The Magical Minerva - A truly Grand Hotel in Florence
by TripAdvisor Member thelittlesthobo
The Grand Hotel Minerva is everything I expected it to be and is the most satisfying value for money hotel I have ever been in... It really added to the romance of my trip to Florence and the views of the Florence Sunset from the rooftop bar will stay with me for the rest of my days. The service was exceptional and breakfast was a feast - they had everything including toasted apples! Our room was above average in size (we booked a standard double through the hotel website) and our room rate included breakfast, taxes and service. You can walk to all of the major attractions in Florence making the Grand Hotel Minerva excellent value for money. The hotel guarantees you the best rate if you book through their own website which is grandhotelminerva - I will always return to this hotel when hopefully one day I will go back to Florence.
A room with a view in Florence
by TripAdvisor Member Violet54
We have just come back from a five day break in Florence and stayed at the Grand Hotel Minerva. We booked a flight and hotel package through the internet and could not specify the type of room we wanted but when I read the reviews on tripadvisor, I got in touch with the hotel directly and was offered various upgrades.
We chose a room with a view of the duomo, overlooking the square and Santa Maria Novella church. The square isn't noisy at all.
It was fantastic and well worth the extra money.
We have stayed all over Italy in a mixture of hotels (five star and below) and this rates as one of the very best. The staff are all extremely helpful, particularly on the front desk. They booked tickets for all the major galleries, which may not have been necessary given that it was low season but an invaluable service once Florence gets really busy.
I imagine the rooftop pool in warmer weather is pretty amazing too.
Wonderful stay in Florence
by A TripAdvisor Member
We stayed at the Grand Hotel Minerva for six nights in February. The staff was warm and welcoming especially Roberto. The hotel room and bathroom were a nice size and quite comfortable. What impressed me the most was how clean this hotel was. I have never stayed in a cleaner hotel and believe me I am quite picky about that. There were alot of nice touches like free internet use (our five-star hotel in Rome didn't have this),a coffee maker with cappucino, hot chocolate, coffee , a variety of teas(our five-star hotel in Rome didn't have this) , candies all around the lobby area (our five-star hotel in Rome didn't have this), a piano in the lobby, all of which made for a welcoming atmosphere. We were visiting our daughter who is studying in Florence, and all of the staff were very friendly to her as well.
The breakfast was also very good. It was a buffet with eggs, bacon, sausage, pastries, yogurt, cereal, fresh fruit, coffee, teas and hot chocolate.
As far as location , we thought it was great. It was right near everything. It was close to the train station which was very convenient for getting to other areas like Rome, Sienna, Venice , to name a few. I understand being near the train station in Rome is not a good thing but this doesn't seem to be the case in Florence as all of Florence feels safe. I've read reviews were people commented on the undesirable people who hung out in the Piazza outside the hotel. We did not find this to be a problem, however we did go in February and it was rather cold; perhaps in warmer weather this is a problem but I would not let this keep me from enjoying the comforts of this wonderful hotel.
I guess everything has at least one negative - there were a couple of annoying noises that we heard when sleeping. One of the noises we figured out when we were at breakfast. You see the hotel including the rooms are not carpeted ( which I personally like) and when the chairs move they make a screaching noise. Our room was right over the restaurant and we heard this noise when people got up and down from their table. The other noise we never figured out. I'm sure we could have gotten our room switched but we had adjoining rooms and there was not another set of adjoining rooms available, so we decided to live with the noise which for all we knew may have been a problem in all of the rooms.
Florence is such a beautiful city and if we ever return we would definitely stay at this hotel again.
Good Choice For Me, What About You?
by A TripAdvisor Member
Here is the run down...
- If you are travelling by train, great location - it is a 5 minute walk. Do not worry, it isn't "too close" to the station.
- If you dig a rooftop bar, pool, and great view of city, this hotel has that.
- If you want a hotel that is in walking distance to everything, this works.
- You must be able to ignore the "young people" that hang about the square in front of the hotel at night. I felt comfortable at night with my girlfriends but if this will ruin it for you - go elsewhere.
- Great breakfast, just be assertive with the staff if it is busy!
A very good hotel
by A TripAdvisor Member
Stayed for a week in this hotel in December and found it ideal for location. The room was comfortable and clean and it was a very pleasant stay. The staff were helpful and professional. I would highly recommend anyone to choose this hotel. You could not ask for more.
A great hotel!
by A TripAdvisor Member
My family and I stayed at this hotel for a week in the Family Suite and found it to be an extremely wonderful hotel. The staff was so helpful and pleasant, and even gave us a discount when they reserved our museum tickets. We were a bit worried about the crowds that other people said to have gathered each night in the square, but we never saw anything even remotely dangerous. The room itself was perfect for what we were looking for, especially since finding a room in Florence to accomodate 4 is particularly difficult). The location was also the perfect distance away from everything. We had a very comfortable walk to all the main attractions, without getting tired out from walking. In all, this is a wonderful hotel and definitely worth staying at.
Photos
View from the roof of Grand Hotel Minerva
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