For the continuation of our trip, after a couple of nights in Dubai (at the Burj Al Arab and Bulgari), we spent three nights in Florence. Specifically, we stayed at the 116-room Four Season Florence, which is an exceptional city hotel.
Continue reading: Review: Four Seasons Florence, Italy (Stunning Historic City Resort)
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
I love the blog but the review trips have been so slow lately. It's insane how different the blog is from say 4-5 years ago. I am quite patient but honestly it's a bit ridiculous at this point. Sorry but I have to be honest.
@ JK -- I hear you, and I'm working on increasing the speed going forward. Sorry, it has been a really busy few weeks on a personal level (having an infant is time consuming and exhausting!), not factoring in the amount of airline news there has been (due to Paris Air Show, Aircraft Interiors Expo, etc.).
And just factually, I've published more trip report installments in the first few months of this year than at any other point in the past, so I promise that's my goal.
Love your blog Ben but the Four Seasons stuff is a little dishonest IMHO. How can you honestly say your reviews are impartial based on the fact this is obviously a very lucrative revenue stream for you and Ford (that part I’m not fussed about) but impartiality used to make your blog stand out from the rest, that is sadly not the case anymore.
Well, he does have a young baby... maybe cut him some slack.
That being said, the reviews seem to be mostly pictures with very little actual description of the experience. I'm not sure if it was always like that or this shift has occurred over time, but I find myself just quickly scrolling through the reviews to look at pictures as there's not much to actually read. I also don't really see the point of the ratings when almost every single review gets 4 stars or higher--I guess that's to be expected when staying at hotels that cost $1,000+ a night, but maybe it would be more useful to somehow provide more granular detail at the top on the strengths/weaknesses of each hotel against other hotels in its price range.
@ reddargon -- Let me know what other details you'd like, and I'm happy to try to incorporate them. Most of my hotel reviews are 4,000-5,000 words, so I tend to assume that I'm writing too much, rather than too little.
That hotel looks lovely, but it’s a 20 minute walk to the Ponte Vecchio. It seems like a great place to stay if you have to be in Florence, but don’t really want to be in Florence.
You were there in April, was Florence really choked with tourists then?
Also, even acknowledging your business imperatives, I hope you ate more places than the hotel restaurant, and spent some time out of the hotel.
@ Nick -- Happy you had a good experience as well! Curious what your favorite is?
@ Never In Doubt -- Yeah, it was SUPER busy. As it turned out, it was a holiday weekend in Italy, which we weren't aware of. People were basically shoulder-to-shoulder in most of the tourist spots. And yes, of course we ate outside the hotel as well (aside from breakfast, we only had a single lunch or dinner in the hotel), and in particular had some delicious pizza.
Can a Four Seasons be rated less than 5 stars by Ben? I have my doubts, but challenge him to visit and rate the Four Seasons Bora Bora. And closer to home, the Four Seasons Abu Dhabi.
@ Michael_FFM -- It sure can be. Just check out my most recent Four Seasons review prior to this.
If you are looking for the same concept in Florecne but with points, highly recommend the St. Regis. Amazing hotel on the river, with wonderful service and an easy 10 minute walk to everything, but far enough that it is quiet. I like it much more than the Four Seasons there as I do not need a pool or a massive gym in Florence.
@ Grey -- Well nobody should be paying for breakfast, simply by booking through a program that includes it. I'm not saying the price is good, but this is in line with what luxury hotels in Europe charge for breakfast. Just to look at a couple of points hotels, the Park Hyatt Milan charges 60 EUR for its breakfast buffet, and the Park Hyatt Paris charges 54 EUR for its breakfast buffet.
@ Luis -- I hear you, and that's not the ratio I want. For what it's worth, the six reviews before that were of points hotels, and the next four reviews will be of points hotels.
Agree. It’s not a ten minute walk to the Ponte Vecchio, much less the big attractions.
I've actually commented about this in the past, but in this case, I have to say I appreciate the transparency, which seems elevated from past disclosures. His partner is free to do what he wants for a living -- and Ben is a travel blogger, so the "conflicts" are inevitable. He said he stayed for free -- now you can decide how to factor that in to how you read the review. The other options are a) he doesn't disclose anything or b) he doesn't stay at Four Seasons properties. I prefer the route he chose.
I've stayed at the Four Seasons Florence. It is visually very nice but there were too many service flaws, and the breakfast food was unimaginative with less flavor and quality compared to other luxury hotels in Italy. The price is also very high compared to other hotels in Florence and at an unjustifiable level. When we returned to Florence, we stayed at a Hyatt hotel on points, which also provided a very high level of service and much more value for money.
Other than the outdoor areas, this hotel looks a copy and paste of the St Regis Florence which I stayed with my family and loved it.
Ben, excellent review. I have had the privilege of staying there several time and your photo and comments accurately describe this wonderful oasis.
Question, I was told that at some point before this property was converted it was a convent? We actually had a meeting in the former chapel in the second building.
Keep up the great work.
Agreed, I love the St. Regis and much better location. Also who goes to Florence to hang out at a property garden or pool?
That’s why I like smaller local or non branded hotels when in Europe. Going for 2 weeks this summer staying at all local boutique hotels with amazing properties, great rate and breakfast included.
