This is a great hotel with the bare minimum. The hotel is super clean and does not look dirty at…read moreall. My room had an ensuite shower, but no toilet. The toilet situation wasn't bad since I never had a problem waiting and never saw anyone else who was staying in the hotel. The location is prime. Walking distance to the train station and around the block from the Duomo and other major tourist attractions. Things to remember but didn't count against them since it was advertised before I booked; There are no elevators, so you will be lugging your bags up the stairs. Shared bathrooms. (But super clean) No WiFi. And cell phone reception sucks in Florence. Overall I would stay here again, and this is the second time I've stayed here (6 years ago).

this is the best hotel or bed and breakfast bar none! ive been to venice, salzburg, prague,…read moredresden, paris, cologne, heidelberg, luxembourg, amsterdam, rome, the vatican, new york, atlanta, colorado, california, french riviera, monaco, southern france, gandria, lago maggiore, zurich, basel, black forest, brussels, tyrol, lugano, saarbrucken, trier, munich, berlin, seattle, barcelona ... and this is the place you want to experience the art capital of the world, florence. not to mention, pamela, the grand daughter...super friendly, amazing people, love her, love florence...the gold suite is beyond expression. you sleep and wake up to see the dome of florence, it is right beside the uffizi galery, ponte vecchio, galleria dell' accademia, pitti pallace, and museo di palazzo vecchio. thank you, pam. also worth mentioning, free breakfast and snack in the room.

Rooms were very large and clean. Loved breakfast on the rooftop restaurant. Great location. This…read morewas within walking distance to so many places, Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio, plaza del Signoria, Duomo and more. We were there over a weekend. It was noisy with all the street partying on Friday and Saturday but quiet on Sunday. Defined would stay there again.

Nice rooms in a really good location. The room was very spacious and had a balcony that overlooked…read morethe street that goes over the ponte vecchio (which is only a block and a half away). Came with a very good breakfast that included juices, bread, pastries, eggs made to order and espresso drinks made to order.

Beautiful hotel near several main attractions in Florence…read more Our room was on the 6th floor which was perfect for access to the terrace bar and breakfast terrace. This was the most comfortable bed and pillows I have slept on in our time in Italy. Our room was spacious and we had a window that overlooked the Arno. I loved that you could see the old beams in the ceiling. The views from the breakfast and bar terraces were stunning. We got beautiful pics of the Duomo, including one next to a rainbow as it rained on and off during our time in Florence. The bar terrace even had shawls on the back of chairs to wrap around your shoulders and keep away the chill. We went up there and played cards one afternoon and it was quiet and relaxing. Service was excellent. We often pointed at a restaurant name and asked them to make reservations for us. One night, the places we asked for were full, so we just asked them to choose something for us. They recommended an excellent restaurant which was only about 400ft from the hotel. The place was extremely busy so I can't help but think they squeezed us in because of the hotel's call. We loved our stay here!

