Great location...
by TripAdvisor Member Brian365
Stayed at the Hotel Laurus for 4 nights. The Hotel is well situated close to the Rail Termini and only a few minutes walk to the Hotel.
As prevously mentioned the Hotel has recently been refurbished with nice bright decor. Rooms are quite spacious with a nice bathroom.The 6th floor Breakfast Room with it's balcony terrace was lovely. This room was also the bar for drinks during the day and evening.
The Hotel is within walking distance off all the major attractions in Florence with the Dumo less than 5 mins walk and visible from the terrace. Streets are quite noisy outside Hotel but double glazed windows shut out the noise. Rooms are air conditioned.
As expected Florence was very busy and hot but plenty of places to grab a cool beer. The Restaurants we dined at were superb, we particulalry liked the Trattoria Il Caminetto in via Dello Studio a little road just off the Dumo Square. Not cheap for sure but the food and service well worth the money.
Prior to this stay we had just spent 4 nights in Rome and travelled to Florence by rail. We enjoyed Rome which of course is renowned for it's Historical interest whereas Florence was very much about it's culture but both very interesting places to visit.
Nice room, Great location
by TripAdvisor Member sdpow
Stayed here 18 May through 22 May 2006. Arrived via train, about an hour and half journey from Rome. When you exit the train station, you should go down to the underground walkways to get to Via de Panzani. Via De Panazni will turn into Via de Cerretani which is the street the hotel is on. It's about a 10 minute walk from the train station.
The hotel was better than I expected. The room was spotless, good sized and very well appointed. Our room looked out at the dome of San Lorenzo which we initially mistakened for the Duomo.
For views of the Duomo, the hotel's rooftop breakfast room/bar can't be beat. It's a great way to start the day. Breakfast was good with deli meats, cheeses, pastries, cereal, scrambled eggs, juices, milk and coffee.
As it is with many European hotels, the elevators are painfully small; barely fits 3 people comfortably.
The staff was OK. Helpful when seeking assistance, but nothing above and beyond.
Location is EXCELLENT! Some key sites are easily within walking distance. Exit the hotel and turn left down the sidewalk and it's a 2 minute walk to the Duomo.
If you're looking at the front of the Duomo, on the left hand side there's a side street called Via Ricassoli which leads you to the Galleria dell Accademia and the statue of David; about a 5-10 minute walk. It'll be on your right hand side. I only say this becaus the buildling is less than impressive and easy to miss.
If you walk across the plaza between the Duomo and the Baptistry, you'll find a side street called Via de Calzaiuoli. This will lead you to the Uffizi and Ponte Vecchio; about a 10 minute walk. Watching the sunset on Ponte Vecchio was quite memorable.
Was also able to easily do a day trip to Pisa; about a 45 minute train ride. In May 2006, a 2nd class train ticket to Pisa was 11 euros roundtrip. I would not recommend paying for first class. The ride isn't long enough and not all trains offer first class, yet the machines will let you purchase first class tickets even if it doesn't exist. Save first class for the long haul trips.
There were even day trips via bus to Vencie. Venice was our next stop, so we didn't take advantage of this.
Dining and shopping opportunities abound. Some upscale shopping boutiques were just steps away and there was an outlet center shuttle service that was being offered. There were also numerous restaurants and gelato shops to be found.
If you choose to wash your own clothes at a self-service laundromat, there is one that is relatively close. It's location escapes me, but you might be able to ask the front desk staff. It was very popular with the English speaking crowd and there was a nice bar across the street where you can sip on a drink or grab a bite to eat as you wait for your clothes to finish. In May 2006, it was 3.50 euros to wash and 3.50 euros to dry. It took a little over an hour to wash and dry.
With good rooms and a central location, this hotel is a great choice for under 200 euros a day. I would definitely recommend it. In fact, the man who checked out of the hotel immediately before me told the hotel clerk that he would recommend it too.
Fantastic Experience
by A TripAdvisor Member
Although a Best Western hotel this was a fabulous find in a great location. Newly renovated the rooms were superb, very comfortably furnished, including plasma tv and minibar and with bright modern bathroom. Although on a busy road the sound-proofing was very effective and we were not disturbed by any outside noise.
