Cathedral of Massa Marittima

Short walk from/to train station! Hotel is in a fairly busy area, can walk to St Marks easily. Check in went well - a person checked us in. there was a lift so it was easy to go upstairs. room was larger than we expected, but not much space to move around with luggage. beds were good. bathroom was small but adequate - no issues, shower very small. problem with small light bulbs over the bed, they did not fix it well. friendliest person we met was the maid/cleaning lady, Aida. Folks at front desk were ok only. no food in this hotel - but many good restaurants nearby. Checkout was easy - a person again.

La Scalette is a beautiful hotel in Florence. Its location is perfect. You’re within walking distance of amazing shopping, restaurants, the Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, etc. The only reason I didn’t give it a five star, was the accessibility and mobility within the hotel itself. Even if you take the tiny elevator to your floor, you might have another set of stairs just to get to your room. After a long day of sight seeing in the heat, the last thing you want is to return it to your hotel and have to take 3 to 4 flights of stairs just to get to your room if the elevator is not available. I would also say I found the in-house restaurant very costly. But even with that, it was a lovely stay.

Do not judge a book by its’ cover was the lesson learned here! Inconveniently located 20 minutes (walking) from the Santa Maria Novella train station, the Aurum Uffizi is nestled on a side street with only a sliding door entrance. Upon first impression, doesn’t look like much but when you get to your room, what a surprise! The rooms were HUGE and super modern with a spacious bathroom which had a rain shower. We were shocked when we entered as our expectations were very low. The disappointment came at night when, despite being in an alleyway, the noise level coming from outside made me feel like I was on Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras! The street noise continued until 4am and thankfully the next night it rained so it was quiet. My recommendation is to make sure you request a room AWAY from the front of the building (I was in room 104) or you’ll be sorry. Breakfast was included but only a small offering of items but still free which was a nice touch. Cons (aside from the noise) were you have to pay the ‘City Tax’ in Euros cash. Every other hotel we stayed at allowed credit card payment. And I was also slightly irritated that I sent them a message inquiring about a travel bag I know I left in the room and they never responded. All said, the location in Florence is super convenient and walkable and it was perfect for our 2 nights in Florence