Starhotels Michelangelo Florence - Florence, Italy     

My boyfriend and I visited Italy in the Summer of '06, and while in Florence we stayed at the Starhotels Michelangelo, and it was fantastic. Granted, the hotels in Venice and Rome we stayed in were cheaper and a lower class, but this is still the nicest hotel I have stayed in in Europe for under $100 a night. I am a hotwire.com supersleuth, and always manage to figure out the actual identity of the hotel. Expedia is its partner site, and you can usually compare the star ratings and amenities to narrow it down, and if they give you the original price on hotwire you can be 99% sure of the hotel. So, we managed to book this hotel for $99 a night, which added to its charm. While it was a bit difficult to find and a decent walk from the center, the interior more than made up for it. The rooms weren't huge, but we weren't planning to spend a lot of time in them anyway. The bathroom was fabulous and immaculate. Everything was clean and crisp. There were even slippers and good toiletries provided (I know, not really that exciting, but I had just finished grad school (read: I was poor) and we were paying NINETY NINE DOLLARS a night). The staff was very helpful - they helped us with our Ufizi gallery tickets and gave us general information, like where we could find a nearby grocery store. The breakfast wasn't the Four Seasons, but there is so much variety you are bound to find something that you like. Even the walk to the center wasn't bad - you can walk along the river and get a lot of great photos as you approach the town. If I could get this room at a similar price again, I would definitely stay there again.

We stayed two nights in Florence, in the Starhotel Michelangelo. The hotel building doesn't look very promising on the outside, but the inside is recently renovated and has all you would expect from a four star hotel. The personnel at the reception desk is very friendly and allways prepared to help. The rooms are very comfortable and clean, small minus is you have to pay for wireless internet access. Distance to the city center is approx. 1.5 km, but this is more then compensated by the relatively cheap price you pay for a four star room and there are also busses to the center every seven minutes (bus stop in front of the hotel). Would certainly recommend this hotel to everyone who's looking for a comfortable place to sleep in Florence at a fair price.