La Porta del Paradiso

The photos are misleading. They showed one room, but put me in another that looked nothing like it. The bathroom has a tub with a shower sprayer, not a shower, and half the tub is covered over, so it feels like a crawl space. The room had a strong, overwhelming mold and mildew smell as soon as I walked in, enough to make it feel uninhabitable and raise health and safety concerns. I left shortly after arriving and didn't stay overnight. It was extremely disappointing. Cleanliness and air quality are basic expectations for a hotel. When I asked for a refund, they focused on policy and didn't want to issue one, despite the air quality problem. I wouldn't recommend staying until the mold issue is properly addressed.

We left Florence early because the stay soured the whole visit. Over two nights I slept maybe five hours. Room 13 looked nothing like the photos, and smelled awful. The walls were scuffed, the shower drain was broken, and the water pressure was so low the shower was basically a dribble. Staff cleared the drain, but the problem came back after a day. Mosquitos ate us alive. That's a Florence problem, but no window screens or effective plug-in repellent didn't help. The bed was comfy and the rooftop view was lovely, but everything else was very poor unless all you need is a bed. Also, they don't protect your information: our booking sheet was left in the common room, where anyone could see our contact details and passport number.

We were surprised at first by the layout, which felt more like an upscale airBnB than a hotel, but soon appreciated the privacy and helpful management. The place was nice, very clean, and the service was excellent. The bed was especially comfortable. The city never seems to sleep, though, so I'd bring earplugs if you want an ideal night's rest. We were very happy with our stay.

A basic, average hotel if all you need is somewhere to sleep. The room got very hot because the AC wasn't good. Of the five hotels we stayed at in Italy this month, this was the only one that hadn't contacted us ahead of time about check-in, so I had to call from another hotel to ask. They did offer us breakfast in the morning, which was nice.