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Customer Reviews
Overall:
Worth the extra cost for being CENTRAL. Very comfortable . Don't expect to do your wash though . very slow machine, but doable ,
Enjoyed Most:
Fantastic location. Very clean and organized. Always someone to turn to if you might have needed them. We didn't.
Enjoyed Least:
On a very busy street but I think that's what all the streets in downtown Florence are like.
Surrounding Area:
Able to walk to all the places we wanted to go to . Museum , Ponte Vecchio, etc. Close to locals, too. Nice neighbourhood.
Tips or Restaurants:
Had almost everything in the apartment, except a chopping board. Ate at a fabulous place near the Ponte Vecchio on our side, called the Golden View Open Bar. Live jazz and great food and service. Had my birthday dinner there!
Directions:
Very easy to find.
Check In Out:
We felt a bit rushed when we were leaving. I think the girl was training a young man how to do it.
Natalie , September
Enjoyed Most:
Beautiful space- nicely designed. Location fantastic. Very comfortable bed master bedroom. Clean. Everything that we needed was there - kitchen stuff, dishes, great linens etc. Adequate lighting. Air conditioner on the 1st floor only. One important thing there is a beautiful large and comfortable master bedroom AND 2 sleeper couches which are slightly larger than a twin but you have sleeping capacity for 2 adults and 2-3 kids.
Enjoyed Least:
Very noisy- but most of Florence is. Not having an air conditioner on the 2nd level of the apt. it was very hot in Florence when we were there so we needed it There isn't a view but we were always out, so it didn't matter.
Surrounding Area:
The location is great! Close to everything and the neighborhood is charming - has great restaurants, music at night in Santo Spirito, interesting shops. Food stores. Whatever you need is close by. The Arno is a block away so it's easy to get anywhere.
Tips or Restaurants:
I brought extra towels and sheets but you don't need any of that. You suggested a flashlight, cutting board- but didn't need that. Almost everything is there. they even had shampoo and soap- travel sizes. There isn't an oven - only a microwave. And a stove of course. Kitchen is very tiny. We made some simple dinners- pasta and salad. We did do zucchini flowers one night and learned that simple is better.
Francine, July
Enjoyed Most:
Location
Enjoyed Least:
There was nothing to not like about this one. We rented 2 units.
Surrounding Area:
Location and everything being so close.
Nearby Events or Locales:
Lots of things in walking distance.
Tips or Restaurants:
One thing to bring would be a hair dryer with a converter.
Micheal, September
Enjoyed Most:
Nicely decorated with frescos. The small-scale seating areas were actractive and creatively placed! Probably the best part is the location of the apartment!
Enjoyed Least:
Giusto is definitely lively with respect to it's location in the building. You can hear more street noise from that side of the building and perhaps it can benefit from more insulated windows or noise fans in the evening to try to filter out the noises from the lively Italians who stroll the streets near the property. Sleeper sofa may be easier for a teenager or young adult. It is located upstairs and would have been a challenge for an older adult to manage.
Surrounding Area:
Markets, bakeries and shops.
Nearby Events or Locales:
Florence. You could walk all over the city from the apartment!
Directions:
It is a very quick cab ride to the property!
Check In Out:
There is an office right downstairs. They can help you arrange for a cab and the managers are friendly and a great resource!
Ann , June
Enjoyed Most:
Location south of the Arno, cleanliness, comfortable bed, historic building.
Enjoyed Least:
Bathroom on a different level than the bedroom.
Surrounding Area:
Fewer tourists, good restaurants, close to Palazzo Pitti and Giardino Boboli.
Tips or Restaurants:
Go to the central market and buy food to cook, if you like to cook. The street is noisy, so bring earplugs.
Bruce, March
Overall:
Having walked all over Florence, there is nowhere we would rather stay than in the Oltrarno.
Enjoyed Most:
Being in the Oltrarno, the very best place in Florence, one block from the Ponte Carraia with quick access to the old town.
Enjoyed Least:
The layout on two floors with a narrow steep staircase to negotiate to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
Surrounding Area:
Wonderful neighborhood, close to the Arno and great for exploring on foot.
Tips or Restaurants:
Angiolino, two blocks north, is great for dinner. Ask for the main hall, not the little side rooms.
