Gretchen

I am traveling solo and looking for a nice hotel for 5 nights in September (price range $200 +/-). I want to be centrally located with shops and cafes nearby. I am having a difficult time trying to figure out what area is the best to stay in (give me a hint). Please give me a few of your favorite hotel suggestions !

Michael

We stayed at a smaller town near Florence and took the train 30 minute ride about 10 Euro

pat

I`d stay outside Florence and take the train in, too. Florence has so many motor scooters zipping around. It was noisy! Crowded too.

Melissa

About three years ago, my family of four stayed at the Hotel Nuova Italia on Via Faenza 26. It was very near the train station and easy walking distance to many of the sites that you would want to see in Florence. It was not fancy but it was clean and fine. It was run by a nice couple; the husband was Italian and the wife was Canadian. They were very helpful in giving us some travel advice. The hotel is a two-star hotel and is on the plain side but the continental breakfast was good, and again, we felt very good about our stay there. We would stay there again.

Jen

Florence is very small and you'll find shops and cafes everywhere. I recommend you stay near the Duomo.<BR>We stayed at Hotel Benivieni <BR><BR>http://www.hotelbenivieni.it/<BR>and loved it. The hotel was just remodeled and has great amenities. I do think it might be a bit pricey. On the same street is Hotel De Lanzi. I can't speak for the conditions of the hotel, but I know that it is centrally located and in your price range.<BR>http://delanzi.hotelinfirenze.com/?source=venezia<BR><BR>Have a great time!

gaye

www.inpiazzadellasignoria.it Check it out! Wonderfull location, beautifull B&B.

Rebecca

Dear Gay;<BR>the Piazza della Signoria; looks wounderful; do you have any suggestions on which room to choose?<BR>I would be most greatful for any info. you could provide.<BR>Thanks ;Reb<BR>to the top

elle

Hotel Monna Lisa was fantastic. Ask for room number 5. It overlooks the garden and has a balcony. Great breakfast also.

cherie

Have you thought of renting an apartment??? Did that this summer and it was great.

stacy

I second the recommendation for the Monna Lisa - it's not quite as "central" as it could be, but pretty close (about 3 blocks east and one block north of the Duomo). We were there two years ago, and again last year, mainly because we liked it so much that we couldn't wait to drag someone back with us to see it! (I've never been there solo, but it seems like the kind of place that I would like to find if I were traveling alone - it's a converted palace, and there's a little garden, a small bar, and a bunch of small public rooms where it was nice to settle down for a rest, rather than staying in our own rooms.)

Karen

We loved the Hotel Loggiato dei Serviti last June. It's about three or four blocks from the Duomo, just behind the Accademia. The Piazza itself was pretty noisy, but the rooms in the back of the hotel were quiet. I had one with a canopy bed, large antique armoire, and a view of Brunelleschi's dome which I will never forget. If you go there, trust the wonderful front desk person on restaurnat recommendations. She sent us to two small trattorias nearby where we had absolutely wonderful meals at reasonable prices. I cannot remember the names, of course, sorry.

stacy

I just looked at Gaye's website for In Piazza della Signoria (how DO they punctuate that? ) and, much as I love the Monna Lisa, I have to admit that, if this is as nice as it looks, you might like that location a bit better - it's certainly in the thick of things!

Erin

Hotel Orto dei Medici looks nice. Never stayed there though.

x

Erin, I also am looking at Orto de Medici. Can't seem to find anyone who's stayed there. I believe it used to be called Hotel Splendor and I did a usenet search and someone said it was seedy. But looking at the website it looks nice now. And it's certainly not inexpensive. Anyone??

Judith

I liked the location of Hotel Casci. Simple and much cheaper, however. Probably more like $115 a day.<BR>I have also used Scilla, Oltrarno, but the singles are too small so I require a double there. Nice Arno side location, but not in the thick of things. Parking available at 16 Euro a day.

Cecile

Hi Gretchen<BR><BR>Stay at Hotel Torre Guelfa in Borgo Santi Apostoli, I've staied there and loved it. Beautiful tower with a real cute bartender and it's central, close to Ponte Vecchio and the Uffizi Galleries. I paied 100 Euro per night with breakfast. www.hoteltorreguelfa.com <BR><BR>Have a fun trip and enjoy the Italian stallions *twinkle*<BR><BR>Cecile

Suzi

Stacy and Elle, I just looked at the MonnaLisa website and took a big gulp when I saw their rates.<BR><BR>Did you actually pay $250-300/night for a room there? What did you pay per night for Rm 5 and when (if you don't mind me asking)?<BR>

stacy

Hi, Suzi -<BR><BR>Well, yes, I'm afraid we did - that's one of the reasons that I've always hesitated to recommend it on this site, but it did seem to fit in with Gretchen's original request for a room at $200+/- for a single. Actually, we only paid that the second time - we went in August, which is "mid-season" for them, and paid about $250 for a superior double room. (It was room number 1, and it was great - a duplex with a small sitting room downstairs and a bedroom upstairs, with a door that is hidden in the paneling of one of the public rooms. It was worth it just to see the expression on people's faces when we popped out of the woodwork!)<BR><BR>The first time that we stayed there was actually part of an Alitalia package, which provided a much better rate for the combination of airfare and hotels than trying to book them separately on your own. Unfortunately, it's also almost impossible to get through to Alitalia on the phone, and, for the second trip, we were watching the airfares go up over the couple of days that we were trying, so we finally gave up and booked everything separately, so as not to get closed out of the specific dates and hotels that we wanted. (And I DID want to go back to the Monna Lisa!)<BR>

z

Anyone know about the Hotel Pierre? I'm beginning to think it doesn't really exist (just because there's a website doesn't mean there's a real thing LOL).

Sherri

I think it really exists; check out www.florenceby.com to view photos and get rates there in an emil adress.<BR>Please post any info. you find out I am curious. <BR>Thanks, La Dolce Italy!<BR>to the top<BR>