Hotel Alternatives – a boutique Guest House in Florence with a Spa!

With an incredible choice of places to stay in Florence, we hope to bring you just a small selection of these on the Florence Italy Hotel blog, with the aim to provide a simple and comprehensive overview of some of the notable places to stay in the city.

Relais di Lorenzo

The term “Relais” is a little bit of a mystery. It is not an official hotel classification in the same way that the hotel one to five category star rating is applied. Essentially the Relais name is used by accommodation providers as a commercial classification to market their property. Sometimes you can also find a Relais Hotel, but in these cases the owner should also have an official hotel star categorization, and is probably using the name Relais by choice, to position the hotel among people that just go looking for Relais accommodation. Confused? Don’t be, if you’re English a Relais is a bit like a guest house and if you’re not, the key message is that at a Relais you are likely find the same services you’d find in a hotel, but at a much lower price!

With that said, here’s our first Relais: The Relais di Lorenzo is housed inside an historic villa of the second half of the 19th century. Its location near the Fortezza da Basso, puts the hotel in a quiet neighbourhood which, while away from the main historic centre, is not so far as to make you feel out of Florence city. In fact, a leisurely 10-15 minute walk will bring you up close with the impressive Duomo.

The Private Garden Suite

There are a series of junior and themed suites which combine the traditional charm of Florentine style, with modern comforts – a mix of old and new, beautifully presented. What is different about the Relais is the fact that it offers a range of beauty and therapeutic treatments that you can enjoy during your stay.

What they say…

Booking.com

• Good Location and the availability of free bicycles to travel around in Florence.
• great rooms, almost too big for one person, conveniently located near the exhibition ground.

TripAdvisor

• I stayed for 1 night in a splendid double rooms which had 5 different areas and was stylishly decorated and had many comforts, including an espresso coffee machine, air-conditioning, and in-room hydro-massage. Very big breakfast and very friendly staff (translated).

Bedrooms at the Relais di Lorenzo are exquisitely presented

Rooms
The Relais di Lorenzo really gives hotels in Florence a run for their money, there’s a lovely quality and finish to the rooms, and the themed rooms really give you option to add some glamour to your stay in Florence.

Garden Suite
The Garden Suite features a private courtyard all your own. Secluded and tucked away the suite itself features a modern four-poster bed which is beautifully finished. There are also a choice of 16 types of pillow to ensure a comfortable sleep! Where some hotels give you a kettle, the Relais di Lorenzo provides espresso coffee machines, a mini-bar, microwave and all standard features of a hotel, such as an in-room safe, satellite tv, free wifi. The bathroom is finished in marble and guests in this suite can access easily the wellness centre that is open 24 hours a day where the Jacuzzi pool, hydro-massage and turkish baths are at your disposal.

Fireplace Suite
The main feature of this suite is an elegant French fireplace dating back to 1800. The suite is beautifully finished with a super elegant ceiling and fittings to the highest standard. Rooms come with the same level of in-room services as found in the garden suite and there is easy access to the Wellness centre.

Scenes from the Fireplace Suite

Whirlpool Suite
Frescoes on the ceiling, a 4-poster bed with drapes, and a classic and yet modern finish is what defines the whirlpool suite, all finished in white. Of course, there is also a private whirlpool!! Guests can also expect to find the pillow menu and its 16 flavours available for guests perusal to guarantee a restful sleep.

Double Comfort Room
The Double Comfort room is a large room of twenty-five metres squared and is the ideal solution for guests needing a bit of extra space. This room features a queen size bed, vaulted ceiling and a panoramic shower.

Junior Suite
The Junior Suite are for those guests that like to have a little more space that a double room. The beds are king-size and the rooms have frescoed ceilings.

Location
Just like the four star hotel Lorenzo il Magnifico the Relais di Lorenzo is on the outskirts of Florence. It’s still within walking distance of the city, and there are regular buses that will take you into town in less than 5 minutes. The area is nice as it is essentially residential [read, no loud noises as you'll find in the centre as people go our to enjoy themselves in the summer months]. Nearby to the Fortezza, if you’re coming for business or looking to attend one of the annual crafts festivals, such as the Mostra Internazionale dell’Artigianato, you can reach the main display halls in 2 minutes by foot.

Another benefit of staying out of town is parking. While the whole of Florence is tightly controlled by parking zones that rival those found in London, the Relais does provide guests with their own private parking for free ( a saving of up to Euro 30 a day) The hotel is easily reached from the main motorway, the A1, or from the main airport if you’re picking up a hire car.

The Relais provides free bicycles for its guests, and this is by far the most enjoyable way anyone can explore Florence. The city of Florence is also being transformed slowly into a series of bicycle priority lanes and, as the centre of town has a restricted access, you can really enjoy Florence in this way.

Promotions

• Book 3 weeks in Advance for a 10% discount
  More information here
• Book directly through the website for 5% discount
  More information here
• Family Promotion, children up to 17 year’s of age stay for free
  More information here
• Stay for 6 nights and get one free
  More information here
• 5% off if you Stay for more than 2 nights
  More information here

The Relais di Lorenzo is a guest house of a superior standard. Guests can expect for find comfort and attention to detail in any of the rooms, and a location which places it in a tucked away part of Florence. Easy to reach if you’re arriving by car, but equally accessible if you’re arriving by train, this is a special kind of Guest house, to be discovered and enjoyed. Think of it as you own personal villa in Florence. For more information about the Relais di Lorenzo, please visit their website.

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.

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.