I am travelling to Florence in March, 2002 and would like some recommendations regarding reasonable hotels in the city. I don't care if they are particularly fancy but I do appreciate a certain degree of ambience but also comfortable, safe rooms. If you have recently stayed in a hotel that you would recommend, please let me know!<BR><BR>Thanks for your help!!<BR><BR>Donna

I recommend you assemble a list form the follwing resources, depending on your budget goal(s):<BR><BR>A list, from Expedia magazine, mentioned in the following post: <BR><BR>http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessages.jsp?fid=2&tid=1290481<BR><BR>Fodors Rants'n'Raves - - on THIS website<BR><BR>www.karenbrown.com<BR><BR>and perhaps one of the nost useful of all (for everything BUT opinions on these hotels) - - www.venere.com - - where you can check actual availability for the dates you need, see where the hotel is, on a map (if they include the one you want on their system) - - and book it, in complete confidence.<BR><BR>Other services do exist - - like www.itwg.com for example - - but I think that www.venere.com is almost always the place to start.<BR><BR>On my recent trip to Florence (the Fodorites' fall trip to Italy), we stayed at the Hotel Giada, and I give it a C+/B- - - you could do better, you could do worse.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

Dear Donna, after my opinion a very good solution is Hotel Cimabue, a very charming 2 stars hotel into an ancient Liberty palace: very sweet atmosphere. Fare is about 105 euro.<BR>I liked it very much.<BR>Ciao, buon viaggio.<BR>

The Hotel Cimabue does look charming. But how is it without a/c in the summertime-they provide fans, but do they help at all??

Thanks.

topping

You said you were going in March. March isn't summer or hot at all. You may even need a light jacket in the evening. July and August are very hot. I wouldn't recommed taking a room w/out ac in those months. We had an apartment in Florence for the month of August without ac and it was brutally hot. I would say to look at all the websites Rex gave you.

Actually I am the one who is asking about Hotel Cimabue having electric fans in summertime if they are effective as the hotel has no a/c yet.

This is an old post that someone else started last year and that person has already visited Florence.

Sorry, I read to fast. I wouldn't count on fans working in the heat of Florence in the summer. You need relief from the heat of walking around. Most stores aren't air conditioned and the museums are minimally air conditioned.

What about the Hotel Croce Di Malta?
Is anyone familiar with this hotel?
There never seems to be a response when
someone asks about it. It gets rated as a 4 star on most web sites, but I would like to know if it is ok or really terrible. I am booked there for Oct. on a prepaid package which cannot be changed.
Thanks a lot,
Molly

Molly,
I stayed there 3 weeks ago and I appreciated it very much, first of all, the fine yard.
have a nice trip.