We extensively researched hotels in Florence for our trip this past August. We were travelling with two children and wanted a family-friendly hotel with a good location and a pool for down time in between sightseeing. Forgoing our original plan to stay deeper in Tuscany, we were also looking for a country-like experience but as close to the center of Florence as possible. Our travel agent recommended Grand Hotel Villa Cora and it was the perfect choice. Our travel agent confirmed our booking almost ten months prior to our arrival and we proceeded to make other plans based on our stay at this hotel. We had each day planned of our stay in Florence and built into our schedule pool time for our family. Much to our surprise a week prior to our departure from the US our travel agent was informed that the hotel could not honor the booking and that they would be able to put us up in their sister hotel in the city center. We were extremely disappointed given the amount of research we did, the planning we did surrounding our stay at this specific hotel and the fact that the sister hotel was in a totally different setting than this property and did not have the pool. After several days of stressful back and forth the hotel management compromised with our travel agent and honored our stay minus one night where we would be transferred to the sister property.

When we arrived at this hotel, we were warmly greeted by the management who offered sincere apologies and informed us of a very generous room upgrade. They really did everything they could to make up for the booking conflict and we are truly appreciate of these efforts. This property is nothing short of magnificent. The room upgrade was lovely (although I am sure our original room choice would have been lovely as well). The rooms are wonderful and amenities like linens, towels, bath products and robes are luxurious. The renovation on this property is stunning - no detail overlooked. The common rooms are gorgeous as well. The pool area is wonderfully relaxing and one feels as if they are at least an hour outside of Florence rather than mere minutes! Ample seating choices, pool tubes for the children, help yourself snack and drink bar, wonderful pool towels, need I go on? My husband had a great massage at the Spa while the kids and I swam and had a lovely lunch at the poolside restaurant which is also where breakfast is served. Breakfast choices are abundant - if you cant find something to eat here you wouldn't anywhere! Made to order omelettes, pastries, fruits, cereals, yogurts, meats, cheese and all high quality and beautifully presented. The hotel seemed full at the time of our visit and one morning we had to wait a while for a table which delayed a private tour we had scheduled to Chianti but other mornings there was no wait. The evening of our tour into the country we arrived back at the hotel late and decided to have dinner at the hotel's restaurant because it was so lovely and we were all a bit tired from the day. There were only about two other tables occupied so we basically had the place to ourselves. Service was lovely and very accommodating. We requested some sliced strawberries accompany our daughter's chicken dish and due to a language barrier instead received a fresh puree of strawberry that the chef made especially for her. We all enjoyed a laugh about it and we appreciated such effort from the chef.

A note about location - we were aware that this hotel was not in the city center and that was one of the reasons we booked it. We did not make use of the shuttle so cannot comment about its availability, but instead will say that the hotel can call a cab at any time and the ride down the hill into the city center is quite short. We think the private, country-like atmosphere at this hotel far outweighs a short cab ride to the city's main attractions. We didnt make the walk into town given it was August and we had the children with us, but I imagine it would be lovely.

Another note about this hotel - while it does not appear to be family-friendly due to the luxuriousness of the property, it is and we all felt very welcomed by staff who went out of their way to make sure our needs were met. Many guests had children and those that did not seemed welcoming of them as well.

Please do not miss the rooftop deck -- the views of Florence, the Duomo, and the surrounding hills are out of a postcard! Thank you to the front desk gentleman who came up to take some photos of our family - they are lovely and will remind us of our wonderful stay.

Ultimately, we loved our stay at this hotel and the effort made by management to compensate us for the booking conflict was extremely generous and we thank them. We were disappointed to have to leave our last day and while the sister hotel was lovely it was a totally different feel than this hotel, which offered everything we wanted for our stay in Florence. While the booking conflict was very upsetting to us and took quite a lot of back and forth to get the hotel to agree to honoring some of the stay, we felt the hotel made up for this and thus we have given the hotel our rating of excellent. We plan to return to Grand Hotel Villa Cora and hope that next time we can stay for the full length of our reservation so that we can enjoy the beauty of this property and wonderful amenities and service provided by a very dedicated staff.

