Patti11

We will be flying into Florence and are looking for a good location to stay while seeing the areas. Not anything too expensive. I saw a recommendation for the Hotel Porta Faenza in Florence. The website look nice, but, I'm not sure where it is located within Florence. Would that be a good choice for first time visitors to the area? Are there other options that would work? Thanks ~

LJ

The Hotel Porta Faenza is very well-located, IMHO...it is near enough to Santa Maria Novello train/bus station to walk, but far enough away that you are out of the crowds. Several good restaurants in the area which is semi-residential.

But, I will let others chime in, because I do know that one person's 'delightfully quiet' is another person's too far from the activity'!

zoecat

I think we need more details (at least, I do). What areas are you interested in seeing (just Florence?)? How many people? What is your hotel/apartment budget per night? Will you be driving?

The hotel you mention is in an okay area- not the most central though. I would not stay in that area.

Patti11

It will just be my husband and I. Mid-50's. We plan on staying 4 or more days in the area. We can be flexible.We are talking about getting a car. But, that is another decision as to WHEN. As soon as we arrive or wait. We have not set up a specific itinerary yet. A few places we have heard are interesting are Siena, San Gimignano, and Lucca. I know there are many more out there to see. We would love to visit a local winery. I need to do more research on that.

PeaceOut

We liked the Relais Cavalcanti a lot. Its location is excellent. http://www.relaiscavalcanti.com/

Here are my notes about it:

"We took a short cab ride to the Relais Cavalcanti. a very charming little 'hotel', at Via Pellicceria, 2. It occupies one floor of a building located near the Uffizi gallery, in a very good central location. Because my daughter had just finished her semester in Florence, she was able to recommend her favorite location in town for lodging.__

The Relais Cavalcanti building has been in the same family's ownership for 100+ years, the owner/manager of the new-ish Relais is Francesca. She said she inherited this one floor of the building, so she recently renovated it to create a little hotel. It's relatively new, with beautiful tile bathrooms, showers, etc. The rooms are very charming, and good-sized. __

You have the feeling of entering a very nice, private Italian home, when you unlock the Relais door and smell the potpourri set out on the beautiful tables in the hallway and entry way. It has a small elevator and a/c, too. No breakfast is served, but even better I think is that they have a beautiful little dining room/kitchen that is open 24/7 for guests. You have always available the makings for coffee, hot chocolate and tea, plus containers of pre-wrapped pastries and dessert cakes. That's about as much as you get in any Italian B&B for breakfast, and this way you can serve yourself whenever. __

One evening we bought wine, cheese, bread, and fruit and enjoyed our own private time in this beautiful room. The only thing to be aware of at Relais Cavalcanti is that the first floor of the building is the Old Stove Irish pub. The good news is that it's a decent little place for panini, and has free wi-fi. However, it attracts a lot of students and young people, so it is quite noisy into the early morning hours. Our room window was directly above the pub's patio, with a nice view of adjoining rooftops. The double windows, plus the wooden shutters, can block out about 90 percent of the noise from the pub below. I found that I could also turn on the a/c fan in our room, which would then totally cover any outside noise. __

Francesca also cautions her prospective guests that she does not staff a 24/7 front desk. She is there during posted hours, mostly till 6 p.m., and has an emergency number on the door. But she is careful to tell guests that hers is not a hotel with full-services at night-time. I highly recommend the Relais Cavalcanti."

Patti11

PO - Thanks for the website. I will check it out. And, the Old Stove Irish Pub sounds interesting. But, not in the AM I would guess if you are trying to sleep. : )

zoecat

With only 4 days, it sounds like staying in Florence and taking the bus to Siena and San Gimignano and the train to Lucca would be best. You could also hire a driver for a day to take you to some nice, small villages and a winery.

Here are some hotel/B&B options in Florence that I think are not too expensive-

http://www.proconsolo.com/
http://www.florencegrandtour.com/index.php
http://www.rentinginitaly.com/villa/bbpiazza/
http://www.touristhouseghiberti.com/eng/01-home.html
http://www.residenzailvillino.com/index.cfm
http://www.hotelporcellino.eu/
http://www.hotelcestelli.com/
http://www.hotelbalcony.com/en/rooms.htm
http://www.hotelsantacroce.it/12,12.html
http://www.sanlorenzohotel.it/rooms.php
http://www.bbrepubblica.com/index.html
http://www.ilsalottodifirenze.it/en/index.php

This one is rated #1 on Trip Advisor and is very nice-
http://www.hoteldavanzati.it/

Apartments in Florence-
http://www.residenzailcarmine.com/

Patti11

WOW. Thanks Zoecat. I will do my home work and get back to you. And, as for staying 4 days in the Florence area. For now, that is our guess until we firm up our travel plans. Which are very sketchy right now.

kybourbon

I wouldn't stay as far out as the Hotel Porta Faenza. I like to be a bit more central. Most of zoecat's list seem to be central although I've heard Hotel Porcellino can be noisy. Between the train station and the Duomo you might try
http://www.allorobb.it/Eng/index.html

cybertraveler

Hi,
I agree with PeaceOut above. We have stayed at the Relais Cavalcanti twice, and I highly recommend it. You will get the true flavor of Florence, and rooms are clean and well-maintained. Anna & Francesca are very helpful. It is centrally located so that it's easy to walk to most areas of interest, and the rates are reasonable.
My husband and I visited last summer; we rented a car and drove to Siena and San Gimignano among other places. It was a fantastic trip, and you might enjoy our report:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...great-trip.cfm
I hope this is helpful. Have a wonderful time!

love_travel11

We stayed at Hotel Scoti a couple of years back and had a great time. The hotel is centrally located - a very short walk to the cathedral, museum etc. The hotel itslef is an old italian house and feels wonderful. The host is extremely friendly and patient and helped us with all our questions and the place is not expensive at all. Hope this helps. Have a great time!

Zerlina

What do you mean by "Florence/Tuscany areas"? If you want to spend time in the historic center of Florence, the Hotel Porta Faenza is not very centrally located.

If you want to explore Tuscany, which is 8,880 sq mi in area, it hardly matters where you stay in Florence.

Patti11

Thanks for all the input. We do have more research to do to set up our "game plan" for our trip. I'll be back with more questions.... soon. Hope everyone has a great "holiday" weekend. Cheers ~

PeaceOut

Here's a link to my trip report, which includes some restaurants and our day-trip to San G. via bus.

PeaceOut

Florence-- http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...2&tid=34813784

Mimar

Central Florence does not make a good base for daytrips by car. And, in Florence, the Centro Storico is where you want to stay. Driving in central Florence is very restricted and there are one-way streets. We periodically see posts by unhappy travelers who got a ticket in central Florence and been tracked down via their car rental company (which charges them for the favor).

But you can see a lot by bus and train. On the other hand, if you really want a car to poke around hilltop Tuscan villages, stay outside Florence and make a daytrip in. This sounds like it might be more to your liking.