We booked a four night stay with DavidO, who I must say is an excellent TA, for four adults and one child. The FSPP benefits were a welcome amenity with a note from the General Manager, a one category upgrade subject to availability upon arrival, full American breakfast for two per day, and a €85 spa credit per room.

Pre-arrival
We did the usual pre-arrival arrangements through the concierge, which included a few dinner reservations as well as setting up a transfer from the airport and a few spa treatments. All communication were done via e-mail, and responses were usually fast. Other Four Season properties have a very strong Twitter presence, and while they responded to tweets, it was more a marketing tool than a way of planning or communicating.

A few weeks before our arrival I received an e-mail informing us that the spa facilities were relocated to rooms in the main building. We later learned that this also meant that the whirlpool would be closed, which was a big disappointment. As a compensation for this, our spa treatments were upgraded, which I considered a fair compensation, but it was still a shame we couldn't enjoy the whirlpool.

Transfer and check-in
After arriving at FLR and filling in a PIR report (transfer at CDG was only an hour and a half, of course our baggage didn't arrive properly) we met the driver just outside the baggage claim. He wasn’t properly dressed and didn’t have the correct signage either, which was explained to us was due to him being called in at the very last minute. He asked if it was OK, and apologized for not being very fluent in English. This wasn’t really what was promised, but he was so nice and charming that it didn’t really matter. As an example, he pointed out the Justice Palace for us, and followed up with “why we have a Justice Palace when there’s no justice in Italy, I will never understand.” The van was a standard Viano which was clean, but that was it. The driver made sure to call the hotel well in advance to make sure our arrival would be as smooth as possible.

After the most expensive 15 minute van ride I have ever experienced, the cost was €180 (Mercedes S Class transfer is €195 and Bentley Continental is €400), we arrived at the hotel where we were greeted and shown to the reception where we welcomed by the Reception Manager who told us she would be taking care of us for the first few days of our stay. As we waited for her to finish taking care of another guest, the head concierge came over and introduced himself and promised to handle our delayed baggage as it arrived.

Even though we arrived at 12:45 PM, both our rooms were ready and after an efficient check-in process, where the details of our FSPP benefits were explained, the Reception Manager showed us to our rooms.

Rooms
We had reserved two rooms, one lead-in Superior Room for my in-laws, and one Premier Room for my wife, daughter and myself. Upon check-in we were given a two level upgrade for both rooms. This meant my in-laws received a beautiful Premier Room, number 215, with a skylight and a view of the back portion of the gardens, while we were given a really nice Junior Suite, number 212. The Junior Suite had a long hallway, a huge bathroom, a walk-in closet and a spacious bedroom. Our view of the main part of the gardens was excellent, and we could also see the Duomo. Both rooms were well appointed, but I preferred the Junior Suite due to the fact that it had windows on both sides, allowing a lot of light to fill the room.




The hallway




Walk-in closet




Bedroom




Sitting area




The view


There was a big plate of fruit and a glass bottle of water together with a hand written note from the General Manager, Patrizio Cipollini, in both rooms. In the Junior Suite, there was also a bottle of above average sparkling wine, as well as popcorn for our daughter and two gift boxes from the spa. The fruit was replenished as needed throughout our stay, as was the popcorn.

One complaint I have seen about this hotel is from people who find the beds to be too hard. While I agree that they are definitely not soft, I found them to be very comfortable. I prefer a bed with proper support rather than one that's just too soft.

Bathroom
Our bathroom was simply amazing! It was very large, and had a huge shower, as well as a stand-alone bathtub with the most fantastic view. A good shower pressure is certainly not a given, no matter what level of hotel you're staying at, but we found the pressure and temperature here to be just as good as you wish it would be everywhere. Also, the rainfall shower head was great!




The entrance to the bathroom with a sitting area to get ready




Double vanities and a large mirror




Large shower




Bathtub with a view


Another huge advantage of the bathroom was that due to the fact it was located down the hall, past the walk-in closet, you could almost not hear someone taking a shower in the morning. This was great as we could get up and take a shower without our daughter waking up from the noise.