The breakfast room on the 6th floor was bright and airy with a good selection of items for breakfast and also the opportunity to dine outside with good views of the Duomo which is just 150 metres away.
Reception staff could not have been more helpful making museum and restaurant bookings for us.
All in all we had a wonderful 3 night stay and would make this hotel our number one choice should we visit Florence again.
Free Cable Internet if you have your own computer!
by TripAdvisor Member Bethian
We have been travelling Europe for the past 6 weeks staying at various BW hotels and this one definetly deserve its 4* rating. Location is fantastic with most attractions within walking distances, rooms are 5* standards and breakfast is much better than other 4* BW hotels. Free Internet (need your own laptop) is a bonus as other BW hotels have been charging ridulous rates for Internet connections.
Good Location, NO PARKING
by TripAdvisor Member Dinocas
Stayed at this hotel for 3 nights during my visit to Florence. Arriving at the hotel was very difficult, because we rented a car during our vacation in Tuscany, and cars are not allowed to circulate in the centre of Florence. whn we managed to find a paking lot, we had to walk to the hotel with our luggage. this is a very frenetic city - lots and lots of turists, so its nt easy to get around. the hotel was nice, the rooms very clean and big, breakfast was very good. the staff though, was not very nice. breakfast was opend untill 10:30, and when we arrived at 10:05, the staff wasnt pleased to see us. i found that in all bustling cities in Italy (Florence, Rome, Milan) the staff at the hotels are not nice at all.
in anycase, should you be arriving in Florence by train, or plane, I do reccommend this hotel. should you be arriving by car, be prepared to pay 40€ a night just for parking your car!!!!
Photos
Basilica di Santa Croce, Firenze (Florence)
Fountain of Neptune, detail
Door to Basilica di Santa Croce
Neptune Fountain
Forum Posts
Travel on the Arno River
by t0m0
Can a person travel from Florence to other cities via the Arno River?
Re: Travel on the Arno River
by mccalpin
Arnomark
Actually, it never occurred to me to go by water (like, to Pisa); the train is so easy...
The river has been a scourge over time in terms of flooding, and up at the northern end, the flow can vary by a factor of almost 1,000 (see the Wikipedia article on the Arno).
I looked at the Arno Basin Authority website, and it doesn't say anything about navigation...it's totally worried about cleanliness and flood control...hmmmmn, maybe a canoe or kayak? ;-)
Bill
Re: Travel on the Arno River
by giampiero6
I was thinking that's a great question too. I don't think it's deep enough for very long to admit any real navigation, but maybe there's a canoe or kayak or rowing enthusiasts group that has something going on...
Re: Travel on the Arno River
by Agraichen
Similar to Bill's response, the train is a much easier mode, however the last time I was in Florence, the river did not appear to be navigable by anything more than a small craft that you could take in/out when obsticles prevented forward movement.
Re: Travel on the Arno River
by rkearns
interesting and funny question. but it's a bit over an hour by car, according to google maps. how long do you think that would take in a kayak?
Re: Travel on the Arno River
by mccalpin
hahaha, Fabrizio just made an entry on the other related question (Travel to Pisa) about a company that does boat tours on the river in Pisa - http://www.ilnavicello.it/ - then he noted they haven't updated their website in awhile (maybe blub blub blub?) ;-)
Bill
Re: Travel on the Arno River
by JohanIsWeg
Naw, I don't think you can. Too many of those water breaks (not sure what the correct term for those are!), notably between Ponte San Noccolo and Ponte alle Grazie, as well as between Ponte alla Carraia and Ponte Amerigo Vespucci.
Re: Travel on the Arno River
by Alex_71
For what i know and for what i have seen, there aren't any "big boat" that travel on Arno river. I have seen only "canottieri firenze" (that use boat for races) and some kayak.
The deep of Arno for sure not permit to use big boats over there, but probably you can use kayak in a part of it.
Anyway i suggest to NOT do it. Arno is not "clean water" and, depending in which period of the year, it can be dangerous.
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