It’s easy to hop from one cultural trove and centuries-old piazza to another between upmarket boutiques and world-class dining, all while bucolic Tuscany is a mere drive or train ride away.
Staying in the right hotel can be the highlight of your trip. Don’t let Florence slip by you. The Tuscan city has a wonderful concentration of five-star properties, each offering its own take on an Italian luxury experience. Options range from grand and blousy Renaissance-era galleries, apartments and palazzos to much more intimate, personable, design-led boltholes that are more homely than home. Here are just a few of the best.
Four Seasons Hotel Firenze: Renaissance Grandeur
There are few hotels as Florence-authentic as the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze. The 15th- and 16th- century palazzos are an astonishingly beautiful reminder of the city at its height, built for the powerful and the wealthy and now a luxury hotel and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its extraordinary architecture is complemented by all the modern amenities and style, with rooms and suites incorporating original details and the spa and Michelin-starred dining reflecting what makes Tuscany singular. Americans who love momentous European style love staying here. It feels like you’re in a Florentine royal palace. And you almost are.
American travelers who love coming to Europe and feeling enveloped in the tradition and elegance of the past.
The St. Regis Florence: Old-World Glamour
Five-star The St. Regis Florence brings super-slick hospitality to the centre of this perpetually popular city. Overlooking the Arno helps, and its location near Via de’ Tornabuoni will be attractive to fashion-conscious holidaymakers seeking top-notch shopping opportunities. But polished-as-mirror butler service, a bejewelled interior decor and a position on the river mean this is a pad with traditional European flash.
You’ll not want to race back to your room after visiting top-grade attractions like the Duomo, Uffizi Gallery or Ponte Vecchio. You’ll not want to leave the bar after one more espresso, or the restaurant after two more scoops of decadently rich tiramisu.
Portrait Firenze: Personalized Luxury by the Arno
For those travelers looking for a more ‘intimate’ and, dare we say it, Italian five-star offering from the 5-star hotels Florence selection, there is one striking option currently available: Portrait Firenze.
Overlooking the Ponte Vecchio, this boutique residence is more akin to a chic private abode than a conventional hotel. The 37 rooms and suites blend mid-century style with distinct vintage touches and contemporary Italian designs for a look and feel that’s both elegant and relaxed.
There is a real sense that it can cater to the whims of even the most demanding guests. And although the service is consistently superb, it also knows how to fade into the background. Great hotels understand the needs of guests, but they don’t have to hammer the point home.
The location is brilliant, too. Its position next to Ponte Vecchio means that guests are within walking distance of so many of the great artistic treasures of Florence, as well as its many small independent boutiques, Restoration Hardware of course, and its fashionable collection of restaurants and cafes and elegant shopping streets around Via de’ Tornabuoni. If you’re an American who travels to a destination to experience it and not merely to go to it, then a strong sense of place is a big deal.
The hotel is also home to Caffè dell’Oro, where traditional Italian cuisine meets the world in an informal setting, compelling you to stay put along the river.
Choosing Your Florence Luxury Stay
The best five-star hotel in Florence for you largely depends on your Florence experience. Four Seasons Firenze is perfect for guests in search of Renaissance-style grandeur and sprawling gardens. On the other hand, The St. Regis is the top choice for guests who love the timeless elegance, grand staircase, and views over the Arno.
Portrait Firenze offers a softer touch. With a small-scale, home-like feel, modern aesthetics and proximity to the Ponte Vecchio, it will naturally appeal to guests in the market for an ultra-luxe experience with a measure of authenticity.
Florence is best when savored slowly: peruse Renaissance paintings in the morning, enjoy a long lunch in a Tuscan trattoria, shop for Italian couture in the afternoon, watch the sun set over the Arno. Find the right five-star retreat and the hotel becomes an integral part of the Florence experience.
A Florence Stay to Remember
An overnight within such fine, five-star Florence digs easily leads to an even better Italian sojourn. Wandering through the historic palazzo of one of the city’s oldest lodgings, reclining amidst the smooth silk riverfront walls of another, or being just one of a few glamorous guests at a most fashionable Florentine address? In the case of American travelers, it’s the beautiful compromise of providing comfort and a Mediterranean lifestyle at the same time, surrounded by art, pizzas, shopping, and lots of Italy. Find your style, acclimate to the Italian pace of life in Tuscany and let Florence do the rest.
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