Hotel Annalena - Florence, Italy     

The hotel was beautiful, full of unique art, and in a great location. It's three minutes from the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens, five minutes from Ponte Vecchio, and is very close to two bus lines. The hotel was quiet and had a great breakfast (included), but the best part by far was the staff. All staff members we were in contact with were friendly, helpful, and spoke great English. They allowed us to store our bags behind the desk for free for a whole day after we had checked out, and also helped us navigate the bus system. The only drawback is that there is no lift, which could be a problem if you have a lot of bags (we had a lot of bags, but didn't find it to be hugely detrimental). Also, my wife would have liked carpeting in the room, but I thought it added to the appeal because the floor was clean and had a very nice pattern. We weren't interested in wireless (which is available in each room) or watching tv (mostly Italian shows and poor reception), just in cleanliness, location, and staff, all of which were fantastic. We felt the price was good for the service and room, considering Florence is a very expensive city to stay in. I would certainly recommend Hotel Annalena to anyone, unless they cannot walk stairs. (My wife and I are a young couple with a 3 month old)

The place was a little hard to find because it was on the second floor of a larger building up three flights of stairs, but overall it was a simple, nice and clean facility. There was not an elevator, so if you find it difficult to walk up three flights of stairs this is not the place for you. The place was a little pricey, but for Florence that is to be expected. The staff was friendly and the continental breakfast was simple but good. I would recommend this facility to a friend and would consider staying here again myself.