Bed and Breakfast Villa in Florence

Welcome to a luxury B&B!

The Relais Villa Antea is a luxury bed and breakfast villa in Florence. I repeat, a luxury bed and breakfast villa. It only has six rooms, so you can expect an exceptionally high level of service.

If you thought that b&b’s were places where just students or travellers kipped down for a cheap night as an alternativee to a hotel, it’s time to rewrite the rule book.

In Rome Gli Artisti is setting a new trend in contemporary stylish bed and breakfasts of a difference, while in Florence, the city of art and culture, Villa Antea provides a luxurious location from which to enjoy the best of Florence, without all the hotel pomp and cerimony. If you’re looking for a friendly, peaceful and unique lodging experience, this could be the villa for you.

Despite the fact that it is actually classified officially as a Relais, TripAdvisor have it in placed nine out of all the 553  hotels in Florence. That’s a clear indication that something is going very well for the guests!

Here are a few choice comments….

• “…we were looking for something authentic which offered uniqueness, charm and character. We found all 3 and more in Villa Antea.”
• “I must admit that I hesitate to write my review on the Villa Antea. Only because my girlfriend (now fiance’) and I had such an incredible time, that we want to keep it our little secret.”
• “We had an amazing time at villa antea, it’s a really beautiful place to stay and the perfect location from which to explore Florence”

Breakfast at the Villa Antea

Location
Like the Soggiorno Stibbert the Villa Antea is a short walk from the centre of town. As said in other posts, this is a definate plus when visiting Florence for the first time. The centre of town is bella, wonderful and simply magical BUT in the summer months you might feel you are more in a theme park.

It is great to be able to get back to a you place away from the noise and commotion. Florence is a small town – by foot you can reach the centre of town in 15 minutes, or just take the bus, just a minutes walk from the Villa. If you’re visiting Florence for one of its annual trade shows, like the Artisan festival or Pitti Uomo, the Villa is perfectly positioned, just a few minutes walk from the main Fortezza da Basso. [show location on Google Maps]

Deluxe Bedrooms at the Villa Antea

Rooms

Offering six large double rooms each is decorated in a classical Tuscan style with silk tapestries, period paintings and antiques. If you have mobility problems, the ground floor bedroom has been specially fitted to allow guests easy access. The bathrooms are finished beautifully in Carrara marble and for the more English among travellers, the Junior Suite actually has a bath.

Promotions

• Stay for two or more nights in a Superior rooms and you’ll get free museum tickets.
  More information here
• Book through their website for 5-10% discount on the published price.
  More information here
• Last minute deal – If you’re coming to Florence in the next 6 days, you might be eligible for a 20% discount.
  More information here

The Villa Antea represents a unique, small and discreet villa, ideal for romantic short breaks to the very special city of Florence. Equally it is suited to those travelers seeking high quality style without all the commotion of the centre of town.  If you’d like to read more about the villa, please visit Villa Antea’s official website.

Welcome to Relais Villa Antea – Florence

Experience the intimacy of life in a turn of the century Florentine pied-a-terre. This luxuriously appointed Villa Antea was built in 1903 amid even older poplar and lime trees shading one of the cities most charming neighborhoods. Surrounded by antiques, precious tapestries and 21st centuries amenities – this is a truly unique and unforgettable place to spend a delightful holiday in Florence.

Like a luxury b&b relais, Villa Antea has an outside courtyard to have tea and cocktails when coming back from the charming atmospheres of the center of Florence.

4 star hotel near to Florence’s principle train station

A “borgo” is an Italian way of describing a little hamlet, which you might find if you were travelling by horseback in the countryside of a Robin Hood era. A closed off and isolated from the elements spot where from which to enjoy time to yourself or time with friends.

However, in the case of Palazzo Dal Borgo Hotel Aprile (Palace of the family Borgo, Hotel Aprile),  the name denotes the family ancestry of the building, even if on the inside it also conforms to the Italian definition of “borgo”.

What they say (Trip Advisor)

• 3 unforgetable days/nights in Florence at the end of June. Excellent location within walking distance to all of the main monuments.
• Awesome hotel in an incredible city
• Helpful staff, charming building, spacious room
• Three nights turned into ten nights!

