Property
I’m a little embarrassed to be recommending the 3-star Florence hotel which was supposed to be the “budget property” in our Italian itinerary. But this hotel ticked all of the boxes so perfectly that we ended up preferring it to many of the far more expensive hotels we’ve visited in the past.

Location
The hotel advertises the fact that it’s a 10-minute walk from the S.M. Novella train station, but we actually found that everything is within walking distance in Florence. It was a 5-minute walk to the San Lorenzo Market, 10 minutes to the Duomo, 15 to the Ponte Vecchio… even the Boboli Gardens and other attractions on the other side of the river could be easily reached on foot.

Sleeps
5 (extra large room with a double bed, plus a double sofa bed, plus a twin bed… this is a European hotel room?!)

Highlights
From the large room to the attentive staff to the attractive common spaces, everything about this hotel was a pleasant surprise. It’s neither glamorous nor extravagant, but it is well located, well laid out, and perfect for a family stay.

Good to know
Florence streets have separate numbering systems for commercial and residential properties (red for the former, black for the latter). A failure to grasp this important fact can result in far too much time spent wandering up and down small streets with a wheely bag in one hand and a cranky, hungry child in the other. You can thank me later.

Contact
www.hotelportafaenza.it

June 11th, 2008 | by Rebecca Tompkins