Hotel Bellettini - Florence, Italy     

Pros: This hotel was very clean. Staff were fabulous. Room was spacious. Location was central to cathedrals, markets and museums. Parking garage nearby, cost ~25 Euros/day. Internet cafe across the street. Great breakfast! Delicous cappuccinos. Cons: Shower was small and water was limited (heated within a holding tank in the bathroom). A little difficult to find as it's located on a small tight street with no parking out front. Without a car, it would be easier. :) I would recommend this hotel to anyone on a budget. It satisfied all my needs.

With the rate of exchange making our travel more expensive, we searched for a wonderful hotel at a reasonable cost. What a gem we found in this small hotel. Located between San Lorenzo and the Duomo, we enjoyed hot water, comfortable firm mattresses, simply furnished but pristinely clean rooms, a lovely breakfast and a staff that treated you like family. The baths are not all totally modernized, but when the water is hot, and the towels are big enough to wrap around a big man, who cares? In my second week, we moved to room 45--the only 3rd floor room--with a view of the Duomo, San Lorenzo and Giotto's Campanile, windows that opened to breezes and the sound of bells every morning and evening! Not sure what we did to get so lucky--but we were on the top of the world! Thank you to Gina, Maria, and those handsome brothers Elman and "Jimbo" for beautiful days and nights, and afternoons filled with the scent of the croissants baking for breakfast!