Location
If you’re going to be arriving at Santa Maria Novella main train station in Florence, the hotel is perfectly positioned to be found easily. It’s just 2 minutes walk from the train station, around one corner and you’ve arrived. No taxi, no bus, nothing, just pick up your bags and in the time it takes for you to be amazed at architecture around you, you’ll have arrived! Easy. [Location of Hotel Aprile on Google Maps]

Four Poster style at the Hotel Aprile

Rooms
The hotel has a total of thirty-four rooms which, it must be said, look simply divine. While some have four-poster beds, others featured frescoed ceilings and others give views over the beautiful Santa Maria Novella Church. To complete the luxury, all the bathrooms are in marble. Like the Soggiorno Stibbert guests can expect to find tea and coffee making facilities in their rooms, which are replenished on a daily basis. International TV (satellite, pay-per-view), aircon, free wifi, slippers, hairdrier, and free cots for families are inclusive of the four star service of this hotel.

Services:

• Lift
• Courtyard garden
• 24 hours concierge
• American bar
• All Major credit cards accepted
• Pets allowed – no charge
• Museum reservations (It is advisable to book well in advance)
• Restaurant reservations
• Tours
• Baby sitting*
• Car rental service
• Parking Nearby

The Secret Garden of the Hotel April

The Secret Garden

After a day spent either wandering Florence’s historic streets and visiting monuments by foot, such as the Duomo (2mins), Ponte Vecchio (5 mins), Accademia (5mins), or shopping in Florentine institutions such as Rinascente, or coming back from a day trip in one of the surrounding towns such as Lucca, Arezzo or Siena, the secret garden provides a welcome and peaceful retreat from which to enjoy a gin and tonic, fine wine, or soft drink.

Promotions

• Returning guests – become eligible to enjoy a day or weekend trip on a 43ft boat moored in Porto Santo Stefano!
• Last minute deals and offers presented during a reservation enquiry.

Visit the website of the Hotel Aprile, for more information.

4 Stars across the board for Diana Park

Diana Park Hotel Florence

The Diana Park Hotel is a 4 star luxury hotel placed equal distance from the Fortezza da Basso in Florence and Florence’s historical centre.

Exhibiting the classic lines of a traditional Florentine town house from the 1800s, the hotel oozes charm and an internal finish that represents the best of old-world Tuscan style.

Tripadvisor guests attest:

• Nice Triple room with great breakfast and good staff.
• We felt really comfortable in this hotel upon arrival till departure.
• Good Hotel, great continental breakfast, free WiFi, solid and professional.
• Central but queit location.

A consistent theme among these reviews is of a: professional staff, friendly service and good location. Another bonus is that the hotel has its own parking area which for a reasonable price (€15.00 daily, half what you’ll be charged in the centre) can take the headache out of Florence’s major problem, it’s lack of free parking spaces!

The hotel has just twenty-six rooms which means that you won’t find a queue everytime you want to hop down to the concierge to ask for information, and there won’t be droves of people cluttering up the beautiful open spaces for the guests. You get a personal service.

With cherry wood furniture used throughout the Diana Park hotel, chests of drawers and armchairs, soft carpets and drapes provide a warming backdrop to relax in. [View location of the Diana Park Hotel on Google Maps]

Rooms
It’s a four star hotel, and as a consequence a mini-bar, free internet connection, satellite TV, and an electronic safe are standard in all rooms. In addition rooms come with complimentary beauty products and baby cots are available if needed. Other features include:

• Reception opened 24/7
• Free newspapers
• Room service (7.00 AM – 11.00 PM)
• Nearby Parking
• Multilingual staff
• Lift
• Fast Check-out
• Laundry service
• Dry laundry service
• Air conditioning in common areas and rooms.

Offers and promotions

• a long stay discount of 10% on places stays of more than 3 days.
• book directly through their website (IE not through booking.com etc) and you’ll get a 5% discount
• book last minute and get a 10% discount on the rate.
  Read all the hotel’s offers here

For more information about the Diana Park Hotel, visit their website.

Soggiorno Stibbert

Florence B&B Relais Soggiorno Stibbert

A short walk of fifteen minutes from the centre of Florence can be found a small, discreet and personal Bed and Breakfast that is quietly generating a converted following among budget travellers.  Comments from the popular travel review website, Trip Advisor, add futher weight to the growing interest in this liberty style Bed & Breakfast.

• “Superior in the extreme…”
• “Fascinating Soggiorno Stibbert…”
• “Welcoming and friendly to the highest degree…”
• “Our adoptive Tuscan family…”
  * translated from Italian reviews….

