Bellevue House

We were only there for one night, but the owners went out of their way to make it a great stay. Alex met us at the station when we arrived. The following day, we needed to get to our next place outside Florence, and Sue was heading that way too and gave us a lift. I'll definitely stay at Bellevue House again when I'm back in Florence.

Alex was a very kind host, had great food suggestions, and was flexible about checkout. The bathroom was gorgeous, the room was clean, and the air conditioning worked really well. It was a little dark, so a few more lights would've helped, and there were loose floor tiles in several spots. I'd happily stay here again.

We'd booked three nights more than three months ahead, but after arriving by train from Rome we learned we hadn't been given the complicated lift code. We eventually made it upstairs, only to find that the toilet was outside the room, across the main corridor, and needed a key to access. We've traveled extensively and never had a supposed 3 star hotel without an ensuite bathroom. The staff said it wasn't the hotel's problem. As soon as we explained that we couldn't accept a room that didn't match the booking confirmation, they deducted the non-refundable deposit for one night. A total joke. Luckily, Hotel Montreal down the road had a room free. Its staff were very friendly and welcoming, and it had a proper lift, 24 hour reception, and an ensuite bathroom.

The location was convenient, within walking distance of the train station and popular landmarks. We stayed three nights at Bellevue house at the beginning of May, and had a pleasant time. The owner gave us lots of helpful information about Florence and made everyone feel welcome. It's a 500-year-old historic building, so the lift is slow and has limited capacity. Not everything works perfectly in an older place like that, but I felt the owner did everything he could to make us comfortable.