Hotel La Pace

We had a suite on the fifth floor, and it was much more than we expected as a family of four. It had two rooms with a door between them, proper beds for everyone, a dressing area, a huge terrace, and a desk. The bathroom worked fine, including the shower and water. Some furniture was scratched or showed wear, especially around the shower, but it is a three-star hotel. It’s an older place that’s been fully renovated, and we really enjoyed our short stay. The location was ideal, two minutes on foot from the train station and under a half-hour walk from the Leaning Tower and other sights. Everyone was kind, and the food was really good, with more variety than we expected at this level. This is a three-star review, so don’t come expecting four- or five-star luxury.

The short walk to the train station was the one thing I liked. The building feels old, and even at a low nightly price, I don’t think it meets a three-star standard. The lobby had an odd smell, a bit like a bathroom. In the room, the light never switched off completely, which made sleeping difficult, and there was no fridge. The shower door didn’t shut properly, so water got out, and the towel radiator wasn’t working during my stay.

The breakfast was good and the staff were generally friendly. The airport, train station, and city center are all walkable, which is a great location. Still, our seventh-floor room was old and very worn, nothing like the attractive photos the hotel uses online, although it was clean. The shower barely flowed, and the water swung between scalding hot and ice cold. There was no shampoo, refrigerator, kettle, safe, or the complimentary bottles of water. I also had concerns about fire safety: there’s only one fire exit on each floor, at the end of the hall, and an electrical circuit breaker is installed in the bathroom above the shower. The neighborhood felt unsafe to us because of the many immigrants walking around. Some seemed to try to intimidate us and wouldn’t accept “no” for an answer.

I booked the Hotel at the last minute and they even included breakfast. The people were very kind, and the customer service was great. Although it’s a three-star Hotel, the room felt more like a four-star one. I slept really well, and breakfast was quite good too. I’d recommend it. It’s just off Pisa central train station.