My wife and I are celebrating my 60th this September in Florence/Tuscany. We are looking for that perfect luxury hotel in Florence for 4/5 nights and in Tuscany, to serve as our base for exploring the countryside for the next 4/5 days. Any recommendations are appreciated.

LHW.COM, tripadvisor.com

Villa San Michele - Fiesole

Are you going to be exploring Tuscany by driving a car yourselves? If so, staying in central Florence is not ideal as parking is hard to find and if provided by the hotel, very expensive. That may not matter to you if you are looking for a luxury hotel, but it can increase the per diem price significantly. Also, driving in and out of Florence twice a day and dealing with traffic isn't very relaxing. The Villa San Michele is gorgeous and has free parking. Since it is in Fiesole, you won't have to deal with Florence traffic. The Hotel Torre Belosoguardo is another option. But if you want to explore the Tuscan countryside, I would stay in the countryside and make a daytrip to Florence.

Congrats on your 60th. If you can afford both a luxury hotel in Firenze AND a driver, go for it. If you can't afford both, book a less expensive but still fine hotel and spend the savings on a driver.

Don't use Firenze as a base if you intend to drive yourself.