Four Seasons Florence

100   Recommended
November 8, 2008 by EXPERT

 Map | 9 Reviews | 56% Recommended
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Four Seasons Hotel Firenze
 Map | 9 Reviews | 56% Recommended

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Room

The room was also a disappointment at first compared to the green-tinged one on the website - what we had was all very nice but was nothing special, given the location.

The hotel is far from finished. The Conventino building, on the other side of the park, is still being furnished. However, I don't think you'll miss much. I was allowed to walk around and it is a fresco-free zone. There is not even a restaurant, only a breakfast room which is 10% as pretty as the beautiful Il Palagio restaurant in the hotel, which I didn't photograph. Unless the rooms themselves are something special, the Conventino bit seems to have little to offer especially as its a good 2 minute walk to the main building (not great in the rain). There is also a tiny coffee shop in the grounds which is not open yet.




Location

The gardens are fantastic and huge. In Summer, this will be a superb place to hang out, a real inner-city resort with its own private park. In Winter, though, its a trade off. You are a good 10-15 minutes walk (at a brisk pace) from the Rocco Forte Savoy Hotel, which is basically the centre of town. In Summer, the FS is a no-brainer. In Winter - having no idea of what the Savoy is like, of course! - you may want to think about it if you're not in good shape or don't like walking in rain.




Dining

The restaurant food is excellent, albeit it was lacking in customers! It seems to be after a Michelin star. The issue is that there is only one restaurant, apart from a very limited bar menu (and the bar is small so you're not certain of a seat). The hotel really seems to be crying out for a brasserie, especially as the formal restaurant is not great for children. They will knock up pizzas etc if you've got kids, but it is a VERY formal place for them to sit and eat. Waiting staff are, quite frankly, not yet up to speed. This was most telling at breakfast where they continually messed up our orders, took food to the wrong table or, in one case, delivered a missing basket of croissants and toast after we had finished and signed. Not good enough. The doors to / from the kitchen are also visible from around half of the tables.

It's also worth noting that the restaurant does not have a separate lunch menu. If you eat lunch in the hotel, you choose from the same menu that you get in the evening. I think this is a mistake, partly because you may simply want a change and partly because you get typical Michelin-style small portions (ie gnocchi with about 10 pieces of gnocchi) which is not necessarily what you want for lunch, especially if you only want one course.

Service

The staff are superb. Enough said. No complaints at all, although the concierge told me that the trains from Florence to Pisa were all regional trains with no first class - wrong (discovered too late!). The FS model of staff training and staff rotation (one of the doormen used to be a doorman at FS Hampshire, for example) continues to lead the industry.

Amenities

Easily the most beautiful internet room you will ever use!

Spa

Spa comes recommended by Ms Raffles. I didn't know they had a 365-day outdoor jacuzzi or I would have taken my trunks. I also didn't know the rooms had ipod docks. It would have been helpful to know this in advance or on the website.

Overall

'Good but not great' is the verdict, I think. To some extent, the hotel has oversold itself. In reality, despite all the pictures of frescos you see on the website, 80% (I guess) is in the top suites and the meeting rooms.

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