We are currently spending our last night of 3 at this wonderful hotel on the first leg of our honeymoon. In all honesty we do not want to leave. It is quite simply the best hotel in which we have stayed and ticks every imaginable box. The property is lavish, opulent, incredibly ornate and stunningly beautiful but with every possible modern amenity. The room had a beautiful view of the city and although not large, was really well set up with lots of storage space. The spa was fantastic and the pool and grounds were breathtakingly beautiful. The service was absolutely impeccable from start to finish and really earns this hotel a sixth or seventh star. For what the hotel offers and delivers this is also surely the best value 5 star option in Florence-in my opinion it is a real bargain. I don't understand why this hotel is not rated at the very top of the Tripadvisor ratings-it surely won't be long until it is at no.1. I also don't understand any criticisms leveled at this hotel by previous reviewers- during our stay nothing could have been better delivered. Thank you to all the staff for making this a wonderful start to our honeymoon.

Superlatives could seem inadequate to describe this experience. This hotel is right up there in our top ten which includes Gidleigh Park, Cliveden, Ellenborough Park and others. We love trying wonderful places especially when we can get an offer and breakfast is included. This hotel, a private villa was built in 1860 for the Baron von Oppenheim and has been restored to period glory, from the chandeliers to the marble floors and everything in between. We had driven from Pisa and arrived on a misty morning to be met by Marco at the most informal hotel reception ever. This was like being welcomed into someone's home. Marco, Alessandro and other front of house staff that we encountered but whose names we didn't learn were always attentive, helpful, smiling and kind. They went out of their way to make sure we were informed, advised and encouraged; nothing was too much trouble and everything was done with good grace. Our room was outstanding, a huge room with a four poster bed, two big windows overlooking, on one side, the pool and woodland and on the other the front gates and the driveway and in the distance the hills beyond Florence itself. The bathroom was huge with a bath and separate shower. We had read about the distance from the town and knew what to expect and we were quite happy with a walk down to the Oltrano and beyond. We were offered the shuttle bus but didn't use it. We had a car and sometimes parked along the road at Piazzale Michaelangelo, (free parking), and walked down to the town from there. This spot is a 'must' to see the sunset view over Florence, it is just wonderful.
We ate in the hotel, their cuisine is stunning, the chef is obviously passionate about his kitchen and the outcome is wonderful, delicious food. We had a full meal in the evening, a smoked duck breast amuse bouche, a shared starter of risotto with brown cow's pecorino (sic) and ham, a local chicken dish with crushed potatoes, a zuppa inglese followed by extra complimentary brandy snaps, chocolates and macaroons. All of this was absolutely spot on, fine dining, and the service ever attentive. A big mention for Vittoria and her staff in the dining room who were lovely. Breakfast was a real pleasure, the choices of fruits, yoghourts, jams, breads - made in the kitchen, cakes, (thank you for introducing us to kitchen made ricciacelli!) croissants and tarts - also made on the premises. Eggs were cooked to order with panchetta all accompanied by the best coffee. We also had room service, a simple fillet steak with chips, simple but beautifully cooked and served. We shared the hotel with a gastronomic group who meet there to eat 'special' food, on this occasion a particular Tuscan chicken dish served in the dining room of the original house, this was on the Friday night. On Saturday there was a dinner for the Tuscan Porsche owners club. I think the message here is that local Italians recognise the quality of what is available here.
There is a heated swimming pool, the only one in Florence, and a full spa offering a range of treatments. We did not try the pool or the treatments.
Four days from Nov 30th to Dec 4th was an excellent time to go. Yes, there was a rainy day but the was also a full on blue sky day and the town was busy but without the crowds that can make visiting the sights a pain. There were no queues for the Uffizi, the Santa Croce, the Baptistry and other places, it was wonderful, in the summer these can be two hour waits and we don't do those well!
I believe it is so special that everyone should visit Florence at least once in their lives if they have the opportunity, it is magical to see so much preserved history in one beautiful city and it holds such an important place in our cultural heritage. This is the perfect hotel to enjoy such a once in a lifetime experience.

This hotel is a luxury getaway from the busy Florentine streets – but only a quick cab drive or half-hour walk away. Beautiful building with great facilities and excellent dining. Prices reflect the luxury but it a destination hotel and worth every penny.