3 nights in September and loved it. The location is ideal and the inn keeper Sergio is so helpful and speaks very good English. There is a very nice breakfast each morning and also free internet with 2 computers available for guests to use. There are only 9 or 10 rooms. It was quiet and very charming. The website is: http://www.ilvillino.it/home.cfm
They also made our museum reservations for us and recommended restaurants within a few blocks of the hotel. I can't say enough about this place. I think we paid $138 Euro a night for a double room with it's own bath and I think there was also a small sofa sleeper in the room.
In reference to the above message about Residenza il Villino, I agree with all that has been stated and selected to reserve with him. But unfortunately, he would not take my reservation. We (4 of us) are going in May 2008 and I have made reservations everywhere but in Florence. He told me to contact him in January. I'm sorry, but I'm very leary about waiting that long when I can reserve with anyone else now. He is a small place and since I'm in need of a quad, I'm sure the choices are limited. I don't understand how a establishment of his reputation isn't equipped to take reservations 7 months in advance. I'm wondering if I should contact him again and tell him my concerns. Has anyone come across the same problem with him?
Hi Linda, I have not had any dealings with that particular hotel, but I was told by several hotels to contact them in January (when I was planning the previous September) for late April early May reservations. The reason I was told is that they did not have the next years rates established or published. I moved on and found places that would accept my reservation and I was very happy with my choices.
We stayed at the Hotel Bellettini in Florence. The staff is very kind and they do have a very nice breakfast. Very centrally located as well. hotelbellettini.com
I previously responded with the suggestion of Tourist House Ghiberti. We also wanted Il Villino, but had the same trouble with locking in a date for next spring/summer. Ghiberti is also near the duomo, has a very cool website, and responded immediately with a confirmation. Excellent reviews on www.tripadvisor.com. Their website again is
http://www.touristhouseghiberti.com
Don't stay at B&B Olga.
I have stayed at the Globus Hotel for 3 years, and no longer recommend it.
We are just back from our trip to Italy. Our first stay was at Tourist House Ghiberti in Florence, which I highly recommend. Only two blocks from the Duomo, easy walking distance to everything, great room with your own computer (!!) and very nice breakfast included. Claudio, Christelle and Diana run this tiny place (5 rooms I think) and it is spotless, comfortable, and a great first place to stay in Italy.
I believe the price was $153 Euro per night, but they give an 8% discount if you pay with cash instead of credit card. Since the included breakfast was so great (meats, cheeses, croissants, yogurt, cappucino, fresh fruit, etc etc etc, you are already saving money, since coffee and a roll in a cafe will set you back 5 Euro.
Oooh, I want to go back!
I really enjoyed Hotel Alessandra near the train station. 110 Euros for shared bathroom and 170 for private. Friendly staff, breakfast included - housed in an old palace near many attractions. I booked on venere.com.
Here's a suggestion:
We used rentalsflorence.com and were very pleased with Gabriella's service. Don't know if they'll do less than a week but we stayed at the first listing that shows up, the La Vite Apartment, Two bedroom, 1 bath, washing machine, right AT THE DUOMO - almost close enough to be the bishop and say mass. No breakfast and lots of stairs but full kitchen and a balcony (not much use in January). We payed 790€ + cleaning fee for 8 days a few weeks ago. Interesting fact is that she charges a 200€ refundable deposit but as soon as we arrived, she returned the deposit. Apparently, it is to insure that the young people that rent the place don't tear it up and she figured we were too old to do that.
Just back from trip. I agree with Julie: Hotel Centrale was great. Quiet street, 5 minutes from Duomo, 10 minutes to train station, 15 minutes to Uffizi or Academia. Large rooms, modern private bathroom, good breakfast, helpful staff. would stay there again, no problem. We paid 150 Euro, minus 5% cash discount, for a double, nice view out the window of San Lorenzo dome. They made our reservations at Uffizi and Academia.
We have stayed at Hotel Amleto in Pompeii and would stay there again. About 1 block from the town square, and we walked to and from the old ruins. The hotel room was nice and bathroom was very large. Breakfast was good with a lot of variety and the young man at the desk gave us great restaurant recommendations. Have fun.
We also stayed at Hotel Enza in Florence a couple of weeks ago. With Rick's book and cash, we paid 72 euros for a double. They were helpful and got our needed reservation voucher numbers for us. I wasn't fond of the walk from the station to there with luggage but it was close to good restaurants and the Mercato central and outdoor markets which are fun. Good luck and have a great trip !
