2008-10-13
From JANICE DOLLAR - USA

I knew going in that there was construction going on with the church, and it did not affect our stay at all. The piazza is now also under construction. Our room, 423, was lovely and just as pictured on the website. It was a junior suite overlooking the church cloister. The room was big enough, with a sitting area with a TV in both the bedroom and sitting areas. The decor was very calming, with golds and white, a small couch and side chair, and a desk. My husband does not go for the ornate decoration seen in some hotels, so he was pleased with the simple, but elegant decor here. There were two sets of French doors opening to a balcony, but it was quite small and not even deep enough for a chair. However, it was very nice to have such large windows with views of the church next door and the hills beyond. The air conditioning worked well and was quite welcome after walking all day in town during humid days. The bed was a very comfortable king (two twins pushed together) and the room was quiet when the windows were closed. The church bells rang about 7 am. The rooftop terrace was lovely with potted trees, tables and chairs, and a small pool. The pool closes on October 1, so we could not use it. The breakfast buffet offered plenty of choice, including some hot dishes such as scrambled eggs and bacon. Cappucino was served on request. I emailed the hotel in advance to book our museum reservations. I think we paid about 3 euros for a service charge. It was nice having that set up and paid for in advance and we were able to get the morning slots we requested. Another nice thing was the complementary internet access. They had two terminals off the lobby, but one computer was out of order while we were there, and the other one was in use nearly the entire time we were there. I finally got on to check my email on our last day. It is an easy walk from the train station. Don't forget to visit the church and museum next door- beautiful frescoes!

2008-06-28
From JM - Albania

overall very nice hotel exept for the breakfast staff. they are not so polite and they are alaways shouting and chatting loudly with each other and never ask you if you need something

2008-06-22
From Alan O'Connor - Ireland

Exceptional. For the price paid I have never stayed in a better hotel. Lovely staff, good breakfast in the morning. The pool and terrace are a wonderful facility. Have a swim or just sit an read and the view is incredible. No problem with the square. the people hanging around are just talking with friends. Not at all threatening. Had a terrific time and would hope to stay there again.

2008-05-28
From Janet Simcic - USA

We chose this hotel because we love the Minerva in Rome. The area in front is a bit shabby, but it was convenient for the only one night stay during our trip. The room was lovely and we would probably stay there again. Breakfast was great.

2008-05-24
From Leonardo Cordato - USA

This is a wonderful hotel and a great location. Breakfast is excellent. We stay at this hotel every time we visit Florence. Florence is a great city to visit and we will always stay at the Grand Hotel Minerva.

2008-05-05
From Anonymous - Florence

The hotel was delightful with a beautiful dining room for breakfast and a lovely roof top pool and bar (great for the end of a busy day touring the museums and sights of Florence!). The Church is magnificent, one of the most important in Italy we have heard, and the hotel is a very close walk to all that you want to see and do in Florence but the park is a little seedy on the weekends. Otherwise, we loved the experience and would return!

2008-03-08
From LILIANE PERUTION - France

This hotel is an excellent hotel. We stayed in a superior room.

2008-01-20
From Patricia Leonard - United Kingdom

We were a bit concerned about the Piazza at first but the groups are not threatening or noisy or disruptive, just using the Piazza as a meeting place. Our suite was very comfortable. The staff, from housekeeping to reception, were friendly, helpful and efficient. The breakfast buffet was the best we've seen in Europe. Although we did not see any of the other rooms, we were very impressed with our suite and the hotel overall.

2008-01-15
From Ahmet Coskun Erel - Turkey

The user has not written a comment.

2006-11-11
From Scott Drake - USA

Review by 2 families the Drakes & McFaddens: We were pleasantly surprised at the accommodations. This was a cute little boutique hotel right next to the Santa Maria Novella church. The rooms and bathroom were spacious. The staff were very helpful. They operated the hotel using standards you would find in a four star hotel in Europe. The only disappointment was the restaurant referred to us by Marzia at the front desk. We were two couples with little children (total six folks) and I asked for an affordable, family friendly restaurant that was close by. She sent us to Ristorante Buca Mario and we wound up spending almost E200 and we didn't have anything to drink other than two bottles of water (no wine) with our food!!! The food was extremely expensive and was okay quality wise. We were very disappointed at the price on the menu but worse, the service was extremely lacking. All other restaurants in Italy gave us great service because we had the kids and they made sure the little bambinos were fed quickly. Not so here. After we complained to the owner, he did speed up the food but he didn't offer any concessions (such as a discount on the food or anything). Marzia, our hotel contact, was horrified when she heard how much we spent and even more so when she heard about the service. Restaurant review by the Drakes: We ate at the Ristorante La Spada which is only a couple of blocks from the hotel. They specialize in roasted food. We ate 3 course meal,bread,1 bottle water,under 35 euros. They except credit cards. Food was delicious! large servings. Service was excellent! Restuarant review by the McFaddens: We ate dinner at the acclaimed Il Latini. Recommendation from Rachel Ray on her show "40 Dollars a Day". Food was delicious, service was great! 2 adults 1 child ate a 4 course meal with 1 bottled water 4 less than E50 ( don't accept credit cards). We would recommend to Il Latini to everyone. It is family run and a must have experience for Flor

2006-09-27
From LIN YU PING - Taiwan

The user has not written a comment.

2006-09-25
From VV - Thailand

The user has not written a comment.

2006-09-20
From MS - Puerto Rico

The user has not written a comment.

2006-09-17
From Seena Cox - USA

The hotel room was very spacious, especially by European standards. Location was perfect; it is close to the train station but once aorund the corner invisible! We walked everywhere, found great places to eat. The staff was very helpful in getting us tickets to things we wanted to do. I would highly recommend this hotel to visitors in Firenze. I do hope the outside Piazza is restored; it would be a nice place to sit in the evenings.

2006-08-10
From YK - Japan

This time was the third that I utilized this accomodation. When we arrived and maked a check-in I received an impression that the receptionists might be blunt and rough. Our room, a junior suite was so smaller than I expected. I booked also a single room for my sister, which was also very small. I rated that relationship between quality and price is not so good even taking into consideration that the property exists nearby the centre of great Florence. We utilized their restaurant and was enjoying Tuscun cuisine. But the women of the italian family that sat next to us was so offended and blamed a waitress for their some failure. The atmosphere of the restaurant was uneasy. Although the impression about this accomodation was obviously worse than one of the first visit, when I checked out, the attitude of the receptionist was so friendly and candid. I felt vaguely that it might be italian way.