DorianGray

Will be here in mid-June, looking for as nice a place as possible (of course, right? )and hoping to stay perhaps in the 80 Euro range. Anyone have any suggestions?

goalie

it's a bit more expensive but i did stay here 2 years ago and it is a wonderful hotel. centally located, w/continental breakfast, private bath, and close to the train station (if you don't mind a 15/20 mnute walk) and not too $$ for a cab to the airport. i'm not sure what they have for availabilty and what the costs are now but it is a nice hotel with great staff. don't know if they have wifi but you're s'posed to be on vacation right?

http://www.hotelportarossa.com/

sonofzeus

It's now more than double OP's budget.

bdemaria

For that price, you should be focusing on Italian 2 star hotels. There are several of them around Santa Maria Novella - an area quite close to the train station - which in the case of Florence means you are very close to the heart of the historic city. The key to lower price accommodations in Europe is to ask to inspect the room before actual checkin and if you don't like the room, ask the proprietor for a better room. Often times the quality of rooms varies greatly in a 2 star establishment.

As an alternative, stay in a suburb of Florence (i.e Prato) where you can easily find a 3 or 4 star that fits your budget and travel to/from the city center using the excellent public transportation system.

(PS Hotel Porta Rossa -which bills itself as "the oldest hotel in Italy" is much more expensive that 80EU/night)

Braindrain

Of course, one should mention the area around the train station could be considered unsavoury.

bdemaria

W/all due respect, I disagree. While I would certainly warn a traveler against staying near the station in Rome or Naples, the same doesn't hold true for Florence. As w/many Italian cities (Venice being the notable exception), the O/P may encounter a pick pocket near the station but otherwise the S. Maria Novella area is much safer & cleaner than many station areas. I would not have suggested it if it were 'unsavoury.' The O/P has a very ltd budget and will likely find a suitable accommodation in this area.

ChgoBob

I would agree, and not worry about this area at all. We have walked around here early morning and late evening exploring different streets on our way to and from SMN. We never felt uncomfortable. In fact, it was no different than walking to the Duomo area. It is quite busy with pedestrians and auto/bus traffic, with plenty of shops and restaurants.

For the OP, have you considered an apartment in Florence? We have always found them to be more reasonable than Hotels, and a lot more comfortable.

slawecki

that area is not that far from the two sheraton lux hotels. has some nice local dining in the area. I do not worry when wandering around there at night.

Braindrain

I guess unsavoury is quite subjective. I DID find the area just adjacent to SMN a bit rough although it improves considerably after a few blocks out. Whatever works for you.

DorianGray

Thanks folks, but where should I look to find said hotels? Any sites you could rec or specific hotels?

goalie

like i said, it's a bit more expensive but where it is a nice hotel, i thought i'd throw it out there just for cocnsideration.

NorthOrSouth

Try here - http://www.hotelcestelli.com/

I haven't stayed here but my Dad did. It's in a great location in Florence.

sonofzeus

I'm a tad confused. "a bit more" = double OP's stated budget??

slawecki

start with venere.com.

you can try hotels, but also look in B&B's and look in hotels that do not book online.


click on the €75 box, to cut down from the 400 or so hits.

there is also a select on the map section.

Jay71

We're heading to Florence in a few weeks and had a bit of a difficult go of it finding a place for around 75 Euro a night.

Here are some resources we came across that you might find handy:
www.florencehousing.it - They have apartment rentals. Found the link off Craigslist which you might want to try also.
Eurocheapo.com - Lots of budget stuff.
Tripadvisor.com - We did a search on hotels in Florence which were ranked from 1 to X based on traveler reviews. We just went down the list from 1 and did further research on the ones which we thought were within budget.

During our first trip to Florence a few years back, we arrived after dusk. The area around the train station didn't give us the safest feeling but it didn't freak me out that much because this time, we're staying just northeast of the train station. It's a guesthouse with shared kitchen and bathroom (amongst 3 rooms) for about 35Euro per night. We stayed at Soggiorno Pezzati Daniela during our first trip. It looks to be going for 65 to 90 Euro / night for a double w/ bathroom nowadays. It's located a quiet street 5 min walk north of the Duomo.