Rooms are really tiny. Air con was leaking in the first room given. A technician came and checked, language problem as he didn't speak English. He (I think) wanted us to off the aircon for the night! After much furstration and lots of hand gestering, we finally got a change of room. Another tiny room with an even tinnier bathroom. Abit of a walk from city center, but still alright. We gave up halfway though, because the sun was just too unbearable. A cab ride from Santa Croce cost abt e$10. If walking, just follow the river and you will find your way back to the hotel. Breakfast is pretty standard. Barman at level 1 is unfriendly and stuck up and so is the staff at reception. okay place to rest your head but I don't think I'll ever return for another stay.

We stayed at this hotel as part of a Monograms tour. The hotel is in a good location, right on the Arno river and only about 10-15 minutes walk to the downtown area. The hotel itself is fine, not fancy, but comfortable with a good breakfast, helpful staff, and a good-sized, clean room. Only negative was the shower, which was not a standalone unit but was just a curtained off area in the bathroom. We had some flooding issues until we figured out how to use it correctly... There is both a supermarket and an internet cafe within a few blocks of the hotel - ask the front desk for details. We saved a fortune by purchasing bottled water and soda at the supermarket instead of while we were walking around, and the internet cafe came in handy for checking e-mail.

This is a large hotel, full of American tourist groups. We booked a double room at 89euro a night incl breakfast and taxes. The room is a good size and clean. D?cor is a bit dated but that ok. The bathroom was modern and looked good and the bed was quite comfortable which was very important. The hotel staff are polite but fairly impersonal which is half expected from a large-ish hotel. There is a restaurant just next to the hotel. Its food is not that good, so only eat there is you can’t be bothered going into town. The walk to the centre of Florence is about 20mins, which is a nice stroll by the river Arnos.

I recently held a conference for 100 participants at the Grand Hotel Mediterraneo. The hotel was wonderful. The meeting rooms are nicely updated and convenient to all sleeping rooms and the restaurant. The staff is so great to work with, everyone in the hotel is pleasant and goes out of their way to make everything perfect. From the front desk staff to the technicians and setup crew in the meeting space to the bartenders and restaurant staff. The service is perfect. I also extended my trip and had my family visit for 5 days. The hotel is so conveniently located on the Arno River and about a 5-10 minute beautiful walk to the city centre. If you go, request a room on the 6th floor, where you'll have a beautiful view of the entire city. The price is very reasonable considering the hotel's great location. This is a great hotel for any size group.

First of all we live in Italy and travel around quite a bit using hotels for long weekends. This is our second trip to Florence using it as a base to travel around Tuscany. I heard about this hotel from an Italian friend who uses it when he goes to visit his daughter at University there. We booked thru Venere.com and got a special offer. 1 night = E.140, 2 nights = E121 pn, 3 nights E.100 pn including breakfast. The rooms were decent sized for Italy with the largest king-sized bed I've ever seen. There was also airconditioning. TV has channels in French English and German as well as Italian. Bathroom was small especially the shower but acceptable and spotlessly clean. The hotel was full but we heard no noise in the corridor or from our neighbours. We looked out onto an apartment building so kept the curtains draw . I understand these rooms with this view are kept for the special offer but it really was not a problem. Breakfast was mixture of continental and North European with various brioches and teacakes, fresh yougurts, muesli and cereals, fresh fruit , canned peaches, cheeses, cold cuts of all types, pate' , hard boiled eggs, and even bacon (italian style) and scrambled eggs. There were 6 types of bread and rolls to select from which you could toast if yoiu wanted. There were urns with hot milk, coffee and hot water and a selection of tea bags but the staff were happy to bring you proper cappucino , espresso or a pot of tea. After breakfast we sat in the large comfortable reception / lounge area to plan our day. There were free Italian newspapers and free newsheets in English with the main headlines. The reception staff were helpful and friendly. They sold us tickets for the bus in Florence but said they would buy them back from us if not used, which they did. they also supplied us with a great street map of Florence, free. There is Internet in the lounge but it costs E.5 for 1/2 hour which I thought was a bit steep. It is a 20 minite walk to the centre but you can get a bus from the street behind the hotel. It still takes about 15 minutes but you can save your feet. We walked back along the Arno and it only took 15 mins. We had a car and although the hotel says free parking there are only about 6 places for the hoteland we never got one of them. There are paying parking places all along the road outside the hotel at E.1 per hour until 8pm and then again from 8 am. You do not pay for Sundays or holidays. I was really impressed by this hotel especially because 2 years ago we stayed in a small hotel in Florence, Hotel Cordova which cost E.90 per night. It was clean but really really spartan and faded to the point of actually not being welcoming, and breakfast was coffee/ cappucino and a cornetto from the bar in the reception area. Our friends stayed in the Hotel Panama 2 years ago and paid E.80 p.n. It was much like the Cordova but the rooms were even more basic. This hotel also compared favourably to other hotels in this price range all over Italy. All in all we would really recommend this hotel to any age groug if you are looking for quality/price..