Also, in a place like Florence, I usually go to local pastry and coffee shops where I get amazing food for a fraction of the price of a hotel breakfast. I can’t see myself eating American style breakfast in hotels while in Europe. A cup of cappuccino and a local pastry is all I need.
I stayed here in December 2019 and enjoyed every minute of it. The staff at breakfast were so pleasant. Even though it's a bit of a hike from the city center, it was always nice getting away from the madness that is Florence. However, I will say that even when I stayed at the Palazzo Vecchietti, which is near the Piazza della Repubblica, the street noise was not noticeable. However, if you really want to live it up, the Four Seasons can't be beat.
Such a subjective thing…but the original Seychelles (despite the spotty service)
I feel like comp-ed or subsidized stays just shouldn't get a rating at all, good or bad. At the same time, the stay wouldn't be completely wasted with no review at all.
I think many of these comments are downright nasty. Ben provides an excellent (and free) blog and does not deserve to be questioned about his integrity. Andrew, I enjoy a gym and gardens in Florence, so stop being so preachy. If the content offends you, stop reading the blog.
loved this review! just got back from a tour of 4 cities in Italy with Florence being one of them. We stayed at the Kraft hotel which also was off the beaten path.
Agree with James about how this blog has become increasingly revenue stream and your recommendation for certain hotels and brands have become biased. Furthermore, this "review" is not much of a review as you did not really comment much about anything. Mostly shared photos. Some of your comments and expectations show that while you travel for the blog mostly you in fact do not have much "real" or extensive travel experience except for the review. There are many similar kinds of hotels throughout Western Europe, particularly that of Italy and France with similar features from the decor to the junior suite, etc. I could not help notice that you showed an avocado toast breakfast in Italy! While I agree with you I prefer a hotel that is not in the very center of the action I equally do not want to stay in one that is on the opposite side of town, which is common for many luxury hotels outside the US.
Compared to an Airelles, which you adore... But I am really curious how you will rate the Four Seasons Bora Bora or Abu Dhabi.
It is not bad, and I appreciate the broader range of pictures compared to the stock pictures on the FS Website. Nevertheless it is more a paid advertisement than a "neutral" review, per virtue of it being sponsored by FS: "Full disclosure — Ford had won an incentive stay through work with Four Seasons, and used that for our stay here", and one of its purposes is to drive business into Ford's direction. Nothing wrong with that, and of course his opinions are Ben's own. But of course that doesn't mean his opinions are unbiased.
My wife and I stayed here last spring and it was amazing and while we didn’t get a suite upgrade I did keep the cost down with my Citi Prestige benefit.
The attention to detail simply blew our mind. At breakfast on Day 1 I must have mentioned that I was Type 1 diabetic when requesting my Diet Coke. The next day different staff member at the maple syrup that was bought to the table was sugar free.
The rooms were incredibly comfortable and the historic nature was so beautiful. It’s worth noting that April 2022 the gym building was under total renovation and closed
I have to say I love the non-points hotel reviews - they are, generally speaking, just so much more interesting, unique, and and fascinating to read about.
There are already so many reviews of points hotels on this blog as it is, and it's still great to see new ones and old ones revisited, but I really do get a lot more from hotel reviews such as this one.
For me, the most memorable part about this hotel was the amazing service. I had some car rental challenges and some logistics to sort out and the Four Seasons team basically set about to determine the options for me and to arrange everything for me once I decided. They encouraged us to relax in the Atrium Bar while they sorted everything out, and I remain really grateful for the help they provided.
Pool looks a little too green. I assume that's the color of the pool tile, but it's not very inviting.
Was the pool heated? I was disappointed that the Four Seasons San Domenico palace didn't heat their pool (or plunge pools) - I mean for $1200+ a night you'd think a luxury hotel could install a pool heater even if they close for the winter season.
Looks like a beautiful city hotel. We avoid splurging on city hotels since you can only reasonably spend so much time in the hotel vs. exploring but this one looks like it actually has more to enjoy than most.
Was the pool heated? I was disappointed that the Four Seasons San Domenico palace didn't heat their pool (or plunge pools) - I mean for $1200+ a night you'd think a luxury hotel could install a pool heater even if they close for the winter season.
Looks like a beautiful city hotel. We avoid splurging on city hotels since you can only reasonably spend so much time in the hotel vs. exploring but this one looks like it actually has more to enjoy than most.
I really enjoy the Four Seasons reviews though - it's actually harder to find (in depth) reviews of these hotels vs. points properties so they're very useful.
Highly recommend the Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco next time you're in Italy! Rated #1 in the world by Travel & Leisure last year.
I would also like to see a review of the FS Abu Dhabi. I found it superficially luxurious in most respects but ultimately sterile and somehow robotic in the service provided. Plus the restaurant where breakfast was provided was totally lacking in any character interest or decor. At least in the UAE I'd expect some gaudy bling as a distraction, this property offered nothing memorable.
Its overwhelming. I recently spent a day there and I was blown away. It was like living in a museum... not the main home of the Medici family but close enough if you study its history. If you stay here, you need to ignore the city for at least one day if not two. There is that much to enjoy in this 10+ acre property. I am torn to suggest this only because I think I would freak out of my kids were running through the corridors - no liability insurance would be enough to cover potential damages.
If you go without kids, enjoy art, extremely good service, and peace/quiet - this will be fine.
But dont go for a single night stay - it leaves not time to soak it all in.