This is a 4.5 rating and I highly recommend this hotel if you will be in Florence. The staff was…read moreaccommodating and helpful and the location was perfect. My husband and I had planned a trip to Italy for September 2020. I purchased a pre-paid, nonrefundable room at Antica Torre Tornabuoni in late 2019 because there was no reason we wouldn't go on the trip, so why not save a little bit of money? Hello COVID-19. I was resigned to losing my money, but figured it couldn't hurt to reach out to the hotel and ask if they would change our reservation to 2021. I emailed the hotel and immediately heard back from the hotel manager, who was gracious and happy to accommodate. We stayed in Florence at two different points in our trip, so I had two separate reservations, each for a Grand Deluxe room. I didn't realize there are only two of these rooms at the hotel and each has a private terrace. Room 503 was a touch smaller, but had a slightly larger terrace with a view of the Duomo. Room 502 was enormous with a slightly smaller terrace with a view of "old" Florence. Both rooms were absolutely worth it. The hotel is located in medieval towers. When you step through the front door, you aren't sure what you are getting into. You do not immediately see the reception desk. Keep going to the end of the entry, past the elevator, and you come to a small reception. The reception staff are welcoming, friendly, and helpful. We were checked in and the manager showed us how to use the fob attached to our key to make the elevator work. (Later in our stays, the reception staff were extremely helpful as they held our luggage, gave us umbrellas, and reserved us an early-morning taxi.) We were very happy with our rooms, as I mentioned. They were comfortable, had the amenities we needed, and there is a book in the room with lots of history and local recommendations. The breakfast room was easy to access from the 5th floor where our rooms were located. Due to COVID-19, there were friendly staff members wearing gloves and masks who served you what items you wanted from the buffet. There is seating outside and inside. The hotel also has a large terrace open to all of its guests with wonderful views of the city. It is especially beautiful to see the city lit up at night. The hotel is located one bridge down from the Ponte Vecchio. it was easy to walk everywhere we wanted to go and easy to navigate to and from the hotel. So, why 4.5 stars instead of 5 if this hotel is so perfect and I would stay there again? With a medieval building, things happen. There was a sulfer smell in one of our bathrooms that seemed to be emanating from the bidet. The main elevator broke down during our stay, so we had to use the very slow and ancient one by reception. Neither of these things were horrible, but they weren't ideal. That said, I can't imagine a better place to stay in Florence--location, comfort, views, atmosphere; the Antica Torre Tornabuoni has it all.

Why 5 stars? Because this is one of my favorite hotels I've ever stayed in…read more --- --- --- I do not think I can come up with something I didn't love about this hotel. From start to finish, we were treated like royalty. The room was absolutely GD ridiculous. We kept thinking that they put us in there by mistake because we did not feel worthy. When we arrived, the person who brought up our bags was instructed to do so after we had been in the room for a few minutes. It was almost as if the luggage was treated as dirty in terms of us having to see it being brought up. This strategically gave us a few minutes to oogle over the room. We really wanted a king bed after our last trip to Europe had us in some really small beds. What we didn't realize is that we'd be getting a full suite. Our only regret is not bringing along a friend because we certainly had the space for it. The couch was about as wide as a double bed. Every single corner of the hotel was perfectly designed. The entry way, the stairs, the elevators, the gym, etc. The service was excellent from start to finish. There was almost always a doorman when we arrived and departed, there to greet us with a smiling face. Even a few days before arriving, they emailed me and said, "if you need absolutely anything at all, we are at your complete disposal." That was not just talk -- they would have done anything we needed, it felt like! They also called us a cab for the morning of our early flight, which was very helpful. We truly loved it here and will never forget our experience!

We enjoyed every day at this hotel and were disappointed when we had to leave for Venice. I could…read morehave stayed here for months. They gave us a free upgrade to a room that included a suite, which had a separate living room area with chairs and a mini fridge. It also had two bathrooms. The air conditioning was the best we encountered. The room stayed cool even though it was the largest room we stayed in during our trip to Italy. Breakfast was really good. They had hard boiled eggs, toast, fruit, and croissants. They have drip coffee, and you can order espresso for a little extra. We made regular use of the rooftop terrace. The quality of the drinks depended on who was working. There was a fine young Italian man, and I mean fine, who made our best cafe latte. The older gentleman didn't have the same espresso machine skills, but the Bellini he made me turned out great. The location is perfect. It's not far from all of the major sites and it's right next to a bridge. I highly recommend eating and shopping across the bridge. There are less people and you can get better deals. The food on the other side of the bridge is full of authentic hole in the walls.

The best hotel I've ever stayed in!…read more Not only is the hotel's decor beautiful, but it's super comfortable (Perfect temperature without having to mess with a heating system). The morning breakfast buffet is delicious and awesome, especially if you're a typical tourist like myself who wants to try classic Italian pastries. You can also ask for custom made drinks like cappuccino and hot chocolate and the employees will gladly make them for you. It only takes a few days for this hotel to start feeling like a home. I was sad to leave! If you're visiting Florence, you should DEFINITELY stay in the Hotel Alba Palace.

