The pictures on the website looked lovely and it appeared to be located south of the train station near the Teatro Comunale and Ponte Vecchio. It was described as an intimate boutique hotel located in a "peaceful upscale neighborhood". This sounded perfect because I knew we would be doing lots of sightseeing and museum hopping in Florence so it would be nice to be close enough to the attractions but far enough to have a restful sanctuary.
Was it everything as described on the website?
Check in: While it was within walking distance of the the train station, we did have a lot of luggage so we ended up taking a taxi to the hotel (about 7 euros). The check-in process was smooth and the hotel did appear to be the restful sanctuary I was looking for. It was like staying at someone's beautifully maintained home. The first floor held the reception/concierge area, a lovely dining area with a sunroom and a cozy sitting area.
Room: Our room was on the second floor and had a balcony overlooking the central courtyard. The room was a nice size (bigger than our room in St. Regis) and the bed was also super comfortable. The shower had very fancy jets that I couldn't figure out, but it was again a tad small for my husband. (We discovered this was going to be a running theme throughout the trip.) Toiletries were ok but nothing to be excited about. 
Service: Service was very formal and civilized. In keeping with the "sanctuary" theme everyone seemed to speak in hushed tones here. Some of the receptionists and servers spoke very little english so were a bit shy but everyone was very nice. They seemed to be working under the motto to be helpful, but not intrusive so I rarely noticed them unless I needed something. Isn't that what makes a good English butler according to that movie with Anthony Hopkins?
Location: As noted, this hotel was pretty close to the train station and within walking distance of our car rental place. It was an easy walking distance to the Uffizi, Pitti Place, Ponte Vecchio, etc. - all within 5 - 10 minutes. It was a little further to get to the Duomo. But Florence is relatively walkable - it makes very little sense to take a taxi unless you are exhausted or going up to the Piazzale Michelangelo which is up a hill on the outskirts of the city. When I mapped places - it was often faster to walk to a place than to drive there since it's such a pedestrian city. Since I've been to Florence before, I liked the location which was slightly set apart from the touristy areas, but for first-timers in Florence, you may feel a bit isolated. But if you are renting a car for a jaunt into wine country, this is a very useful location.
Breakfast Buffet: This was included in the room and was absolutely lovely. They had the requisite egg, bacon, potatoes, cold cuts, fruits and wonderful pastries. There was also a great selection of juices, very good coffee, and a machine that squeezed fresh
I recall my first trip to Italy over 10 years ago where the breakfast buffets usually consisted of a hard roll, some sad pastries, yogurt and a boiled egg (if you were lucky) ... how times have changed. Italians still tend to have a very small breakfast from what I can tell - a pastry and a cappuccino - but at least the hotels are now catering to the tourists who enjoy a large breakfast.
Bar: The small hotel bar was very cozy and intimate. My husband and I had a nice break there where we tried some wines and had (again) peanuts and potato chips and olives.
Check out: This was again very easy and efficient. There were no errors on the bill. Tip - We did have to pay city tax in cash. I think it was a few euros per day of your stay. This occurred in some (but not all) of the hotels we stayed at so it does seem to differ from place to place. I think some hotels roll it into the room price and others do not. I guess the lesson is to have some cash at hand to pay the city tax at check out - just in case.
Recommend? I would definitely recommend this hotel for people who want to be close enough to the action, but not right next to the craziness. The hotel was very comfortable and peaceful - perfect after a day in crowds of tourists.
However, if you can splurge, the Westin Excelsior and the St. Regis are located right next to the Arno near the Ponte Vecchio and I have a hankering to stay there the next time I'm in Florence....
(Average cost per night - $482.71)
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