Relais Santa Croce - Florence, Italy 

Superb oasis...
Posted: Wed, Jun 25 2008
The Relais is an oasis in Florence. We stayed for in June 2008 and were simply delighted by the room (Junior Suite) and the overall service. The building is beautifully restored with spacious public areas which retain their traditional style. Our room was fitted out in quite a modern, but restrained, style. It was about 5m by 5 m, with a separate 3m by 3m area containing a walk in luggage area and a bathroom containing a clever combined shower/sauna. The location is extremely convenient and our view to the Santa Croce Basilica over the adjoining rooftops was lovely and gave a distinctive insight into the rooftop lives of the locals! One of the lounges has an area for smokers with large French doors open to a street view. We were served the best olives we had in all Italy with our drinks. The breakfast buffet was excellent. One tip, ordering something not on the menu (crisp bacon with the eggs) caused a 45 minute delay and a complete melt down in the kitchen. It was good when it arrived, but it wasn't worth the delay. Our stay contributed two great moments in our trip. One was the (separately operated) restaurant on the ground floor of the building, the Enoteca Pinchiorri. This a 3 star Michelin establishment that rewards a evening. The prices may not be for everyone, but it is well worth mortgaging the first born for one of the best food, service and (especially!) wine experiences in Italy. Beautiful rooms, a slightly formal air. Gentlemen would feel uncomfortable without a jacket and I must admit I was glad I wore a tie. Indescribably stunning. The other great moment was our arrival. Manuel lives, and he is in Florence! We dropped the car at the door without checking in and went straight on a walking tour (Context travel, well worth a separate review in their own right!). We returned bearing backpacks a few hours later to be challenged by the Concierge. After reassuring him we really were guests, we proceeded upstairs to check in. From what followed we can only assume that if the front door does not personally accompany guests to check in they are summarily executed at dawn. After a few minutes at the counter a visibly stressed concierge appeared at our side apologising volubly in several languages for his failure to escort us. We waved him off, completely unconcerned, but puzzled at the strength of his emotion. At the end of check in he showed us to our room apologising still over his shoulder and delivering a number of memorable lines including "one thing I love about you Americans is your sense of humour". This to an Aussie and a Brit. With apologies to any North American readers, there was no tip forthcoming.

A romantic dream
Posted: Wed, Feb 13 2008
Beautiful place, a pure luxury and really romantic...

Una gemma rara
Posted: Mon, Jan 07 2008
Siamo ritornati a Firenze dopo quasi 10 anni di assenza, su consiglio del nostro agente di viaggio abbiamo deciso di alloggiare al Relais Santa Croce, che ci sentiamo di definire solo con due parole "una gemma al centro di firenze". Fantastica la location, centrale ma leggermente defilata come piace a noi, sublime la hall al primo piano, ci ha permesso di stare seduti a leggere e consumare cocktail senza il solito via vai di gente che non c'entra nulla con l'hotel. Eccellente la pulizia ed il gusto degli arredi, funzionali, luminose e grandi le stanze (cosa rara per firenze), ma la cosa che ci ha colpito di più è stata la professionalità dello staff, il service 24 su 24 cose ormai rare da trovare, al front office hanno soddisfatto ogni nostro desiderio, ci hanno organizzato splendidi tour, e consigliato dal parrucchiere al calzolaio, incredibile! Senza alcuna pecca anche il ristorante dove abbiamo mangiato divinamente in un'atmosfera dolcemente soft, propiro quello che cercavamo! Lo consiglieremo a tutti i nostri amici, è veramente l'icona del nuovo lusso, felici di esserci stati!