Academy Hostel Florence

I had a really nice stay. The bed was comfortable, and the room was spacious with a good en suite shower. Staff were friendly and helpful. They supplied lockers and torches so people could avoid switching on lights and waking others. Continental breakfast was included too.

The private rooms were good and could be locked, though the air conditioning barely worked in mine while it worked in the other rooms. Wifi is only available in the common areas. There are enough bathrooms, but hot water can be an issue if you shower at 8 a.m. when everyone else does. The kitchen is well equipped, and you can buy Coca-Cola, water, and beer in the lobby. Breakfast was only pastries. A great value and a nice place to meet other travelers.

There's a lot to like for the price, and the location is great. The large hostel has friendly staff, open rooms with single beds instead of bunks, high ceilings, and room dividers that give you some privacy. They provide locks for the lockers. Breakfast is basic, muffins and cereal, but it did the job and was more than enough for me. Wifi doesn't reach the rooms, and cell service is patchy, so I ended up spending quite a bit of time in the common area. That was fine and more social, just not what I'd planned. There were also lots of mosquitoes. The room had repellent, but it didn't work very well and I still got bitten several times.

I had a good stay, and the short set of rules about keeping noise down seemed reasonable. The place has several floors, food and drinks available, big air-conditioned rooms, and decent toilets and bedrooms. I expected a hostel to be a bit run down, with poor rooms and double bunks, but I was completely wrong. It was clean.