Hotel Di Stefano

The room was clean and had what we needed for one night. The hotel is convenient and well located, though the price felt high for its standard, probably because of the location. They still use physical keys, which you have to leave at reception when you go out. The walls are thin, but luckily our neighbours weren’t noisy.

Pisa is well located, so maybe that explains the rate, but paying just under £250 a night, including taxes, for four nights at the beginning of October felt steep for such an average hotel. I’d expected something great at that price, and it wasn’t. Breakfast was the worst part. The “juices” tasted like faintly flavoured sugar water. There was no fresh bread, just small, partly baked white rolls finished in the little kitchen oven. They were tasteless and had the texture of cotton wool, so I settled for toast. I bought proper orange juice from the nearby PAM supermarket. I recommend Pisa, but not this hotel. I also find some of its positive reviews decidedly odd. “Plentiful” breakfast? Hmm.

We stayed in a deluxe room in the historic part of the hotel, and it was exceptionally quiet and clean. The bed was one of the best I’ve slept in. The location is perfect for seeing what Pisa has to offer. Staff were polite and helpful, and breakfast was a fresh, plentiful buffet. Definitely somewhere I’d return to.

Our triple room was spotless, as was the bathroom. It had a small fridge and air conditioning. A fan would’ve been nice too, though I understand there may be limitations. The AC took us a while to figure out, so the first night was hot, but we got the hang of it. The TV has loads of channels, the WiFi is free and fast, and the Tower is about six minutes away. Staff were kind and helpful every time we spoke with them. Breakfast is included in the standard rate, and it was brilliant, with lots of continental options.