Fodor's Expert Review Hotel Continentale Firenze

Part of the Lungarno Group – one of four fabulous riverside hotels owned by the prestigious fashion house Ferragamo – Continentale is chic and sleek boutique that leans into the concept of Dolce Vita (taking pleasure in life) with a late 1950s sensibility. Throughout the hotel, guests will find starkly white walls with contrasting colored mod-furnishings, and pop-art to go alongside. Classy and cool, this hotel will inspire you to dress, eat, and play like the fashionable Italian you always dreamed of being.

room

White on white rooms with light wood floors continue the hotel’s motif as large beds are bathed in Tuscan light bouncing off the river just outside. Rooms have extra large beds, flat-screen TVs, and Bose Bluetooth sound systems.

If you book a suite, you’ll have in-room coffee makers.

bathroom

Wood-floored bathrooms are surrounded by white-tiled walls and have decadent rain showers. Mirrors are well-lit and brutally honest and bath products are courtesy of the Ferragamo family themselves.

lobby

The slick lobby has a live video projected on the wall of the Ponte Vecchio, which is just outside the hotel. If you ride up one floor in the enormous elevator (FYI: the elevator has a teal-cushioned banquet and you can take a selfie while riding up), you’ll end up at the Sala Bianco, a relaxing living room with white banquets and old, fashion-based portraits hanging on the walls.

spa

The White Iris Spa is open from noon to 8pm, has three treatment rooms (one for couples) and offers a bevy of services like massages, facials, body wraps, and more. There’s also a sauna to help sweat out a long day of sightseeing.

After a massage, check out the relaxation room that has comfy loungers and a front-row seat for people-watching on the Ponte Vecchio just below.

gym

There isn't an actual gym, but the hotel offers various personal training sessions which can take you on excursions throughout the city and beyond.

dining

There's no formal restaurant here, but the rooftop bar La Terrazza is home to the hotel’s bountiful breakfast and finger foods to go with the long list of alcohol options.

drinking

On the roof, La Terrazza is the perfect people-watching spot with views of the Ponte Vecchio below. A never-ending cocktail menu gives guests the perfect excuse to wile away the day under the yellow Tuscan sun.