Hotel Fiorita - Florence, Italy     

We stayed here for one night on our way thru Florence to Northern Italy - it was recommended to us by a family member - it was very clean, spacious and comfortable. The breakfast room was delightful, and the breakfast adequate - the waiter was very friendly courteous and smiley. Reception staff were attentive and helpful. I would recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a no nonsense, no big frill stay - ideally located near the train station and all the sights... we loved it - well done.

I'm not sure how this hotel stacks up against other two star hotels in Florence, but it was the worst two star hotel we encountered in our travels through France and Italy. The bedspread may have been cleaned once in it's long lifetime, but I doubt it. Same for the blanket. You would think that in a city renowned for art and architecture they could have done something with the walls other than dingy yellow paint. Even some sort of picture might have helped. The room was utterly depressing. It also didn't help that 5 feet across from our window the building was being remodeled (the noise probably only affected the room we were in to any degree, and to be fair it was only during the day, but did preclude any sort of afternoon nap). The staff was OK, but you wouldn't use the word enthusiastic. The breakfast room on the top floor was very nice and the food was typical except for the coffee which came from a machine and is in the running for the worst I've ever tasted. On the plus side, the room and the bathroom were large and the room had a mini-bar (not well stocked, but with room for our stuff). The location is probably the best thing about the Fiorita. It is very close to the train station, which is also the hub for city tour buses and for the CAF tour buses (which we took for a great tour of the Chianti region). And we found a wonderful restaurant not far away just south of the Piazza San Maria Novello. It is called La Martinique and it is on Via del Sole. If you want this location you might try the Hotel Desiree which is in the same building as the Fiorita.