Hotel Centro - Campi Bisenzio, Italy     

Let me start off by saying that 2 kilometers from the airport is a really long way from the city center. It said 10 kilometers online, but that is a 50 dollar cab ride basically. We were under the impression that it would be easy to get back to Florence to see some sites before we left for home. We were ever so wrong. We got in a taxi at the Florence train station, and the taxi driver said something in Italian, but basically that we should not stay in Campi Bisenzio with a baby. The town wasn't too bad, but the hotel was not at all what was described on Expedia. The bed was horribly uncomfortable, the baby bed was a twin bed put in our room. This might have been fine for a 2 year old, but our baby is 1 and you cannot put a one year on a bed with no rails. The review on one website we looked at said they were english speaking, but the man at the desk did not even know how to say hello or goodbye. I don't expect everyone to speak english in another country; however, if you put online that you do and I am needing a taxi called at 5 am, I expect someone to be able to understand me. The airconditioning was non-existant, which is not really uncommon in Italy. There was a unit, but we had no way to turn it on in our room, and my inlaws turned theirs on but it didn't make it any cooler. We had to walk quite a distance to find any dinner. There was a trattoria right across from the hotel, but it didn't open until 8 pm, and we had a baby who needed to go to sleep. We had an amazing time in Italy, but this hotel was just a joke really. The beds were uncomfortable, there was no breakfast, no internet access, and there is nothing to do in the town, but it was too far away from Florence to go back. Two women pulled up in a cab after we did and you could tell they were both very concerned about the location and quality of the hotel when they got there. Overall, I would not stay here again. We were looking for a cheap hotel to stay in before we flew out, but I would make sure I stayed closer to the airport and in a placethat was little nicer next time. This place may be fine for some people, but for anyone with children, or anyone who is used to a cheap hotel being a holiday inn express or something of that nature, this will not suit you.

We stayed in Campi Bisenzio in July and we had a great time. If its just a bed you need to rest your head and weary feet then this is fine. Our room was clean. We had air conditioning (weather was very hot) which was very well needed. There was also free internet access throughout the day. We found the hotel staff very helpful even though we didn't speak a word of Italian (shame on us!) and they didn't speak a word of Engish. Somehow we managed to communicate, also managed to pick up some important Italian words. Lord knows how we managed to find the bus stop to take us to Florence city centre everyday but we did it. Campi Bisenzio is placed in such a picturesque village, you can just sit and watch people pass by. It must be a very small place as we kept seeing the same people everyday. The people were very friendly and always nodded hello. There was a market on one of the days (I can't remember which days it was but I know it wasn't Sunday). This went on till gone midnight. Defenitely worth nosing around the various stalls. There's a delightful little yoghurt shop that sells yoghurt of course but it taste just like ice cream. It's worth spending a few Euro's and treating yourself. There's a post office just around the corner from the hotel and some clothes shop. There's also a bank further down, you need to collect a ticket and wait your turn and boy is it a long wait even though there was no one hardly in the bank. The locals just go shopping as they seem to have a fair idea as to how long it takes to be served. The bus stop is about a five minute walk from the hotel. The buses run very regularly and on time (UK could take notes from this!!) and the tickets are very cheap. They were I think about a Euro each and you can buy the bus ticket from the cafes or newsagents. We never had to wait for a bus (to main Florence)apart from once or twice and even then it was mere minutes. It took about half an hour to get to Florence centre. We had a great time in Florence and aim to go back one day. The hotel stay was delightful and we would stay there again even though it was a long way from main town Florence. It was worth the travel. Sabiha - Manchester UK