We stayed at the hotel for 4 nights the end of September. I have only great things to say about the hotel. We were upgraded to a suite with a quiet courtyard view. Ther staff was terrific, and the location tops in Florence. Our hotel choice in Florence came down to the H&B and the Savoy. The Savoy, a block away is a lot like the W-Hotels, so if you like that over traditional elegance, go for it. Best rate for the hotel was on U-tell. Get breakfast included, it is excellent but about 30 euro. Florence is a great city, our favorite of the 9 cities of our trip. Make advanced reservations for the Uffizi and Accademia. I used Select Italy, and it worked well. Don't miss the Santa Croce.

Several years ago I was blessed with a situation that allowed me to visit Florence a couple of times a year. My plan was to stay in as many different hotels as I could. And so I stayed in a dozen or so of Florence's finest. A few months ago I stayed at the Helvetia. There is no reason for me to continue my search for the Best Hotel in Florence. The Helvetia is it. It is the most wonderful place to be when you are in Florence.

The Helvetia & Bristol Hotel is a great choice. We stayed at the hotel for the last week of September 2004. Our room (#550) was fantastic in almost every way. The service was somewhere between good and great. The rate was fair and the location was almost unbeatable. There are only a couple needed disclaimers.

There are 5 floors in addition to the lobby. The 5th floor has 2 suites. Room 550 has an ok view. The suite is about 550sf with a spacious living area, bedroom and 2 baths. We were charged a rate of 528.00 Euros per night. Standard rooms can be had for much less.

The bedroom has what we affectionately call a Jamaican king, (think Hedo IIII) made of 2 twins pushed together. The living room has a full sized sofa and large writing table. There are TVs in both the living room and bedroom and a small CD stereo in the living room.

One bath has a toilet and sink, while the larger bath also has a tub/shower and vanity. The only outlet in the main bath did not work. The entire suite was three levels. The baths were the lowest with the bedroom being four steps up and the living area up another four.

The service in the hotel was good. The front desk failed to answer the phone on two occasions but was helpful when they did. The concierge arranged an in room massage (at the rate of 90 euros/hour) and a delivered rental car. It was a 2 year old Mercedes EClasss standard shift diesel wagon and the rate was 200 euro per day.

We didn’t try the Helvetia’s restaurant but the prices and the service in the bar were good although it seemed to close rather early. The price for phone calls to the US seemed to be about 2 euro/minute. The only charge that seemed extreme was that for room service. A very modest breakfast for two was 84.90 euro.

The room was kept clean. Nightly turn down service was skipped twice. There was not an iron and we were told, by an employee of the hotel, that it is against Italian law to iron clothes in a hotel room. There was a hair dryer in our room.

The location of the Helvetia & Bristol is nearly perfect. It is within easy walking distance of the Uffizi, Duomo and Santa Croce. This hotel makes a great home base for an unforgettable vaction.

This hotel was absolutely wonderful!! I was just there in Sept. (2004) and found the accomodations so beautiful and clean. The rooms (and bathroom) were huge and decorated beautifully with high ceilings and large windows that looked out over the city. The staff (especially Allesandro) was so professional and helpful. The meals were fantastic! The staff made us feel like we were "home".