makr2718

Hi,
My fiancé and I are trying to plan our honeymoon in Italy and we are going to make a rather quick stop in Florence before heading over to Venice in Feb/March. Does anyone have any suggestions on hotels that would be walking distance to everything and/or suggestions on nice/romantic hotels that would be good for our honeymoon trip?

Lyn95

I along with my husband and daughter visited Florence this past spring and stayed at Palazzo Belfiore Firenze which I highly recommend. Palazzo Belfiore is not a hotel but a collection of beautiful apartments in excellent location. Because it is an apartment there is no breakfast service but there is a very good little cafe around the corner that has cappuccino and yummy chocolate croissants at very reasonable prices. The owner/manager Federico is wonderful and so helpful. Check out the reviews on Trip Advisor and you'll see there are many who have stayed there and loved it just as we did. Good luck with your plans!

http://www.palazzobelfiore.it/

Mimar

Ad from Lyn95? A little overenthusiastic.

It used to be that tripadvisor did not vet its reviewers, so the reviews could be from anybody: the proprietor's uncle, a dissatisfied employee, etc.... Is that still so?

Jean

I also think it's an ad. Lyn95 has just joined Fodor's, and this is his/her one and only post...

makr2718, what is your budget? The historical center of Florence isn't very big, so a huge number of hotels are within walking distance of the main sights.

I hope your two days in Florence won't be Sunday/Monday. Many sights aren't open every Sunday and/or Monday, so being there on those two days could make it difficult to see all that you wanted to see.

Lyn95

Hi Mimar and Jean

Wow try not to be so cynical. I am not doing an ad for Palazzo Belfiore Firenze and I did really stay there in May for 4 nights. I recently join Fodor's in the hope of getting help with our next trip to Italy. I think Trip Advisor is a good resource. It's not perfect but it can provide perspective on options. When I use Trip Advisor, I always read the negative and positive reviews because it gives you a complete picture. I do the same when making online purchases. My travel agent gave me several choices for Florence and Trip Advisor helped me to pick Palazzo Belfiore. It was different staying in an apartment and we enjoyed it.


Lyn

Jean

Well, we try not to be cynical, but we see a lot of one-time posters promoting a hotel or a service and then disappearing.

makr2718, you can look at Lyn95's suggestion and the reviews and decide for yourself. As mentioned, Palazzo Belfiore is not a hotel, and the apartments are located on the "other" side of the Arno River from the train station, the Duomo, Uffizi, Accademia, Bargello, etc. They are very close to the Pitti Palace, the Brancacci Chapel, and the Santa Spirito church. The views of Florence from that side of the river can be lovely.

If you want to be really close to the main sights and piazzas and prefer a hotel, look at the Hotel Pendini (facing Piazza della Repubblica) and Hotel Davanzati (nice shopping in immediate area, several good restaurants within a block or two). There are many more to suggest, but knowing your budget would be helpful.

Dukey1

How much MONEY do you want to spend on the hotel? You say you are only going for a couple of days so what are the things you want to do the most? THAT will drive WHERE you want to stay to be "close" to all those things, right?

kybourbon

At that time of year, I would stay more in the area Jean is suggesting as it's more central to the sites. It will still be dark quite early and possibly cold. You need to state your budget per night.

makr2718

Hi everyone! Thanks for the responses. We are looking to spend no more than $400 a night since it is our honeymoon. We are looking for a night romantic/classy hotel with a very good breakfast to start our day off right. Any thoughts on Hotel Brunelleschi?

mjs

I can recommend the Portrait suites and Hotel Lungsrno for a honeymoon but don't know prices during your time frame

annw

mjs is that Hotel Lungarno? If so I think it was shown in a travel video on Florence by Samantha Brown where OP could have a look.

We are trying Hotel David next spring, but usually stay outside of Florence at an agriturismo, so can't help with other lodging. We stayed once at Hotel Curtatoni, which was walking distance to most sights. For a honeymoon, the Hotel Lungarno or a more central more upscale place sounds better.

mjs

Yes Lungarno. On the other side of the Arno next to the river a a few minutes walk to the Ponte Vechio.

benmia

We stayed at a lovely hotel--Grand Villa Medici.