The Grand Hotel Villa Cora is a beautiful property with really nice rooms and amenities (including free in room internet which I am becoming increasingly irritated that many hotels don't offer). The location is quiet and beautiful - unfortunately, it rained for our entire stay so we were unable to really appreciate the view or the grounds). This is a perfect location if you want to spend time at the hotel relaxing rather than exploring Florence. If you want to spend most of your time in town, this location can be inconvenient, largely because of the shuttle schedule. It doesn't run in the afteroon (between 1 and 4, I think) and stops running at 8:30 PM. So, if you plan to have dinner in town, add in about ten euro for a cab each night to get back. The staff was very helpful and even directed us to a very nice restaurant that was about a 5 minute walk away (solving the shuttle problem for that evening). I would definitely return if I had enough time to have a day or two mostly spent at the property, but if your main purpose in visiting Florence is to visit museums, churches, etc. you'd be better off staying in town.

Thank you to all staff in the Villa as well as restaurant! One of the nicest properties we have ever had the pleasure to visit. We have stayed in wonderful places worldwide, but "our villa" feels like home! The restaurant was fabulous, as well. We had a rental car and parking outside the main city center is advised which is one reason we chose to stay here. I could walk out on the terrace in the morning to bells ringing and a view of The Duomo...just heavenly!
It would be a wonderful place to stay for several days (especially if you have a car). It has a lovely pool area and a spa, so you can sightsee on day trips around Tuscany and still have some downtime. You are not that far by car to the designer outlets and the many beautiful drives to wineries and hill towns. We would love to return for a longer stay in the future!

The hotel staff is the most helpful we have seen. The hotel is a stop on the city bus tour just so the "tourists" can see it from the outside. That made staying here even more special. Our room is fabulous. The location is perfect. The hotel will shuttle you to the center of the city in the morning and pick you up in the evening after a phone call. We took the tour bus for the day and just got off at our hotel. It was wonderful.

Oh the Grande Ville Cora!! I have such wonderful memories of this palacious hotel. I was a European Travel Consultant and booked this hotel for my discerning clients. So when my Sweet Man proposed we decided to get married in Florence, Italy at the Palazzo Vecchio and I chose the Villa Cora for our accommodations. We have returned to Florence many times and I cannot envision staying anywhere else.

Our wedding/honeymoon stay was in the main building and at that time the room we had was called the Michelangelo Room. The next year we stayed in the adjoining building, which faces the main building. Every room at the Villa Cora is like sleeping in a room made for a Princess. Opulent, inviting with attention to every detail. The breakfast meals or gourmet. The staff has been more than accommodating on every one of our visits.

The location is across the Arno River from the Piaza della Signoria and the heart of Florence. But the Villa Cora is in a beautiful residential area on a hillside and not far from Piazalle Michelangelo, which is a must for panoramic photo opts of the Florence skyline. There is also a very nice restaurant located there too. We would take a 10-minute taxi into Florence but to us it was worth staying in this quiet area versus the town centre. You cannot drive in Florence proper but the Villa Cora has parking for your rental car. This was very convenient for us because we would take a day to drive into Tuscany to Siena, San Gimignano, or Montecatini. All of the top things to see in Florence are within easy walking since Florence is a small town.

So if you want to feel like royalty stay at Grande Villa Cora but if you desire the activity of the city stay in Firenza Centre.