Glenn, November
Enjoyed Most:
I liked a number of things. The comfort level was very good. The beds and bedding were great. The beamed ceilings were handsome. With a little bit of shuffling of furniture, we were very comfortable sitting at the dining table and sitting and reading in the living room area. The support staff was on site and very responsive. Because they were on-site, I could step in to ask about bus tickets, about arranging for a taxi to the airport, about getting a toaster and a small frying pan for the apartment.
I liked the two entrances. I loved having an elevator.
I liked the fact that it was as I expected. Anything that might be interpreted as a downside --the relatively small size, the lack of a view--had been made clear through the website.
I liked the convenient location.
Enjoyed Least:
The bathroom was two short flights of stairs from the bed. Not for the infirm or the uncertain-of-step. It was a little noisy, but the website had prepared us for that, and the air conditioner was helpful in covering some of the noise.
Surrounding Area:
I liked the convenient location. Two floors below us was a small grocery-alimenteri. Out the door and across the street was Dante's Trattoria-Pizzeria, three or four doors up from Dante's is the Marino Cafe--great fresh pastries. Outside the cafe, a bus stop. Two blocks away was Piazza Santo Spirito--the great Brunelleschi church and the wonderful Cafe Ricchi. The same distance away was the Brancacci Chapel.
Nearby Events or Locales:
We stayed in Florence, but we could eaily have taken a bus to Fiesole. Sometimes when we were tired, we just got on a bus and rode its full circuit to see the outer edge of the city and get a little rest.
Tips or Restaurants:
The apartment was well-provided--not for the serious cook, but to make light meals.
The food was great. I loved the Marino Cafe pastries, and Cafe Ricchi in Santo Spirito, I loved the Accademia Ristorante directly across from the entrance to The Museo San Marco. We met six friends at Il Latini, and had an unforgettably wonderful meal. I loved hot chocolate with whipped cream con panne every place. Four of us hired Camilla Baines, a licenced guide in Florence, for three hours. Her background is in art history. She met us in front of Santa Maria Novella, and began by taking out a city map and giving a brief history of Florence from Roman times through the present, then took us through the most significant works in the church, talking not only about the art, but about how the church was used by clergy and laity. Then we moved on to the Medici Chapel and San Lorenzo. We could stop her at any point and ask technical questions about Rennaissance artists' contracts or architectural detail or Savonorola. I was an art history major years ago, and I was dazzled. Our friends who hardly knew a fresco from a triptych found this the highlight of their two-week stay in Florence.
Sally , October
Enjoyed Most:
We loved the fact that we were one block from the Arno and an easy walk just about any where we wanted to go. It was also great to be in a more residential and less touristy area with less traffic and noise. The bed was great. The linens luxurious. The washer was good to have. And we enjoyed the little take-away place across the street for our morning coffee and pastry. The air conditioning in the bedroom worked great, a rarity in Italy.
To top it off, the staff was very cordial and helpful. Our stay was wonderful, and we will recommend it to others.
Enjoyed Least:
There were only a couple of things: It was very warm in the kitchen-dining area. There were not enough utensils with which to cook a meal. Ice trays would also have been nice. The dishwasher worked very poorly.
Surrounding Area:
Simply the beauty and wonder that is Firenze. What more could you ask for?
The Uffizi, the Bargello, the Accademia, free on Thursday night, the Duomo and other beautiful churches. Dinner by the Arno under full moon; the cobblestone streets; the markets, the little shops, like Souleido, which sold the most beautiful fabrics.
Tips or Restaurants:
I would strongly suggest a really good pair of walking shoes. We found a wine tour which was superb, Tuscan Trails. The guide is English speaking. He took us to two wonderful villas in Rufina. The countryside was beautiful, the wines exquisite, and the food at the end of the tour was at an out-of-the-way family-run Osteria, that served us family-style, more than we could eat. Delicious! All for 60 Euros per person. Check it out
We loved La Giostra. It was a wonderful restaurant with extraordinary food and service.
Kimberly, August
Enjoyed Most:
The location was excellent. Everything we wanted to see and do was within easy walking distance. Even the train station was within walking distance. Very close to Ponte Vieja and all of the shops.
Enjoyed Least:
The three floors were inconvenient at times, but only at night. For instance, the bedroom was on first floor while the bathroon was on 2nd floor.
Surrounding Area:
All of the shops and restaurants, including inexpensive family-type.
Nearby Events or Locales:
Did not walk to any small towns. However, we did visit Pisa and Lucca. It is an easy train trip and we visited both towns in one day.
