Professional requirements meant we would be in Florence during the last week in October. Our long practice of not being “touristy” meant we were on the lookout for something different in accommodation. Copious research led us the Grand Tour Suites.
We came, we saw, we were conquered, and will surely go back again!
Cristina and Giuseppe are the kind of hosts who do really make you feel at home. You have your own key to the building. Come and go as you please. Fabulous bed. Fabulous bathroom. High ceiling. Nirvana. There’s even a computer in your room with net access, if you simply can’t leave your emails alone.
Tip – take Chistina’s tips on where to eat, what to see, to heart. Golden rule in not being touristy is to do what the locals do. Go where they go. Eat where they eat. You get to understand and feel the pulse of where you are. We mistakenly forgot that golden rule – just the once – and were seriously ripped off in a place that served indifferent fare, wretched wine, and singed the wallet. We learnt the lesson, and took Christina’s tips after that. That was how we discovered the Coquinarius. In direct contrast to the rip-off, this small place serves delicious food, and glorious wines in convivial surroundings, and at half the cost, for more. We liked that so much, we returned the next evening. Whenever we are again in Florence, it’s Cristina’s and Giuseppe’s place to stay, and Coquinarius to eat, or any other tip she gives. The lady knows. Believe her.
And just metres away from the hotel is the Nabucco bistro. Don’t miss it. Another great place to spend your eating and drinking time. The only shame is that it closes at 22.00. But up to that time, eat as much as you like of the buffet in the evening, for a single price that will make your wallet smile happily, and forget the rip-off merchants.

We stayed in the Actor's Suite for 3 nights in mid October. We had lots of baggage and caught a cab from the train station (10 E) to the Relais Grand Tour, so finding it was no problem.
Guiseppi and Cristina have done a wonderful restoration of the various suites (all different) and we really enjoyed the Actor's Suite. Lots of space, quite comfortable bed (bit hard but the beds in Italy are) and a nice big bathroom. They are lovely hosts, enthusiastic and always welcoming, and very helpful with any advice about what to do, see, where to eat, etc. The added bonus of staying in a suite - no stairs to carry your bags up and down. Also these are very, very good value in an expensive city.

Breakfast was at Cafe Nabucco, a very short walk down the street, and unlike your previous reviewer, we found the offerings to be more than adequate, and a second coffee could be had at no extra charge. The coffee was very good. We preferred to eat a light breakfast, and have a reasonable lunch. If you want a picnic, Migrane providore on the corner (you will see it at the end of the street heading towards the market) had excellent produce and good wine selection. The Mercado Centrale - 2 blocks away - is a must visit for anyone with food interest, 7am - 1pm Tues - Sat (not sure about Sunday).
A must do is Vestri, the best gelati we had in all our travels. It is in a little street off the main square where the Duomo is - look it up on the internet for directions, someone will have posted it, and as with most things in Italy the street no is a guideline - when you think the street has run out, just keep going and there it is on the right. The gelati is not displayed like the other shops, it is in the old fashioned metal drums with metal lids, so you choose from the list and they will get it either from the drums or out the back. Their chocolate gelati and hand made chocolates are so good - we went there twice in one day. Who needs lunch when you can have that! The white peach gelati is also beautiful. Enjoy Florence it is a beautiful city. If you love shoes, go to the Ferragamo museum, and if you can, buy a pair from the hand made section in the shop area - the best retail experience I have ever had and the shoes are so beautiful I may never wear them, I might just put them in a glass case!

This is a very quiet place about two blocks from the central market and only a few blocks from the train station. It is in easy walking distance of all the major attractions in Florence. So it was very easy to get back there during the day to rest or just drop stuff off.

The room was very nice. As all the places we stayed in Italy, it was beautifully decorated, clean and comfortable. The owners were extremely helpful. They recommended several nice restaurants in the area, gave us maps and directions to everywhere we needed to go, and offered to helped us with tickets. I don't know if we could have asked for anything more.

There was no TV, but we didn't want one. There was a computer in the room with Internet access, which was a big help because we could get directions and make reservations from the room.

My wife and I stayed here 4 days and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good B&B. Florence is an amazing place, and this really enhanced our visit.

My husband, myself and our two teenage daughters just spent two nights at the Relais Grand Tour in Florence. The location was fantastic; just a short walk from the train station, minutes from the Academia, the Uffizi, the Duomo and the open markets, yet in a quiet neighborhood without street noise. We had the Actor's Suite and the Mirror suite, both of which were beautifully decorated and comfortable. The free in-room internet was an especially big hit for the girls! Since we hit Florence during a heat wave, the air conditioning was most welcome. It was more than adequate and we did not have any problem with noise. My only regret was that it was too warm outside to sit and enjoy the beautiful garden area. We experienced no problems with either street noise or noise from other rooms. In fact, we did not even know that there were other guest there during our stay until we met them as we were leaving.

We also received the breakfast coupons for the Wine Bar Nabucco. The cappachino and croissant we received were the best we had during our 2+ week trip. My daughters wanted something more substantial, so we ordered additional breakfast for them. The food was delicious, the prices were very reasonable and the service was excellent. After staying at B&Bs all over Italy, we actually enjoyed having breakfast out with the locals.

We had contacted Christina in advance for museum reservations, which I forgot to print out and bring along, so Camilla went above and beyond attempting to track down the information for me. Everybody was incredibly kind and helpful.

We will definitely recommend the Reais Grand Tour to all our friends and we hope to return ourselves in the near future.