I judge a hotel in a few basic things: 1) how I sleep…read more2) my shower 3) location and then of course other little details Sleep: The bed is on the firm side and the pillows flat, but that said; I slept amazingly well. The room temp was perfect and the double windows- yes, not just double paved windows, but DOUBLE double panel windows made for a quiet night Showers: The shower looks small from the inside, but once you get in; it's tiny. But, it has a handheld hose option, the pressure is perfect and I never ran out of hot water. So I give it an A+ Location: We came by train and this hotel is only a few minutes walk from Santa Maria Novella Station. And yet we loved the intimate little neighborhood it's in. Breakfast: Excellent! A great spread each morning of pastries, good coffee, juices, scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, sliced meats, cereal, cheese, yogurt and more. Just a great stay in a marvelous city! Can't wait to return. That breakfast!!

Lovely hotel in the heart of Florence. This is a wonderfully appointed hotel. My husband and I are…read morestaying in one of the Deluxe Double Suites (newer section of hotel) and it's awesome. What an amazing blend of chic modern Italian decor in a historic building. The hotel is clean, the staff is friendly and our room is well insulated so we don't hear the hustle and bustle of Florence outside. The rooftop bar, Disopra is fantastic! Great views, fabulous cocktails and yummy food. I definitely recommend Hotel degli Orafi.

While preparing for a night out in Florence, I needed an iron to smooth out my trousers from two…read moredays in a suitcase. As none was in our room, we called the front desk at Hotel Degli Orafi to request one. Instead of the typical, "we'll send it right up," we were told they couldn't provide one for "security reasons." Bewildered at how lending a guest an iron could present a security issue, and knowing that even most mid-level hotels routinely provide irons in guest rooms, I decided I needed to speak face to face with front desk personnel to understand what this meant. Because as best I could surmise, the only "security" issues that could possibly arise from use of an iron are 1) that I might use it to bash or burn my girlfriend (she's far too lovely for that), or 2) I might steal it. Neither of which I had any plan to do, nor gave hotel staff any reason to suspect. When I presented these two scenarios to the front desk attendant, and asked what other security issue might be of concern, she said a guest might burn themself. Seriously?!? In other words, the security risk they sought to minimize was not that toward third parties I might attack with their iron, nor to the hotel itself, were I to steal it, but rather it was the risk to myself they were concerned about. Of all the lame excuses she could have contrived, that one deserved a double take! In 40 years of travels, having stayed in dozens of hotels on five continents, never have I heard an innkeeper express concern for a guest burning themself with an iron! While her explanation was the lowest point of my Hotel Degli Orafi experience, it wasn't the only low point. See photos.

The owner and his daughter are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. Checking in here feels…read morelike stepping in to your favorite uncle's house, except no one asks you when you're going to get married. The rooms are clean, and cleaned daily. You have air conditioning, tv, mini fridge, and a couple outlets for charging devices. It's a haul from the train station, but once you're there, every major sightseeing spot is a quick walk away. The owners make all the difference in your experience. Meet them and find out!

What can I say about owner and host ALessio other than he's one of the nicest people on the face…read moreof the earth. Locanda de' Ciompi is located in a terrific local's neighborhood. The neighborhood gathering area is Piazza Dei Ciompi which is conveniently located just a few steps from the front entrance. Of all the things to see and do in Florence, my wife and I most enjoyed spending evenings at a Piazza street cafe (Vagalume, separate review). Every evening by 5pm the local residents walk the small streets around the Piazza to see and greet old friends. Sitting at the cafe we could watch and hear this happy parade of locals, again just outside entrance to our B&B. Locanda de' Ciompi is very clean, comfortable and quiet. I couldn't think of a better place to stay in Florence.