Hotel Alessandra is an excellent choice for those who don't want to spend too much and want the best service possible from every euro they spend travelling! Owners Andrea and his mother and the front desk staff speak English and are very accommodating. I had reserved a room for 4 nights but had to cancel the last night, and they waived all cancellation fees.

The hotel is 3 minutes away from Ponte Vecchio and the Uffizi Gallery Museum, 7 minutes from Piazza della Signora and Pitti Palace (the Medici house), and 15 minutes from San Marco, where you will find David (in the Accademia gallery).

The concierge arranged a private tour to the Chianti area and wine tasting for us with an English-speaking driver. The cost was fairly high, but the experience was fantastic. Andrea arranged also a very particular hiking tour near Lucca. He arranged the visit with Orrido di Butri (3-hour tour). Check the site and don’t miss it - you will love it. See http://alpiapuane.com/English/tourismlist.htm#ORRIDO%20DI%20BOTRI. At check-out, he also helped me send a package home.

Both rooms were clean with TVs and adequate bathrooms and showers -- the beds were great! The price was reasonable (100€ per night, including breakfast) and the staff was helpful in offering good dinner and shopping suggestions and tickets to the major museums without having to wait in line.

Breakfast was plentiful and consisted of yogurt, biscuits, cereals, pastries, cheeses, meats, breads, fruit juices, cappuccinos, various blends of tea, and American-style coffee.

I was very pleased with this visit and will recommend Hotel Alessandra to friends and if ever in Florence again i would be sure to return.

The staff was friendly (They spoke English.), and they helped us to make reservations at museums (NO LINES). Their recommendations for dinner were excellent.

Our rate was 300,000 lire/night and this included a buffet breakfast from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. in the breakfast room. They had croissants, bread, coffee (REALLY good) or cappucino, thea, biscuits, cereal and yogurt.

I recommend you book your room well in advance (I booked ours four months ahead through the Internet). Their e-mail address is info@hotelalessandra.com and their web site is www.hotelalessandra.com