More about Hotel Alessandro della Spina
UNIQUE HOTEL
by TripAdvisor Member Janet Beadle
We stayed at the Alessandor della Spina for 3 nights 10- 13 Oct 05 .
I can only reiterate the views of the majority of other reviewers that this is a lovely place to stay. We had a beautiful room,the Rose room ,with 4 large windows ,a huge fireplace and as throughout the hotel the lovely marble floors.It was such a change to stay in a place with character, but with all up to date facilties The owners are to be congratulated on the way in which they have incorporated the orginal features in their renovations.
I am amazed at the comments dated 06 Nov 05 that they were scared to walk out of the Hotel! Ok I would descibe the area are as not particulary attractive but in no way unsafe. I do wonder what environment they are used to.We went out every evening to various restaurants including the Galileo, which we would definately recommend.
We also used the trains to travel around and found the staff at the information office in the train station, very helpful.
I am a Travel Agent and I would be recommend this hotel to anyone who like something other than the standard bland hotels that those of us who are fortunate to travel frequently often end up staying in.
Nice room, pity about the breakfast
by TripAdvisor Member dboywunda
The rooms of this hotel are large by Italian standards and are finished to high level of decor.
The bathroom had no tub, but did have an excellent shower. The continental breakfast was limited, most of the food being packaged, with no hot items available.
In order to reach the old town and the tower, there is a walk of approximately 25 minutes duration, via the main street. The main street is littered with bars (rather than restaurants) and appears to be popular with the town's inhabitants. In fact it was so popular, we
thought a soccer match had just finished as we tried to navigate our way up it, on a late Saturday afternoon.
Pisa is fine as a base for touring, the train station providing a link to Florence. Make sure you go via Empoli (5.2Euros,1 hour 15 mins) and not via Lucca, (6 Euros and nearly 2 hours). Would we use this hotel again? Probably.
Disappointing
by A TripAdvisor Member
Booked this hotel because of the excellent reviews but it was a great disappointment. The duty manager was smoking at his desk and was not particularly friendly. The room did not have a bath and if there had been a fire we were trapped as there was a metal grill outside our window. Breakfast was appalling.
Excellent Hotel
by TripAdvisor Member drakey
This is a very nice, very clean (you could eat your dinner off the floor!)hotel. The rooms are very large by any standards with great bathrooms - particularly for ladies with magnifying make up mirrors. Less than 5 minutes walk to the station and 3 minutes by taxi to the airport (6 euro). The breakfast wasn't great but ok bearing in mind it was only £35 each for b and b.
It is a 30min walk to the tower through the very nice shops and cafe's of the main street. The river is also very attractive and make sure you walk through the Piazza dei Cavalieri - amazing.
Also make sure you leave time for the free visit to the cathedral right next to the tower - much more interesting than the Duomo in Florence. (by the way the Festival del Gelato is easily the best ice cream in Florence - I have tried them all).
All in all - great value for money for a very clean, comfortable and convenient hotel.
Great hotel
by TripAdvisor Member bluetooth
Myself and my fiance stayed for 3 nights in between Christmas and New Year. We thought the hotel was charming. In a great location in Pisa, and an ideal place for travelling to other towns/cities due to the train station being so close. We visited Lucca (beautiful), it was only 15/20 minutes away on the train. We also spent a day in Florence which was 1 hour, 15 minutes away. Florence is fabulous and we would go back there. The hotel is only 6 euros in a taxi from Pisa airport which was great and hassle free. We would stay in this hotel again and would recommend it to anyone.
Average Hotel
by TripAdvisor Member Argassi1
We stayed in this hotel in December. It was clean, the rooms were clean and the staff were respectful if not a little reserved. No complaints - an average hotel and reasonable value for the price.
Average & Far From City Attractions
by TripAdvisor Member llcaruso
I stay in hotels across Italy for work at least twice a month. I use tripadvisor for most of my trips. In my experience, this hotel is rated far too highly. It's an average hotel. The rooms are very large, but not particularly well decorated. Breakfast is pretty meager. Most importantly though, the hotel is poorly located, unless you want to be closer to the train station.
Pisa is all about its tower, the Batistero right next to it and the genius university nearby. There's very little else that's redeeming about the city. As a tourist you could see everything you would want to in about three hours. This hotel is a half hour walk from the city's attractions and in my estimation is not worth the hike.
My thanks to Tripadvisor, anyway. You're very rarely wrong.
Very spacious accommodations
by TripAdvisor Member J_Lee
After staying in two previous hotels in Italy, we were pleasantly surprised to see how spacious the room and bathroom was. The room was nicely decorated and comfortable. From the Pisa Central train station, it took about 10 minutes to walk with our luggage to the hotel. We called a taxi to the airport, and that was only a 5 minute ride.
We walked to the leaning tower which was a 25 minute walk. But along the way you can walk down the main road, Via Italia which is lined with shops and lots of locals.
The hotel lobby was very clean and attractive, and the lady working at the front desk was nice. The map of Pisa provided at the hotel was not very clear, so I'd suggest you bring a good map before arriving.
The breakfast was very large. It included various pastries, salami, cereal, fruit cocktail, yogurt, and cookies.
Very good hotel
by TripAdvisor Member UKIngwe
We stayed one night in order to catch our flight early the next day. We were very impressed with this hotel with a spacious room, exceptionally clean and comfortable. The entire hotel is nicely decorated and clean and we found the duty manager very helpful and friendly. Breakfast was adequate. It is about a 25 minute walk to the Tower of Pisa (get a map from the information centre at the station/airport as the hotel map is a bit confusing)which was pleasant as you cross the river and also manage to do some shopping en route! The manager recommended a restaurant for dinner - Gallileo - which is tucked off the main streets, not full of tourists and superb food and good prices. We thought that Alessandro Della Spina was a great hotel and would certainly stay again if we need to visit Pisa again. We would recommend you request a room that does not face the street or is not over the reception - its very noisy!
