I went to Italy to visit my boyfriend, who is on exchange there for a while. On our way to Siena (where we spent most of our time) we decided to spend a night in Florence to see some of the sights. We didn't really put all that much thought into accommodation, we just needed somewhere to stay for a night, and we ended up at the Hotel Alamanni.
OVERVIEW:
The Hotel Alamanni is a three-star hotel located very near to Florence's main train station and about a 15 minute walk from the major tourist attractions. The hotel has 17 guest rooms and 2 suites. There are no business or sporting facilities, but breakfast is provided in the lounge area.LOCATION:
The hotel is located on the Via Alamanni, a road that runs along the side of the main train station- Santa Maria Novella. The road itself is easy enough to find, but the hotel is a bit hidden away. It's actually located on the second floor of an office block at Number 35. You just go into the building and up the stairs (Although there is a small lift if you have a lot of luggage) to the second floor. It's not particularly hard to find, as long as you find the right road, make your way to number 35, and keep your eye out for the signage. It's about a fifteen minute stroll to the Duomo and the major tourist areas, but it's quite easy to get there; we just followed our noses, and both the Duomo and the Train Station are well signposted.
THE STAFF:
There was a young man on duty when we checked in, who was polite enough, if not overly friendly. He bore our terrible Italian with good grace, although when we ran out of phrases (Which was almost immediately) he switched to English, and was reasonably fluent. We had booked one of the studio rooms for the night, which includes a kitchenette, in addition to everything else you'd find in a hotel room. Our receptionist told us that the hotel was quite empty, and did we want to stay in a room in the hotel itself? The studios were in a separate building about a block further, and considering that we were only there for a night, we didn't really need all the kitchen facilities provided. We asked if he could give us a room for the same price as quoted for the studio and he said yes. So we were happy with that.
In Italy, you must register with the police if you intend to visit for more than three days. Most hotels there will fill in the paperwork for you, and this place was no exception. He took our passports and filled in all the details, we picked them up once we'd unpacked and settled into the room. Every time we left the hotel, we had to leave the room key with reception, and he was always polite and wished us a good evening/good afternoon. The lady making coffee and replenishing breakfast in the morning was extremely nice and friendly, with a good command of English.
THE ROOM:
The room was very pleasant, and much nicer than I had expected. It was scrupulously clean and fresh-smelling. There was a nice dark green carpet in the bedroom, and the bathroom was tiled in what appeared to be marble, or some kind of marble-like tiling although don't quote me on that! (My knowledge of floor coverings is sadly lacking-I do apologise)
It contained most of the facilities you'd find in a medium-level hotel such as a desk and chair, fridge and minibar containing both soft and alcoholic drinks as well as snacks, a cupboard with coat hangers, a self-programmable safe, and spare blankets and pillows. The TV had a range of channels in many European languages, as well as a couple of English-language channels such as CNN and BBC world.
There was a radiator attached to the wall, which was covered with a pretty little detachable screen. Although it was on when we got to the room, we immediately turned it off, and left it off for the whole night, as I can't stand overheated rooms. There was also an air conditioner mounted on the wall, so if you stay here in the summer, you won't stifle to death. We also had our own little balcony to sit on! Admittedly, it did overlook the Via Alamanni, which was constantly busy with traffic; as well as construction work going on at the railway station; and it was too cold to sit out there for long, but I didn't care. We had a balcony and it was cool.
I have to talk about the bed, because it was so incredibly low. It was probably only about a foot and a half off the floor, surrounded by a sort of wooden ledge. I've attached a photo so you can see it for yourself (Those side tables are at the same height that a normal sized bed would be.) I have to say, it was a very comfortable bed, nice and firm, and the pillows were comfortable as well. It was just so much fun sleeping so near the floor. I managed to spend about twenty minutes by rolling from the bed to the floor and across the room, and then back onto the bed again exclaiming "Look! I feel like a giant!" As you can probably tell, it doesn't take much to amuse me.
The bathroom was a nice size and included a sink, shower, toilet and bidet. There were plenty of towels, and a couple of small tablets of soap and shower gel sachets. There was a heated towel rack which was quite a nice touch. The drainage in the shower was a bit rubbish. It never seemed to overflow all over the bathroom floor, but if you'd been in there for more than about five minutes, then you were standing in a fairly deep puddle of water. My boyfriend kept turning off the shower to let it drain before turning it on again, but I didn't bother-it wasn't much of a problem for me, and besides, I only had one shower during our stay- it might start to annoy you if you're there for a few nights. If you left the tap running in the sink for more than a few minutes, then the shower drain started making strange bubbling noises, and there was quite a strong smell of chlorine. It didn't last for long, and quickly dissipated, but it was a bit unusual, to say the least. I have no idea what the cause was, or whether this happens in all rooms, but, again, being there for only a night, I wasn't going to make an issue of it.FOOD:
Breakfast was included in our room rate, so in the morning we moseyed on down to the reception/lounge area, where breakfast was served from 7:30 until 11. It was a fairly comprehensive breakfast. There was a choice of three different cereals, milk, sweet pastries, rolls and some slices of ham and salami, as well as condiments such as butter, jam, honey marmalade and Nutella. The lady who was on duty there was friendly, and was working the coffee machine. My boyfriend said that his cappuccino was pretty good and I had tea. She brought over a teapot filled with boiling water and a selection of teabags, so I could choose what kind of tea I wanted. In case you're wondering, I had a lovely Earl Grey followed by a nice Green Tea.
Because Florence is such a popular tourist destination, hotel prices tend to be completely outrageous, especially in the summer. As is mandated by law, the hotel had information in each room giving the rack rate for the room. Ours was priced at €450 (£335) per night. Now, that is extreme, and most rates on hotel booking websites tend to be around the €80-110 (£60-82) mark. However, we booked through www.wotif.com, and by a massive stroke of luck, got the room for €45 (£34). OK, yes, the beginning of February is probably the least popular visiting time, so the hotel was probably grateful to have anyone in the rooms, so I don't imagine rooms would be this cheap most other times of the year. OVERALL:
I quite liked this hotel. It was small, the staff were pleasant, and the rooms were comfortable. We were lucky to get a great deal, and I don't know if this hotel would be worth paying hundreds of Euros a night for. However, if it's a choice between this and another hotel that is unknown, at least you can be assured that the Hotel Alamanni is clean and comfortable.
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