The Four Seasons Florence uses Lorenzo Villoresi bathroom amenities which we found to be excellent. We appreciated the fact that they used a local high end perfumer instead of the usual L'Occitane products.

Spa
As a retirement present, we had booked a Chianti Relax Massage for my father-in-law, which was upgraded from 50 to 75 minutes. My mother-in-law had opted for the back and neck massage which was upgraded to a full Swedish Massage. Both of them thought their massages were excellent, the Chianti Relax Massage was so good that my father in-law decided to do it again when it was offered for free as a compensation--more on this later.

Breakfast
We had breakfast in the restaurant every morning and tried different things each day, apart from the cold buffet. We found the quality to be very good, and the bacon was to die for. We simply could not get enough! I’ve had my fair share of bacon, but this was the best I have ever had. We had reserved a table for the first day, and the same table was waiting for us for the rest of our stay. When I called down the second day I was greeted with a “your table is already waiting for you mr. hannisen."

Everyone working in the restaurant for breakfast was very nice, but our server for three of the four mornings Nicola, was outstanding! We learned he had worked at Enoteca Pinchiorri for thirteen years, which helped explain why he was as good as he was. The first day when we came down for breakfast, he made my daughter’s day by calling her by her first name and giving her a Steffi doll.

Dinner
The main restaurant, Il Palagio, which has one star in Guide Michelin, was closed during our stay, so instead we had dinner in the less formal Atrium Lounge. Because Il Palagio was closed, a selection of their most popular dishes were offered, along with the full wine menu.

We started the evening off with drinks that were as beautiful to look at as they were enjoyable to drink. The Old Style Negroni was a big favorite, so big in fact that we asked the concierge to arrange all the necessary ingredients. After drinks, some of us ordered off the regular Atrium menu, while some ordered off the temporary Il Palagio menu. I opted for three courses from the Il Palagio menu, and I found everything to be well prepared and very good. Wish I had taken more photos, but I only have a single photo of the dessert:




Crunchy caramel bar with hazelnut ice cream


Service
The service at FS Florence was close to perfect. There were a few very minor issues our first day, but all of them were taken care of and we were compensated extremely well. I had a very nice talk to the Room Director about it, and she told me that when staying with them we, as well as them, expect things to be flawless. As they had failed to live up to this, they offered us two complimentary spa treatments of our choice. As I mentioned before, my father-in-law deiced to take her up on her offer, but instead of the second massage we asked if we could have the afternoon tea, and this was no problem at all.

We had also asked the concierge to locate a hard to find bottle of Villa Zarri brandy which we were buying as a gift. It took them a while to find the exact bottle that we were looking for, but they eventually succeeded. This was waiting for us on arrival in a nice box with some wrapping, a nice touch.

Everyone we were in contact with during our stay was extremely courteous and friendly, and all request were handled efficiently and always with a smile. I was greeted by name almost every time I interacted with any of the staff, even by members I didn’t remember meeting before, and they made us feel very welcome.

After being introduced to Mr. Cipollini, he always made a point of stopping and talking with us, and checking up on us during breakfast and dinner. I felt very fortunate to speak with him several times during our stay, including when we were leaving, and he is one of the most humble and gracious people I have had the pleasure of meeting.

Final thoughts
Four Season Florence lived up to my high expectations, and the service was better than I hoped it would be. For us, the location was very good as it was a very quiet and peaceful part of the city, but we are comfortable walking a lot. I imagine some people would think it’s a bit too far removed. We also found the private park to be excellent to just wander around to unwind.


A pond in the gardens

Would we stay here again? Without a doubt! If we were to go back to Florence, we probably wouldn’t even consider any other hotel, and the biggest reason for that would be the staff. When you have amazing service together with a fantastic hard product you’ve got something special.