richarddd

Looking for help choosing hotels in Milan, Florence & Venice. We're planning to go in mid-December.

Milan: We liked the Park Hyatt and would stay again. Perhaps a park executive suite [56sqm €890, although maybe points upgrade or Prive] or larger. They are currently renovating and it's not clear if they'll finish by their announced date of 1 December. I'm thinking of the Mandarin Oriental as a back-up. They're running a sale on junior suites and milano suites, which look nice. [50sqm €600, 60sqm €1,000]

Florence: Portrait Firenze looks good and gets great reviews. We like the location a lot. Our only concern is street noise interfering with sleep. [56sqm €1,000, 85sqm €1,335] Their sister hotel, the Lungarno, also looks nice. [42sqm €800, 100sqm €1,670, perhaps including terrace in sqm] The last time we were in Florence we stayed in the Rocco Forte Savoy, which was good other than unacceptable noise at night.

Venice: The more research I do, the more confused I get. We'd like a good sized room (50-60sqm), a lovely view, good service and breakfast, a convenient location and to avoid crowds and noise. Views of Santa Maria della Salute seem the best. I'm not sure how to rank Grand Canal views compared to lagoon views. I'm not likely to pick anything I've labeled pricey absent a really good reason. In alphabetical order:

Aman: We don't like the decor.

Baglioni Luna: Tiziano lagoon view is a good size. Pricey. [60sqm, €1,910]

Bauer Palazzo: Presidential suite is a good size and seems to have Salute views. [65sqm, €1,556]

Cavalieri: Royal Suite or Prestige Suite. We liked this hotel on our last trip. It has side canal views. [RS 90sqm, €552]

Danieli: Lagoon view junior suite is a bit small, but could be nice [44-48sqm €1,205]. Lagoon view suite has a wide range of sizes and is pricey [40-60sqm €2,352] . Location may be too noisy and touristy.

Gritti: Landmark room has Salute views, but is small [29-41sqm €1,384]. The next size up with Salute views is over €6,000, which is too much.

Sagredo: Grand Suite is a good size and has grand canal views. It has many fans, although breakfast and service are often criticized. Location is a bit off the beaten path. [100sqm €736]

St Regis: We don't like the decor.

Pausanias

Not stayed at the St Regis in Venice but we rather like the look of the contemporary decor which I think would make a pleasant change from the usual heavy Venetian style. If you want to see just how great the views are from the top suites and the terrace at the St Regis check out the closing sequences in The Talented Mr Ripley which was filmed there before its renovation when it was the Europa & Regina. Utterly great movie, too.

ABG

Without even touching my GDS, so maybe I am wrong, but I find it really impossible that mid-December is 1000EUR a night at Portrait Florence, unless you are booking a river view suite. Yes there is traffic and taxis that beep in the city centre of Florence. Going to Four Seasons or Villa Cora will solve that problem. Maybe even the old JK which is on a very peaceful square (at least I have found) For Venice, perhaps look into Venart for something peaceful, but reasonable cost wise.

scented

Park Hyatt Milan is "renovating", i.e. nothing is happening and I am doubtful they will reopen anytime soon. So yes, would consider MO as a backup.

Iblock9

VENICE - The Danieli is in dire need of a refresh. We enjoyed the location, but wished we chose the Gritti.

MILAN - The Principe Di Savoia, while not on your list, was lovely. Large rooms and a great vibe.

offerendum

ask me in 3 weeks when I'm back from Milan. Will try the MO and Principe. FS is renovating rooms at the moment and should be ready in December.

scented

Actually the renovated rooms at FS will not be ready by December unfortunately, they have a delay. Do report back how the MO was! Enjoy

livefromtuscany

I’m not surprised , Florence hotels really maintain their rates… there is an 800€ non-refundable rate for their entry level category, the flex rate is 1000€ (checked Dec 14-16).

Since the city renovated the riverfront, there is much less traffic now, and it was extremely quiet at night. Noise is more are problem for the rooms out back, where laundry and garbage trucks pass in the little alley.

Former JK Place is now just „The Place Firenze“ and they did some renovations as well.

richarddd

The rooms and view do look very nice. If I could reconcile myself to the decor, and not be worried about crowds and noise, it would seem a good choice.

richarddd

We are looking at a Prestige Suite River View on a 3 for 2 rate. The street in front of the hotel is certainly noisy during the day, but it's not clear to me how noisy it would be at night. The Lungarno is likely quieter, as it's on the river with no street in front.

We really like the location - it's a short walk to the Uffizi, restaurants we like, etc. The FS is too far away.

richarddd

The Gritti would be better, but as noted a view room that's at or above our preferred size is absurdly (to me) priced. Please say more about why the Danieli needs a refresh - decor, worn out, etc. Were noise, crowds and service good?

We have stayed at the PdS. The hard product was fine, but we didn't really like the location and the restaurant.

It has a sort of old world vibe some describe as grandmotherly.😀

richarddd

Will do!

richarddd

Glad to hear the river facing rooms at the Portrait Firenze are extremely quiet at night. That's great to hear. FWIW, I checked Dec 6-9.

floridagal23

We had a really nice stay at Hotel Lungarno in Florence several years ago. It doesn’t get much buzz on here. The rooms were a little small but the staff was great. The location was also good for us. However, I can’t believe the prices which have doubled since. I think it is owned by Ferragamo.

richarddd

Any recent experience with the Bauer Palazzo or Baglioni Luna service, breakfast or crowds / noise, as I can't find much on those.