Residenza degli Speziali

The location was lovely, close to Ponte Vecchio and other places. Once we got through the check in trouble, the room itself was clean, comfortable, and nice. The AC worked perfectly, and there was a very nice kettle. I noticed a bit of a smell, but I think it came from the area in general and it didn’t bother me. Breakfast was at the nearby cafe Rivoire, about a minute away: one coffee and one pastry, eaten standing at the bar. I liked both the pastry and coffee. You choose from the pastries they have, and they let you know which ones aren’t available. The cafe staff were nice and spoke some English. It might not be enough for everyone, but it suited me, as I’m used to small breakfasts. We were meant to receive check in details 24 hours beforehand, but that doesn’t seem to work reliably. Maybe half the time it’s because of communication problems between the website and the owner. Since there’s no front desk and the stay is prepaid, it’s pretty frustrating. My boyfriend and I spent about an hour trying to reach the owner through the booking site, until a guy who worked there cleaning helped us contact the person in charge. After that, everything went fine and we got the keys and information. There is an elevator, but it’s very small. If you have mobility issues, I’m not sure a wheelchair would fit unless it’s a narrow one. The old style lift holds 240 kg or three people, you have to close the doors yourself, and it won’t work if you open them before it arrives. After that long wait, it was a good experience for me. I’d give it a 3 because of the excessive delay, though in reality I’d say 3.8.

Getting to all the major sights was easy, and the location was great. But the smell made the stay unbearable. The building stank of sewer, and the bathroom had a mildew odor. If you can put up with that, the location is a big plus.

The room was cleaned daily, and the bed was wide and comfortable. The place is right in the center, close to everything, even between Chanel and Valentino if you fancy a quick shop. A really nice room and a great location. All good.

We had a lovely view over Fontana del Porcellino and the market, but there was no outside noise, so we slept comfortably. The beds were comfortable too, and the bathroom and towels were clean. We could get coffee and croissants from a nearby cafe for breakfast, and what we bought was delicious. The location was perfect for getting around on foot, about 2-3 minutes from the Uffizi and 10 minutes from the train station, in a safe area. The place felt reliable and homey, with everything we needed, including a kitchen, washing machine, fast Wi-Fi, and a TV with Netflix. Dafne helped us with everything, and we could reach her at any time. We were also given a place to leave our bags before check in, which let us explore comfortably. We were very pleased and would recommend it to everyone.