Via de' Calzaiuoli, Florence Hotel Rooms at the Independent

Great location less than a block from the Duomo. Lorenzo, the owner was very helpful and friendly and was available by phone if we had any questions or concerns. We were pleasantly surprised by the access to the common area, where they had a full kitchen for our use and a fridge stocked with juice and water. He even showed us how to make italian coffee on the stove if we wanted to. The room is part of an apartment that Lorenzo remodeled in 2008, so all of the fixtures and furnishings are new within this established apartment building. We felt like locals!

Heated tile floors, hot showers AND a heating element for your towel plus a doting owner. I could not have asked for a more comfortable and secure place to stay in Florence. Because it is in the heart of Piazza della Signoria, you are only a few steps from wonderful food, shopping and sights. As a sole owner, Roberto wears many hats so I was very thankful for his time and attention during my stay. I highly recommend his place and look forward to staying there again!

Fantastic hotel! If we had to go back to Florence, we would book this hotel again. We were there for one night on our honeymoon. We had reserved a superior double room, but were upgraded to the loft room which was outstanding. They toold us everything in the fridge was included in the price (note that in Italy things in the fridge are never included). There was prosciutto, salami, cheese, fruits, orange juice, cereals, milk, bottles of water, bread and jams. They even sent croissants to our door in the morning (this is included for every room). We tought it was incredible to eat breakfast in our room. The only negative is the parking. They say ''parking nearby''...well that's if you find it. There is no actual parking space reserved for the hotel. Finding your way in Florence is already a headache even with a GPS. When we finally found a parking (after 35 minutes), we had to pay 35 euros for the night. When we got to the hotel, they informed us they had a agreement with a parking (Michel Angelo as I remember) nearby for 25 euros per night, but we never found it! Nevertheless, AWESOME stay!!

We enjoyed our stay at the hotel. The proprietor was so kind and helpful. The hotel seemed like a true taste of Italy. We could see the Duomo and Piazza from our window and hear the crowd sounds from the street at night which was delightful.

My son and I visited Florence for a few days in July and stayed at the Residenzia. We choose based on TripAdvisor and, once again, TA got it right! The location can't be beat; the rooms are comfortable and well appointed; and the service was tops - Stefano went out of his way to help us organize our visit, pointing out local (insider) highlights and events, and some excellent restaurants. Very much appreciated. Thanks, Stefano for a terrific stay!

The room was comfortable and well laid out, the internet bandwidth was good, and the staff was very helpful. This hotel is extremely well located in Florence.

Only stayed one night. Walkable from train stain with rolling luggage. Excellent location. Charming hostess. All we could hope for in a city B &B. Stairs are not a problem for us.

This hotel is right in the city center, just about halfway between the Duomo and the Piazza della Signoria (within a 5 minute walk or so). As it's on a major pedestrian street, there were plenty of options for food and shopping. The rooms were spacious, comfortable, and clean. Our reservation included free breakfast, and the breakfast was very good compared to what I've had in other hotels. The only drawback was that there was quite a bit of noise from outside at night. I'd recommend getting a room off the main street, or using earplugs (which is what we did). Would gladly return.

Hotel Por Santa Maria is a great choice for budget accommodation in Florence. First off, the location is perfect. Right in the middle of the city, easy walking distance to basically everything, including Oltrarno (south of the Arno river), and 30 seconds from possibly the most beautiful piazza in the city. The staff was very warm, friendly, and accommodating. Although very basic, the room was bright and welcoming, and quite clean. I booked a room with no bathroom, but was pleasantly surprised to find that it had a shower and sink. Of course, keep in mind that this is budget accommodation -- no luxury beyond the friendly reception and daily room cleaning (at this price, not to be taken for granted!). The central location, near two piazzas (one of which has a daily market), means that there is sometimes considerable noise from the street. Still, this is an excellent value for the rates. If you are looking for a pleasant, basic place to stay in an extremely convenient location, I wholeheartedly recommend Hotel Por Santa Maria!

This hotel is a 5-7 minute walk (even when dragging luggage) from Santa Maria Novella Train Station. It was not a difficult walk even for mature travelers, like ourselves. It is in a nice old neighborhood of hotels, shops and diverse restaurants. The surrounding neighborhood seems very safe, except for the ubiquitous seedy characters that you always encounter within a block of a major city train station. It is difficult to find the small sign for Tourist House Duomo on Via Cerretani until you realize that THD is actually inside Hotel Perseo. There is a convenient elevator and the manager, Michele, is pleasant enough and helpful. He is often absent, however, and several times I had to admit arriving guests at odd hours who were knocking on the door and then explain to them how to reach Michele by phone in order to check in. I assume that these guests may not have been specific enough with Michele about their arrival time. The WiFi did not work in my room. I had to use the hotel's front desk computer at times, which they do make available to guests, but this was not always convenient. The hotel appears to be an older Palazzo, and not modern in appearance or personal conveniences. The rooms are large but dingy and poorly lit. The furniture is older and not the most comfortable. My mattress was a bit lumpy but adequate if you get tired enough. Breakfast was not served in the hotel, but rather you are given a voucher which you must take (Continued in the next text box)