Rosso di Sera Relais Tuscany

It’s very clean, the room is a good size, and it’s in a handy spot, about a five-minute walk to the tower. We arrived at midday while they were closed and had to drag our bags around Pisa for a few hours. I know I should have checked the check-in hours more carefully, but I didn’t expect the door to be locked with nobody available to store our luggage before check-in. I also found the breakfast selection a little limited, which is why I didn’t give five stars.

The room smelled of urine and was full of mosquitoes. Breakfast was nothing special for such an overpriced room. The main problem started when I arrived around midnight and found the place closed: there’s no 24-hour reception, nobody answered the door, and there was no way to reach the staff. I ended up walking around Pisa at 1am trying to find somewhere else, in a neighborhood that didn’t feel nice. I’d paid for two nights, and even though I couldn’t check in on the first night because the hotel was closed, I still had to pay the full amount. Insane, and really expensive. You can find cheaper and nicer places to stay in Florence, which is bigger, beautiful and nicer.

The staff were friendly, and when the guy saw my heavy bag, he upgraded us to a ground-floor black room without me asking. It’s a super funky, quirky place, and I was happy with the rates, especially booking three months ahead. You only pay on arrival, with free cancellation if needed. It’s right behind the station, between two railway tracks, so it can be a little tricky to find. There’s some train noise, but not overnight. We’ll go again next year.

The staff, rooms, and facilities were all very good, and the location worked well. You can hear that it’s close to the railway tracks, but it wasn’t a major issue for us. The only reason I’m not giving five stars is that we couldn’t use the Jacuzzi before check-in. Reception also closes from 11:00 to 15:00, which could make leaving bags awkward. I’d call ahead to make sure someone will be there. Still, we had a very pleasant stay.