Maison Étoile

Sandro was so friendly. We got in very late because of traffic, but he stayed up to welcome us, go over everything, and make sure we were comfortable and had our questions answered. He even wrote down places to eat and have a drink for the next day without us asking. It’s about 20 minutes from the center, with tram and bus stops close by, so getting around was easy.

Sandro was a lovely host, really welcoming, friendly, and knowledgeable. The room was bright, clean, and had everything we needed, including a big comfortable bed. We could also use the shared kitchen and lounge in the converted loft, which was tastefully decorated and very clean. The metro stop is less than a five-minute walk away, and the ride into central Florence takes about 10 minutes. Great service and good value. Thanks, Sandro.

The room was huge, but not especially comfortable. The sofa had no cushions, the TV was old and worn, and there were only two pillows on the king bed. Other guests, I assume, made a lot of noise in the kitchen late at night, and you can hear everything on the stone and wood stairs. I also got bitten all night by mosquitoes, so some kind of room deterrent would have helped, if one exists. The location is a long way out, though very convenient for the airport tram. I like walking, so the 35 minutes into town was fine for me. I could leave my luggage, but it was just in the hallway and didn’t feel very secure. This isn’t a hotel with staff there around the clock.

We were really tired after barely sleeping for about two days, so the arrival mix-up felt especially stressful. We got there at 7:50 a.m., just ten minutes before the approximate time we’d given them, and a very rude guy complained that we hadn’t arrived at 8. We said it was nearly 8, but he kept complaining and said the rooms still needed cleaning. We knew we couldn’t check in yet and only wanted to leave our bags. About a month before, my friend had asked whether early check-in was possible, and they said no, which was fine. She then asked if we could drop our luggage and walk around until the 2 p.m. check-in. We said we expected to arrive around 8 a.m. but got no reply. We should have followed up instead of assuming it was okay just because the message had been read. We recognize that was our mistake and apologize. Still, they could have answered to say not to come at 8 and to arrive at 11 or another time. Mistakes happen, but it was stressful for all of us. If you stay here, make sure you get a response to basic questions. Later, things improved. The room was very comfortable and the bathroom was really nice. We didn’t run into the rude Italian guy again after the check-in argument, and he let us in before 2 p.m., so I could finally rest.