Guest House Bel Duomo

You’re right in the heart of ancient Florence, with an amazing view that fits the B&B’s name. Shops, a grocery store, pharmacy, restaurants, and the conference center are all an easy and beautiful walk away. The city sounds are lovely, and the room’s good shutters and windows help block out noise and light when you want them to. The building itself has charm, with its shutters, narrow staircase, and tiny old elevator that fits two people or one person with luggage. Inside, though, the remodeled rooms feel plain and not especially comfortable. There’s nowhere to put clothes, and the mattress was saggy and lumpy. Breakfast was a basic Italian continental meal: a pastry, two small pieces of Melba toast, tea or coffee, juice, butter, and jam, brought to the room at your chosen time between 8:00 and 8:45 am. There’s no attendant or service after 12:00pm.

For me, the biggest things were that the place was clean and secure, and the location was amazing. The tiny lift was cool to see, though not very practical. The bathroom was separate from the room, but we didn’t run into anyone else. The towels were so thin they got soaked right away. Breakfast was included, which was nice, but it was very minimal and didn’t keep us full for long. She asked us to pay the tourist tax in cash. I spent my first night in Italy here, and it did the job without being anything special. Just don’t go in with high expectations.

The only real upside was the location. The rooms felt worse than dorm rooms, with holes in the walls, a smoky smell, and poor cleanliness. Unless you request a room with a view, you’re looking down at a roof. There are three long flights of stairs to reach the rooms. They say there’s an elevator, but it fits only one person and maybe one small bag. Our family of four had to haul all our luggage up more than 40 stairs. I felt like I was staying in a hostel or Motel 6. I wouldn’t recommend it. There are plenty of other hotels, so I’d spend a bit more and go somewhere else.

The location is spectacular, and the view from the room was magnificent. But my room hadn’t been cleaned properly when I checked in. There were crumbs and chocolate left by the previous guest, and the towels looked dingy, so I wasn’t confident about the cleanliness. While we were out, someone left a receipt on our desk. That made me uncomfortable.