Corona D'Italia - Florence, Italy     

Spouse and I visited Florence and stayed here during the first week of May. We had a nice stay overall. The hotel is very easy walking distance from the train station. We had no problems getting there. The staff was always pleasant and approachable. Gave us a tip to try a restaurant around the corner when asked. It was Trattoria Za Za. Excellent recommendation. We loved the food there. Room was spacious and pretty clean. The bed was quite hard, however. Bedding was decent. There is an interesting control panel on the wall that works the TV, radio and room temp - takes a second or two to figure out (some of the labeling on the buttons worn away). Our room was facing the inner courtyard - which was definitely not noisy. You could hear a little bit of traffic from time to time, but it quieted down nicely at night. Bathroom was clean - but the bidet was directly across from the toilet (and not much room in between). Had to step between them to get in and out of the shower. But not an inconvenience unless you're tall and need legroom for the toilet. (But upon looking at some of the pics on TA, not all of the bathrooms are set up this way). Breakfast was okay. Our favorite part: The hotel is very convenient to the open air markets. In fact, take a left out the door, and you're there. So many things to see in the market. Very nice leather goods available. There are two market buildings which house the food portion of the market. Highly recommend that if anyone wants a quick lunch, to go on in. It is open from 8am to 2pm. Upstairs there is a little lunch bar (we didn't try it). But we did go back a few times to a lady with a deli counter (she made the most delicious panini ever). Just wish I could remember exactly where she is. It's amazing to see all of the wonderful food stuffs there. If needed, there is a decent laundromat just down the same street (going away from the train station, and across the streeet). Can't remember the name, but it has very quick machines - the wash in 25 minutes and dried in 25 more minutes. We got there at 8am and had the place to ourselves. Overall, a decent stay.