slawecki

venere has changed format. after florence, choose accomodations all types, and dig in there. make certain when you book you book for 4.

we once had a suite in the danieli. we brought in guests for a cocktails and snacks. about an hour, thee was a knock on the door. it was a room people counter from the hotel.

ShopAround

The lack of quads in Italy was explained to the OP in this thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...ly-france.html

Hopefully he's been able to find something in Florence to suit his needs.

slawecki

i did not see an explanation for lack of quads in that link. it was quite long, and i may have missed it.

A ROOM MUST BE LICENSED FOR 4 PEOPLE TO HAVE 4 PEOPLE IN IT. yeah caps. now in that link post, there were comments about children age waivers to make the 4. i do not know about that. i presume hilton knows more about italian hotel rules than i do, however, after years using the starwood web site, i would not accept anything they said as law........

dmanson

I did end up just booking now. I went with a boutique hotel that was highly recommended on TripAdvisor.

Hotel: PonteVecchio Suites
Address: Via De' Belfredelli, 9 Florence (FI)

I mapped it out and it's about a 10 minute walk to the statue of David, so I figure I'm pretty close to about everything then. It was an "Executive Suite" that had two rooms. They had a family special where they add two beds with the executive suite. So, they know I have four people coming and that's what the room is for.

I think I'll be happy based on the reviews. Thanks guys for your input. ^

FrAAmer

From one of my trip reports on Florence:

Two excellent dinners –

Baldovino
Via di San Giuseppe, 22
055 241773

Aqua al 2
Via dell'Acqua
055 284170

Two GREAT finds for sandwiches

The Oil Shoppe
Via S.Egidio, 22R
055 200 1092
They have a deal for a sandwich, fries and a water bottle for 5€ that can’t be beat. You order by the type of bread and assorted combinations, each more tempting than the next. An easy walk from the Duomo and a great find.

Antico Noe
Volta di San Piero, 6-red
055 2340838
A little harder to find, under an arched tunnel between two streets. Look for the VINO sign above the door, When we got there, the skies opened without warning and it began to pour! We could sit at the tables infront of the shop protected by the tunnel until the rain stopped. The #9 (with extra sundried tomatoes) could be the best sandwich I have ever had.

dmanson

Thank you FrAAmer, I will check those place out when I go! Sounds delicious!

FrAAmer

You are staying "oltrarno" and in a very cool area. You are also walking distance to:

Mama's Bakery
Via della Chiesa, 34-red, 50125 Firenze, Italy
+39 055 219214 ‎ · mamasbakery.it

A wonderful place!

If the weather is nice, the Boboli Gardens are a great too - as is the Piazza Michelangelo which has spectacular views of Florence.

idainc

I was finally able to book a trip to FLR on free seats in late October for 5 nights and depart MXP for the US.

We’re planning on visiting in addition to Florence, Siena & Pisa (& Livorno) . I can rent a car at FLR and stay for free at the Sheraton and park for free. They have a van to town for free we can take for maybe two days of the trip. The last day will be spent getting to a free hotel at MXP.

Two questions – My wife prefers to bring luggage and I’m trying to gauge whether to stay in town and take trains outside the city and to MXP or rent a car, stay outside the town, and drop it at MXP the night before we leave. I’ve never driven in Europe.

Please advise your thoughts and experiences on the trains as well as an in town hotel near the river & train station if you know of one. Thank you for your help.

Forstbetrieb

Take the train. And take a hotel in Firenze. The shuttle from the sheraton to the station is nice but do not run as often as you may be need it. Driving from Firenze to Malpensa costs more than 22 € highway fee and the road Firenze to Bologna is not the nicest part of the italian highway system. The railwaystation in Malpensa is quite near to the terminal 1 and directly under the Sheraton Malpensa. Pisa and Siena is doable by train and bus. Livorno by train. Don't know why you want to go there. I wouldn't do it.

idainc

Thank you for your reply. It sounds like we should use the train.

Can you recommend a hotel in Firenze ? My wife wants to see the coast and since we don't have enough time to go south of Naples she was thinking this might be an alternative.

Forstbetrieb

Forget Livorno. The Versilia between Marina di Massa and Viareggio would be much nicer.

Hotels in Firenze. The two starwood hotels in Firenze are not bad at all but $$$$…

mullisingfb

Same question as OP. Spending a couple of nights in Florence in December 2nd week. SPG is too expensive. Hilton is nice but somewhat inconvenient(HGI is closer but no shuttle, Metropole is across the river). Marriott is meh... Any suggestions for two adults and two children? Looking for a mid tier price *150/nt* somewhere close to SM Novella Station.

thanks

idainc

I have five nights free at the Sheraton (not the Westin / St. Regis) on points. I'm trying to come up with a very compelling reason to drop $1K ++ on anything else given that two of the days we'll be going to Pisa & Siena. I was looking at the NH Firenze or the NH Anglo American.

JMN57

If you are willing to be in the $400-500 per night range, the Lungarno on Borgo San Jacopo is very nice. Book the river facing rooms and the views of the Ponte Vecchio are great (particularly at night).

Forstbetrieb

http://www.hotelbaglioni.it/

Located in the heart of Florence, the hotel is just a few hundred metres from the cathedral and from the Congress Centre, the city’s main shopping streets , monuments and museums. The airport is just 15 minutes away by taxi and the central railway station is 200 metres away.