So, what makes the Soggiorno Stibbert a special place for it’s guests?

Location
First of all, it’s location is quite special because in the summer months in Florence, apart from the usual access restrictions in the centre for cars (hotel’s do have an arrangement that mean that their guests do not have to pay to come into the centre, but it will mean that you need to find somewhere to park the car, which usually means accepting the high prices of private parking options provided by hotels in the centre) the Soggiorno Stibbert is free from this restriction, and there is parking nearby at a greatly reduced price to that of its centre of town competitors.

It’s within walking distance of three main points of focus in the city. First the Fortezza da Basso, which includes the Palazzo dei Congressi, and where some of the city’s most important congresses and trade shows take place every year.  Second, it is near (5 minutes) from the main hospital district of Careggi, a district in itself which combines a university, one of Italy’s premier Children’s hospitals, Meyer (Ospedale Pediatrico Meyer) and a fully operational hospital service. It’s one of Italy’s biggest.  Lastly the Soggiorno Stibbert is 15 minutes walk from the centre of town – the historic monuments of Florence including the Duomo of Firenze, Ponte Vecchio and the historic Piazza’s, such as Piazza della Signoria. [View location of Relais Stibbert on Google Maps]

Relais Stibbert - Special Breakfasts

What’s the B&B got that others have not?

• A superb breakfast full of homemade pastries, cereals juices and an expresso that would make the average Italian sit up and take note.
• At the weekends you can stay out late and won’t miss the breakfast which runs right the way through to midday.
• As the owners say, it’s your B&B, so take the key and let yourself in.
• If you’re coming to Florence on a tight budget there’s a Full board option (under arrangement with a local restaurant) that will save you money (as other visitors will experience in in some of the tourist traps found in all major tourist cities of the World) and you’ll eat fantastically well too.
• You can surf the Internet from your room or the reading room, it’s wireless and it’s free.
• Pets are welcome, hooray.
• Free daily newspaper and a free drink on arrival.

Of course there’s all the usual services you’d usually associate with a hotel rather than a B&B (fax, photocopying, museum reservation service, local sights excursions), but the Soggiorno Stibbert also comes through a winner on these too. In fact the B&B’s reviews are so encouraging that we’re pretty pleased to have discovered it and brought it to you first on this blog.

Room Features
A B&B that is competing with those in the town centre, has to offer it’s guests so much more, and the Relais Stibbert doesn’t disappoint.

• Free wi-fi internet connection
• Air conditioning (individually controller)
• LCD TV
• Electric kettle (this is old style but it’s nice having tea under your control!)
• Minibar
• En-suite bathroom with shower stall or bathtub
• Free set with toothbrush and bedroom slippers
• High quality bed linen and towels
• Complementary bath and shower gels
• High-quality “sommier” beds
• Room adjustable Heating
• Private lounge (only Junior Suite)
• Private balcony gazing over the internal courtyard on request
• Extra beds available on request
• Daily room service

Promotions

• Longstay reservations are eligible for a 10% discount on the reservation.
• Last minute bookings are eligible for a special discount.
• Other relais stibbert special offers from the hotel can be found here.

We give the Relais Stibbert in Florence a big thumbs up.  Visit their website and decide for yourself whether it’s going provide a great base from which to take your holiday in Florence.

Hotel Casci Florence – The Best Cheap Hotel in Florence?

Photo of a bedroom at the Hotel Casci

Nearly 90% of all of Florence’s historical monuments can be found right in the centre of the city. It’s a small area, literally 20 minutes walk north, east, south and west of the beautiful Duomo of Santa Maria del Fiore.

If you’re travelling on a budget, this 2 star family run hotel has everything a traveller could wish for: decent digs, a hearty buffet breakfast and a cheap price (from E100 a night). [View location of hotel on Google Maps]

Everyone raves about it and I mean, that you just can’t find a bad review about them which means that they are doing something right.  You’ll struggle to find a two-star hotel in the centre of Florence that is just 150 metres from the Duomo, and a 10 minute walk from Michelangelo’s Davide.

You can find out more from their website

Hotel Casci
Via Cavour 13
50129 Firenze (FI), Italy

‎Telephone: +39 055 211 686
Fax: +39 055 239 6461‎
http://www.hotelcasci.com

email: info@hotelcasci.com