Please help! I need a recommendation of a nice Florence hotel - resonably priced but clean and comfortable. I'm not looking to be too close to the train station as I would love to be close to the Arno. Also, any insight on Tuscany? Chianti, San Gimignano, etc...any great must-see spots and hotel ideas there? Thanks! Lisa

Lisa, We leave in 3 weeks so I haven't stayed at these hotels yet but they got good reviews are are between $150-200 per night. Albergo La Scaletta in Florence and Frances Lodge in Siena. Both have websights and include breakfast.

http://www.hotelperseo.it/
You couldn't be more central, very reasonably priced too, although it's not on the Arno. We're going back in April.

Just returned from Frances Lodge in Siena and it was wonderful-I highly recommend it. The only possible downside is that it's not in the city center but transporation is very easy. Plus being outside the city center made travelling throughout the countryside easier.

We stayed in La Scaletta in September and enjoyed it. Its only two blocks from the River,very centrally located. Has a nice terrace for drinks or wine at sunset. There are also many good restaurants close by.

Just returned from a two week stay in Italy...our favorite hotel of the trip by far was Palazzo del Capitano in San Quirico D'Orca. We absolutely loved it! We had a beautiful, very large junior suite, and the restaurant at the hotel was one of our favorites of the trip. There are pictures of the hotel and all the rooms on their web site: palazzodelcapitano.com. We stayed in Capricorno for 180 euros/night. From the hotel we took day trips to Siena, Cortona, Montepulciano, Montalicno, and Pienza. If you have any questions I would be happy to answer them for you.

Mischka:

I've been considering Hotel Perseo. Did you have private or shared bath? Can you tell me more about it?

swalter, cpi:
You both make the La Scaletta sound great. I've added it to my list.

I think I'm down to 3 now:
La Scaletta
Perseo
or Casci

This is hard work---but soooo worth it!

Hi JeanneB,
We loved the Il Perseo, although it was a basic hotel. We stayed there with our daughter and had a private bathroom and a double bed and one single in our room and another single bed in a sort of hallway/bedroom with lots of cupboard space. It was very clean. The entrance to the hotel looked a little dodgy and the lift was one of those old style ones but the location was fantastic, about 2 minutes walk from the duomo, what could be better! The breakfast was more than enough and we are happy to return in April. We also like the fact that it was only a five minute walk from the station and very close to the markets, just perfect really.
Good luck with your choice

Do you remember what you paid for that "triple"?

Sorry, no I don't remember but I do know that if you book directly with the hotel it cost less that going through an agent like venere.