For our three nights in Florence, Italy, we opted for a boutique non-chain hotel. I asked for suggestions, researched blogs and read many Tripadvisor reviews, and decided on Hotel Orto de Medici. I booked a refundable rate, which included breakfast, through Expedia. With taxes, it came to just under $100 per night.
The hotel was on a quiet Florentine street about a 15 minute walk from the Santa Maria Novella train station. I didn’t realize it immediately, but the hotel is five or ten minutes from the major sights – the Duomo, the Accademia, the Uffizi and the iconic Ponte Vecchio bridge. I expected a quaint, charming, clean boutique hotel with a certain Tuscan charm to it – and that’s exactly what I found!
The building and gardens are rich in history! It has been renovated, but still possesses a certain old Florentine feeling. This is the ground floor reception and seating areas.
The hotel does have an elevator – but check out this staircase:
There is a fabulous hallway which leads to a beautiful garden:
Our room was on the third floor of the hotel.
When we opened the door to our room, I must admit I was surprised by its size. It was tiny (about 200 sq feet), and the view. . . well, it wasn’t.
But, over time, we realized that the room was well-organized, modern and clean. And the hotel overall was so wonderful, that we got over any initial size disappointment we felt. The bathroom was modern and everything worked as it was supposed to.
The breakfast area was on the second floor and it was lovely. You could sit indoors, or outdoors on this terrace.
Or you could sit inside in the breakfast room.
The breakfast selection was very nice. As I’m not eating much bread these days, my favorite foods were the fruit salad and the fresh mozzarella with tomatoes.
You could even have a champagne or a bloody mary (or both) if you wanted!
I loved everything about the hotel (except the size of our room). I would return here in a heartbeat and I would recommend the hotel to others.
A New York frequent flyer who elegantly combines her passions for worldwide travel, running a gazillion marathons all over the globe and staying fit ... without sacrificing her fancy for good wine and food.
What a charming hotel! We have stayed at both Hiltons in Florence to take advantage of our points, but I will definitely consider the Hotel Orto de Medici next time. You got a great rate. Thanks for the review!
thank you Denise for reading and commenting! We also found a restaurant that we loved so much that we went back twice. Stay tuned.