Torre dei Lari Residenza d'Epoca

A small 7 room boutique B&B that was just wonderful…really 5/5. Absolute perfection. The place just oozes history so don’t expect a modern sterile hotel., instead this is Italian residence at its best. Staff could not have been more helpful. The small pool was a welcome retreat from the sun and the garden was wonderful to sit and relax. It is a 25min walk from Ponte Vecchio but it is right at the top of a steep hill, so you’ll feel it at the end. But we’ll worth it. The roads immediately leading up to it are ‘interesting’ - very narrow. But free off-street parking behind a secure gate was an added bonus) My only regret…not staying here longer! Book it before it gets too popular. (We stayed in the family room which was planets big enough for a family of 4 or 5 with two separate rooms and the singles beds in the main living area)

My partner booked this hotel for the second part of our Italian Grand tour which was to celebrate our birthdays. She could not have found a more idyllic setting. An old Tuscan villa with a remarkable history & stunning views. The room was luxurious, comfortable & quiet. The location was matched by the staff, they were friendly, efficient & nothing was too much trouble. We arrived late in the afternoon so we decided to eat at the hotel. Not was only was the food delicious but the beer came from the Hotel's own brewery! They even set up a special table for us in the beautiful garden. We're planning on coming back to Florence in the future, we will certainly be looking to stay here again. Thank you all for making our stay so memorable.

Unfortunately our stay in Torre dei Lari was not as expected. Our Deluxe Double Room was supposed to have views to the swimming pool or the city, as indicated very clearly on Booking and on their own website. However, we received a room on the ground floor with a view to a dark small street. Also, the room was situated between the kitchen, the common toilets and the entry hall. The decoration/finishing is far from what you see in the pictures, the airco and the fridge are noisy. Upon arrival, we communicated our disappointment to the receptionist. We could immediately feel in his reaction he didn’t have any intention to help us. During our stay, there were no apologies or compensations offered, and nobody asked how we were doing, even not during check-out. So, we expressed our disappointment again, in person. The Deluxe double room we got should not be included in the same category/price range as the others. Besides that, breakfast was poor and we experienced an overal cold atmosphere during our stay. By the way, you need a taxi to come back from the city (situated on a hill) unless if you’re an athlete and you need some extra training.

This place is a great example of how you can put (small) important things together to create an unforgettable experience. The hotel has about 7 rooms and is therefore being managed by a small staff 5-8 people). The owner of the residence also helps out on the premise, I guess that is why the quality is so high :). The staff was so kind, anything you needed you could just ask and they would take care of it with a smile. And their English is great, that is very important. Some examples: - we woke up half an hour after breakfast closing time because of the good beds and they still kept the breakfast ready for us - we ordered JustEat food and they brought it to our room - they allowed us to use their washing machine - we were sitting by the pool and they came to ask if they could tidy our room, they wouldn’t have to ask but it is just very nice The facilities available were very complete, nicely cleaned and free to use: - the water tap with sparkling, cold and warm water - we could use their dishes and cutleries and whatever we wanted if we brought own food - microwave available - amazing pool to cool down, it was a bit deep 1.6meter (which I like a lot) - big garden in which you could pick your own spot where you’d like to hang out, have breakfast / lunch - pool towels which we could change anytime we’d like (sometimes it is very nice) - espresso machine with cups to use The rooms were big, beautiful, clean, and complete: - the room had 2 tv’s, the one in the living room had Netflix on it, the one in the sleeping room had HDMI available - mini bar with (not too expensive) beverages - a lot of space - very nice shampoo (please tell me the brand because I forgot to ask) - good airconditioning A review is never complete without some points of improvement: - sometimes the water pressure in the shower in the room drops (it gets a few degrees colder or warmer for two seconds) - some better lighting in the backyard at night would make it even more amazing - the hotel is about 20 minutes walk from the center, some rental bikes would be very nice - the wifi coverage is good but the speed could be improved (although Netflix did work)