Just returned...San Gimignano, San Quirico, Florence - hotels and restaurants
Jun 8th, 2006, 08:40 AM
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Just returned...San Gimignano, San Quirico, Florence - hotels and restaurants
Recently returned from 2 week stay in Tuscany. Am happy to recommend these hotels and restaurants. Would NOT recommend, however, ever using Air France (but that is another topic entirely!!!).
San Gimignano:
Hotel Cisterna. Great location right in Piazza Della Cisterna. Request room with valley view. We had room 82 and believe it was the best room in the hotel. Great views and also had a shared balcony. Great staff, very helpful. Great breakfast buffet. Had good meal at Trattoria Chiribiri in Piazza della Madonna, and really enjoyed Locanda di Sant Agostino in the same square as the Sant Agostino church - ate there twice. Small, good food at reasonable prices - friendly staff.
San Quirico:
Hotel Palazzo del Capitano - small, family run hotel. Has a wonderful garden area in back for guests. Flowers, grape vines, herbs - areas for relaxing and sitting in the sun. Same family runs Trattoria al Vecchio Forno. Restaurant has garden setting with good food and wine. Ate there twice. Also enjoyed a small restaurant called Ristobar Osenna. Go through the restaurant to an outside area in back - reasonable prices for very good food.
Florence:
Hotel - Tourist House Ghiberti. Small B&B (5 rooms). One block from Duomo - across from hospital ER. Even given this busy location, hotel was exceptionally quiet. Run by husband and wife - Claudio and Christelle. All modern conveniences including in-room internet. Also has hot tub and sauna available for guests. There is a small outside terrace for sitting or eating breakfast. Great location for walking to anything in Florence. Favorite restaurant in Florence was Ciro & Sons on Via del Giglio. Ate there twice - good pesto. Great, friendly staff (the sons). Highly recommend.
San Gimignano:
Hotel Cisterna. Great location right in Piazza Della Cisterna. Request room with valley view. We had room 82 and believe it was the best room in the hotel. Great views and also had a shared balcony. Great staff, very helpful. Great breakfast buffet. Had good meal at Trattoria Chiribiri in Piazza della Madonna, and really enjoyed Locanda di Sant Agostino in the same square as the Sant Agostino church - ate there twice. Small, good food at reasonable prices - friendly staff.
San Quirico:
Hotel Palazzo del Capitano - small, family run hotel. Has a wonderful garden area in back for guests. Flowers, grape vines, herbs - areas for relaxing and sitting in the sun. Same family runs Trattoria al Vecchio Forno. Restaurant has garden setting with good food and wine. Ate there twice. Also enjoyed a small restaurant called Ristobar Osenna. Go through the restaurant to an outside area in back - reasonable prices for very good food.
Florence:
Hotel - Tourist House Ghiberti. Small B&B (5 rooms). One block from Duomo - across from hospital ER. Even given this busy location, hotel was exceptionally quiet. Run by husband and wife - Claudio and Christelle. All modern conveniences including in-room internet. Also has hot tub and sauna available for guests. There is a small outside terrace for sitting or eating breakfast. Great location for walking to anything in Florence. Favorite restaurant in Florence was Ciro & Sons on Via del Giglio. Ate there twice - good pesto. Great, friendly staff (the sons). Highly recommend.
Jun 8th, 2006, 11:01 AM
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Francophile - we were booked on AF Boston to Paris to Florence. Boarded plane in Boston, sat on runway for 2.5 hours hearing a variety of excuses why we were not leaving (AC problem, instrument problem, medical problem). Finally were told flight was canceled.
Got off, waited for luggage and then waited for about another 2 hours in line to be given a hotel room. Told flight would probably leave at 6:30 p.m. next day and were given an 800 number to call in the AM.
Come AM, cannot get answer on the 800 number - "All agents are busy - call back later" In the meantime had to call Italy and let hotel know we would be a day late (were charged for the missed night). Had to call rental car agency, etc. Went back to the terminal to speak to someone at AF. Eventually found out that the 6:30 flight was also canceled - it MIGHT leave at 8PM. Waited in yet another line for 1.5 hours. Everyone was being booked on alternate airlines.
Was able to get onto an American Airline flight to Paris. Went to check in at AA and was told we were not booked Paris to Florence. Back again to AF (mind you, these are separate terminals and we had to take shuttle bus each time). AF said not to worry we were definitely booked for Florence 9 said AA could not see their computer screens (??).
Get to Paris and was told we were not booked for Florence. Were told that because we went AA, out electronic ticket changed to paper and that we were given paper tickets in Boston. We were not given anything but AF did not believe us. Wanted to charge us to reticket us. At this point I lost it and said it was unacceptable. They eventually did get us on the flight.
However, we missed the first day of our vacation with no compensation for that. I am now trying to get confirmation from AF that the original flight was canceled so that my trip insurance will cover the missed hotel night. You cannot speak to the Comsumer Relations people at AF. You have to request this in writing. I have faxed my request but still have not had a response.
They were totally disorganized and quite discourteous and I hope to never use them again.
Got off, waited for luggage and then waited for about another 2 hours in line to be given a hotel room. Told flight would probably leave at 6:30 p.m. next day and were given an 800 number to call in the AM.
Come AM, cannot get answer on the 800 number - "All agents are busy - call back later" In the meantime had to call Italy and let hotel know we would be a day late (were charged for the missed night). Had to call rental car agency, etc. Went back to the terminal to speak to someone at AF. Eventually found out that the 6:30 flight was also canceled - it MIGHT leave at 8PM. Waited in yet another line for 1.5 hours. Everyone was being booked on alternate airlines.
Was able to get onto an American Airline flight to Paris. Went to check in at AA and was told we were not booked Paris to Florence. Back again to AF (mind you, these are separate terminals and we had to take shuttle bus each time). AF said not to worry we were definitely booked for Florence 9 said AA could not see their computer screens (??).
Get to Paris and was told we were not booked for Florence. Were told that because we went AA, out electronic ticket changed to paper and that we were given paper tickets in Boston. We were not given anything but AF did not believe us. Wanted to charge us to reticket us. At this point I lost it and said it was unacceptable. They eventually did get us on the flight.
However, we missed the first day of our vacation with no compensation for that. I am now trying to get confirmation from AF that the original flight was canceled so that my trip insurance will cover the missed hotel night. You cannot speak to the Comsumer Relations people at AF. You have to request this in writing. I have faxed my request but still have not had a response.
They were totally disorganized and quite discourteous and I hope to never use them again.
Jun 8th, 2006, 11:52 AM
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>>Come AM, cannot get answer on the 800 number - "All agents are busy - call back later" <<
You got better service than we did. About 4 years ago, they sent our luggage elsewhere. We called their 800 number (we were in France), got the "all agents busy - please wait" message - but finally we got an agent. They had not found our luggage yet. Early the next morning, we called the 800 number again, and we got only a busy signal. This lasted for 4 hours. Finally, we drove to the local airport, and they had found our luggage - but never notified us that they had found it.
In less than 2 weeks, we'll be in San Quirico visiting our friends who have a home there.
Stu Dudley
You got better service than we did. About 4 years ago, they sent our luggage elsewhere. We called their 800 number (we were in France), got the "all agents busy - please wait" message - but finally we got an agent. They had not found our luggage yet. Early the next morning, we called the 800 number again, and we got only a busy signal. This lasted for 4 hours. Finally, we drove to the local airport, and they had found our luggage - but never notified us that they had found it.
In less than 2 weeks, we'll be in San Quirico visiting our friends who have a home there.
Stu Dudley
