It's apparent that all the reports of various nightly rates are interesting but perhaps not so helpful. You need to check rates for the precise dates you'll be there. Weekend rates differ from weekday. Summer rates do up and down. Etc.

We're now considering Il Villino...the reviews look terrific and the price is right. Any comments?

Thanks.

beeswing

Hotel de la Pace, between Piazza San Marco and Piazza Liberta
www.hoteldelapace.com

Hotel J & J, Santa Croce, beautiful, old convent. away from tourists, but near great dining. We always try to saty away from the maddening crowds and this fit the bill.

While I appreciate the comments on other Florence hotels -- I'm really interested in Il Villino. We are currently booked at Il Duca, apparently just down the street...but I'd prefer a place I could reach by email and book museums and such. Il Villino has great reviews and good rates...if there are contrasting opinions, I'd love to hear them. It sounds as if Il Villino, although more expensive than Il Duca, would be worth it for customer service and email availability. Any thoughts?

Thanks so much.

The reviews for Residenza Il Villino on Trip Advisor do look terrific. I think it would be a great choice and I see no reason why you should not book it.

I stayed at the Hotel Medici for several nights in October of 2008. It's a simple, no-frills hotel (breakfast included), but the location can't be beat. It's just a few blocks from the Duomo, and has a lovely rooftop deck with a fantastic view (exactly as it looks in the website photo).

http://www.hotelmedici.it/

Travel_monkey, Hotel Medici has some amazing prices for the months of November and December (can't see beyond that). I'll definitely keep the place in mind. For example, 30 Euros per night for a room with private bathroom and breakfast.

Bee....

We stayed at Il Villino on our last night in Florence (and in Italy) 2 years ago. Inn is very quiet, clean and spacious. Sergio goes over and beyond to make sure your stay is a pleasant one.

Good choice.....

We stayed at Hotel Casci. Came in on the train, walked a short easy walk with one piece of luggage to the hotel. Very large, clean rooms and a great friendly staff. Free internet in the lobby, free dvd's to borrow and many travel books they let you use also. Great breakfast everyday. The staff was very helpful - even before our trip they got our museum tickets for us. They are about 2 blocks from the Duomo - well everything is within walking distance in Florence.

Again seriously - everything is within walking distance in Florence.

Thanks for all the help. We just got our confirmation back from Il Villino -- at Euro 135 a night, it's less expensive than the Casci and still has great ratings. We canceled the hotel we had booked previously; while it looked nice enough and was cheaper still, I think in this case we'll get what we paid for. I'm looking forward to Florence even more now!

Il Villino looks great, beeswing. Please report back and let us know how it went, it looks perfect for us too.