I've been meaning to post about this since I stayed here over Easter, but for those of you planning Italian honeymoons, I have a find for you! I love Europe, but I've never been a huge fan of European Hotels. The floral bedspreads and the blah blah bars downstairs never really did much for me. So, on this last trip, we decided to shake things up a bit and burn our Euros in a different way and stayed at the AMAZING Gallery Hotel Art.
From the moment that we walked in - it's amazing location steps from Arno and around the corner from the Ponte Vecchio- the service was excellent, and the atmosphere sleek, modern, but still nice and warm. They truly have a gallery there and it was nice to see some contemporary artwork while surrounded by all the fabulous renaissance works in Florence. Ultimately, the library itself is the crowning jewel: a warm and cozy gathering place for cappuccino in the morning, a cocktail with friends before dinner or, in my case, an unintentional nap after a long walk!
In the spirit of Earth Day, I wanted to also mention the fantastic consideration of the environment that this, and all Italian hotels enforce: 10 minutes after you lock the door to your room, the power is shut off. It's less problematic than it sounds and conserves an unbelievable amount of power. Something that made we wonder if we couldn't do something similar here!
The only downside is that the hotel is designed by Ferragamo and they won't let you forget it. The design of the room is amazing, as is each detail. And they want you to know who is responsible. Upon checking in, checking out, bringing your bags up or whatever, they will remind you that this property is "Designed by Feragamo." On the plus side, you can buy Ferragamo shirts, ties or shirts directly from the front desk.
We pricelined our room and got a great deal, so keep your eyes open! Or, bookmark this and wait till the Euro isn't completely pummeling the $.
