Granducato - Montepulciano, Italy 

Yes, this hotel is beautiful and the rooms are very nice but....it is not 9 km from Florence, maybe from the edge of the city and a 50 euro cab ride in each direction gets expensive. The hotel shuttle only has 8 spots that are booked what seems weeks in advance for the 1x per day trip; not tp mentio you can not walk ANYWHERE because it is on a highway; no public transportation available; no breakfast; and a VERY RUDE restaurant and front desk staff (except fpr the gentleman who works eves and speaks a few languages-he seems somewhat helpful and apologetic) I would not recommend this hotel unless you rent a car and are willing to deal with traffic.

I does not take too long to see that the efforts to keep Hotel Granducato updated have not been too successful. This was most evident at the bathroom, that looked exactly like what it was: a bathroom from the seventies. On the other hand, rooms were clean, with plenty of sunlight and generous in size. The air conditioning unit looked tiny but nevertheless it was able to cope with Italian August temperatures. During our trip around Tuscany we paid maybe at least 25% more in other similar hotels that offered more updated looks and facilities. So the decision is easy to make: if you give absolute priority to aesthetics and decor, then give the Granducato a pass. But if you have a practical mind, then book a room at the Granducato and use the savings for more sensible things, like buying a couple of bottles of Montepulciano wine.