Message: Hi:<BR><BR>I'm planning a trip to Florence and I'm planning on staying at the Hotel Viva Alexander, which says it is 3.5 km (about 2 miles) from the Historic Center, in the Novoli area. Is anybody familiar with the hotel? Any recommendations (for a 3 or 4* hotel, less than $120) are appreciated. What would be the best way to get to the Historic Center from the hotel. Any idea on how much a cab fare would be?<BR><BR>Thanks in advance,<BR><BR>Enrique<BR><BR>

If you want to be near the sotes, check out hotel casci (www.hotelcasci.com), it's 2* but great for the price. Immaculately clean, convenient, quiet and run by the friendliest family, also inexpensive. do a text search on casci for lots of comments.

ATAF buses go everywhere in Firenze and there are daily, two days, three days and weekly passes with prices ranging from around 4 euros up to 12 euros that will allow you to go everywhere within the city with no furter expense.<BR>http://www.ataf.net/Default_EN.asp

May I ask why you chose a hotel so far out of Florence? Was it a deliberate decision not to stay in the city center, or are you still open to suggestions? It can't just be a matter of saving money because you mention cab fares which will certainly add up.<BR><BR>The hotel Casci mentioned above has been very popular on this forum. You can also do a search here for Florence Hotel--use the search box above, click on Italy, then on Find.<BR>Florence is small, but there are many hotel choices as long as you book in advance. <BR>also look for hotels at<BR>www.venere.it

Why to chose a hotel outside the center of Florence.<BR><BR>There are a few good reasons. In first place because the center of Florence is a madhouse during the day and almost deserted during the night. Secondly becuse hotels outside the center are usually cheaper and a bus will take you everywhere with but a few euro so the overall expense is always less than staying in the center. In third place because Firenze is not only the center, there are bunches of places and things to see outisde the center of Firenze (as long as you keep shy of Nuovo Pignone plants). Finally: do you know that less and less people are living in Florence? An ever inclresing number of people are moving from Florence to the surrounding villages (getting as far as Pistoia, some 40 Km from Firenze) because the city is growing more and more costly and more and more crowded with tourists. In a few years Florence might end up like Venice: a huge open-air museum with no life at all inside the city, except for tourists. How sad that would be!

Thank you, A T, now I know your reasons.<BR>But I still don't know ebrener's.

Hi:<BR><BR>Thank you all for your responses. The main reason was because for the price, it seems like a very good value for a hotel even if it is not in the center of town (3 kms doesn't strike me as far out of town either)...In general, I prefer to stay at a higher quality hotel if I can, that's the reason we chose it (being a 4* hotel for that price)...<BR><BR>Thanks again!

Elaine<BR><BR>These were not my own reasons, these were general considerations. If you wnat my own reasons for stayinf in a hotel off the center of Florenc I can give you none because if I were to be in florence I would sleep at my boyfriend's home in Pistoia ^___^