Tips or Restaurants:
Excellent restaurant on the via De' Serragli, about 3-4 blocks away from the river. Walking it is on the left side. Trattoria Da Ginone, via de Serragli 35r. Trattoria-type and a family restaurant. The father is the waiter and the mother is the cook. Food is excellent and we ate there two evenings. One should always take a Rail Europe phone card with them. I found phones to be expensive and was glad I had the phone card. Also, make train reservations from the US as it is cheaper.
Directions:
People were there and it is very easy. They speak English well.
Check In Out:
Very prompt on the checkout and will reserve a taxi for trip to the train station.
Jack, May
Overall:
Great place, unusual floor plan including a very steep, narrow-staired, poorly lit staircase. Be very careful if you can't walk well or tend to drink a lot! However, I would stay there again. There was plenty of room for a small family of 4-6. When our hosts discovered we had been married during our stay, they presented us with best wishes and a fine bottle of Prosecco - very unexpected and genuinely appreciated!
Enjoyed Most:
Memories... my wife and I were married at the Palazzo Vecchio and this was our home away from home for that wonderful week.
Enjoyed Least:
A little noisy, as the scooters seem to run past the window at all hours. We got used to it pretty quickly and it's not a real big problem... Tt became part of the charm after a while. The apartment was slow to warm up when the heat was on, but when you're newlyweds... who needs heat to keep warm? Of minimal importance was the surprisingly s-l-o-w washing machine and lack of a clothes dryer, but hey, when you're newlyweds, who actually needs clothes?
Surrounding Area:
Lots of local shops and restaurants... the pizzeria at the corner is magnificent. Close walk to all the typical tourist places across the river. This side of the river is more local and more subdued. The area was very picturesque and even the buzz of the scooters added to the total experience.
Tips or Restaurants:
The flatware and some other kitchen utensils are in the sideboard in the dinning room. And again, the pizzeria at the corner is a must! If you're an American coffee junkie, bring a big mug before heading out for the day - Italian coffees really, really small. The good news about that, is if you order a cup to go, by the time you hit the next cafe, you're ready for a refill - so you can break up your walking and sample a lot of different cafes.
Take a bottle of Prosecco down to the spillway on the Arno and enjoy the sunset.
Check In Out:
Very accommodating and hospitable.
Raymond, April
Overall:
It's a great place for 2 people, and close enough to everything that you can take a break in the mid-day heat. Beautiful frescos on the walls. A very comfortable bed, and air conditioning.
Enjoyed Most:
The location was perfect!! Just accross the river so you're not in a touristy neighborhood, but still close to EVERYTHING!! And the staff were very friendly and extremely helpful.
Enjoyed Least:
Can't think of anything.
Surrounding Area:
Great shops on our side of the river--and nice views from the bridge!!
Nearby Events or Locales:
A great wine bar on the corner if you can find it open...and try all the resturaunts---you can't go wrong.
Tips or Restaurants:
Pork sandwiches in the covered market for lunch!!!
William, June
Overall:
The property was very charming. The multi level set up was nice, and also being able to enter on different levels was convenient. The staff was very helpful and accomdating with everything.
Enjoyed Most:
The location was superb. It is within walking distance of everything in Florence. The bathroom was nice and had good water pressure, which in Italy can be rare sometimes!
Enjoyed Least:
It was a little noisy, but the windows kept a lot of it out. The bedroom is on the middle level, which I thought was charming, but it make lack privacy for a party of 2 couples.
Surrounding Area:
The Uffizi is two bridges down and all the major shopping streets are right across the bridge. There is a small grocery store around the corner, along with a cyber cafe. Within 100 feet of the property is 2 nice cafes to get a morning cafe and pastry, and also a restaurant called Dante on the corner that has good food and nice service. Garga of course on Via Del Moro is not to be missed - make reservations!
Tips or Restaurants:
Garga of course! Dante is a nice place right on the corner.
October
Overall:
Good location, apartment was large and nicely furnished.
Staff were friendly and helpful. Our only negative
experience involved a problem with the mail.
Enjoyed Most:
Convenient to museums,
restaurants, and shops. Great location.
Enjoyed Least:
Much traffic noise.
Surrounding Area:
The apartment was
convenient to tourist attractions but located in a neighborhood inhabited by
mostly locals. We enjoyed living in an area with few hotels and tourists.
Nearby Events or Locales:
Easter
celebration at the Duomo.
August
