Hotel La Gioconda

The room itself was big. Unfortunately, our room had no tub, just a curtain separating shower from toilet. The breakfast selection was a little underwhelming. Free wifi only on the first floor. But as far as location goes, the location was great. Less than five minutes from the train station and from the Duomo. There's a BNL bank less than 3 minutes away which is great for those of us with Bank of America in the states and close to the shopping street. The location is also great for a less than 10 minute walk to the Uffizi gallery and Academic Gallery, which showcase the Birth of Venus and the statue of David. And maybe a 20-30 minute walk to the Piazzale Michelangelo, which provides an absolutely stunning view of the entire city. If you plan on using the hotel just for sleeping and getting ready in the morning, stay here. The location is pretty great.

Located in the heart of Florence really close to the main train station where there are hundreds of shops, currency exchange and historical sites to visit. It is a very old historic hotel and it has plenty of stairs but the shower was the best one I had in Europe. The entire staff will go out of their way to help you and tend to your every need. They even helped an old codger like me get the bags to the room. The manager at the front desk was extremely helpful. Lots of places very nearby to grab meals, ice cream, etc. Lots of places to shop all around there and lots of activity everywhere. Very quiet at night. When you leave the building you turn your key into the front desk and they all remember what room you're in. Quite quaint. We didn't expect that kind of personal attention but got it just the same.