Hotel San Giovanni

The room itself was a decent size, but there was too much light coming in from outside. The bathroom was shared outside the room, which was a disaster: whenever we needed the toilet or a shower, someone could see us in the hallway. It also wasn’t cleaned once during our five-day stay. The elevator was a disaster too. The only good thing was the location.

We only stayed two nights, and the simple room with its own bathroom did the job. The manager was friendly, and it was good value for the money. The place is very central and within walking distance of the train.

I booked through Expedia, but the phone number listed there was wrong. The hotel had restricted check-in hours, and although I planned to arrive early, my train was delayed. I considered renting a car to drive from Milan to Florence, but ended up missing check-in time. The owner wouldn’t make any allowance and used the missed time and the fact that we had an infant as reasons to refuse us, even though Expedia said children were welcome. We couldn’t even check in, had to book another Airbnb, and were still left with a terrible impression of the people in Italy.

The host left a note outside the door, so we had no trouble getting in. It’s a cosy little place, and the location is amazing. Some soundproofing would help, though.