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The Westin Excelsior in Florence Unveils New Rooftop Terrace With Killer Views
The Westin Excelsior, Florence used to attract a who's-who of the film industry to its Roof Garden, the top-floor terrace, with such VIPs like Franco Zeffirelli, Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, Orson Welles, Leonard Bernstein, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. But it's been a while since some of those folks have stopped by. (Yes, we know a few of them are no longer alive.)
But the hotel is now looking to reclaim its glamorous glory by reopening the rooftop terrace with the (awkward) new moniker SE.STO on Arno in late September.
After a $4 million renovation, the rooftop is reopening as a bar, restaurant and lounge. A curved, upholstered wall marks the entrance to the bar and the restaurant, and a glass-enclosed wine cellar separates the two areas. Outside there are two large terraces; the one adjacent to the restaurant is bordered by a shallow infinity pool that gives the illusion that the water is emptying into the Arno River. The rooftop is supposedly the only in Florence with 360-degree views of the city.
Indeed, the killer view is the major selling point, as the oversized windows overlook the city, the Arno and the surrounding hills.
Tags: Hotel Deals / Florence Hotels / Foodie Hotels / → All Tags
Hunt Your Own Truffles At Monsignor Della Casa
You don't even really need a good reason to take a vacation in Tuscany but for those with a taste for the luxury and gourmet side of life, the Monsignor Della Casa Country Resort near Florence has got a Gourmet Truffle Break deal to tempt you. The Monsignor Della Casa looks like just the right kind of quaint countryside resort for a Tuscan break and it is part of a 16th century estate that belonged to an Italian "good manners expert" of the day, so this place has some pedigree.
The truffle package includes two nights' accommodation and a buffet breakfast, plus a truffle hunting expedition into the park of Villa La Casa, followed by a truffle dinner. We're not sure what you get for dinner if you fail in your truffle hunt, but hopefully they've got some in reserve.
Deals start at around $300 per night for a double room and go up to around $400 for a suite – with a minimum stay of two nights. If truffles aren't quite your thing they also offer a three-night deal with wine tasting in the Chianti Rufina area, with prices a little higher than the truffle deal.
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The Palazzo Vecchietti Hotel Now Open in Florence
The Town House brand is a totally swanky range of apartment-style accommodations that is spreading across Italy. They started out in Milan and Turin and are now just opening the Town House Palazzo Vecchietti in central Florence, and this latest one certainly sounds like it's living up to the quality of the others.
The Palazzo Vecchietti is actually twelve separate apartments built into a fifteenth-century palace in a no-expense-spared kind of way. Each apartment is named after an Italian "great", with the largest one being the Leonardo da Vinci. They've got their own kitchenettes and there are mod cons including WiFi, and every room is kitted out to fit the part of belonging to a palce.
This Florence version of the Town House is actually a franchise of the original Milan brand, with three families joining forces to get the palace up to standard, and that suggests we might start to see more of this luxury-style accommodation across Italy.
Well, we might see it, but can we afford to see inside it? The funny this is that the prices at the Milan Town Houses are not too bad (promotion rates range from €120 - €200, or $160 - $270) so even though we can't book the Florence version yet, we're optimistic that it might be vaguely affordable. We'll wait and see.
Tags: Florence Hotels / Four Seasons Hotels / Art Hotels / Hotel Openings / Luxury Hotels / Hotel Art / → All Tags
The Four Seasons Florence is Not as Good as the Uffizi But Might Be Close
Just six weeks or so into its life as a luxury hotel, the Four Seasons Florence is getting very impressive feedback: almost everyone gives it a 5-star rating on TripAdvisor and a recent write-up in the UK Times made it sound the best hotel the reviewer had ever stayed at.
It certainly has some historical and artistic advantages over regular hotels, being created out of two Renaissance palaces joined by the largest private garden in Florence. There are frescoes on walls, cherubs on the ceilings and artworks galore throughout the hotel. It's kind of like going sightseeing around Florence but without actually having to go anywhere.
We were a bit scared when we clicked over to look at the room rates, but they're nowhere near as shocking as you'd expect. Coming up to the winter season the Four Seasons Florence is offering special rates from €350 (US$515) a night although the usual standard rates go from €500 (US$740).
[Photo: Salthillhalli]
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Flash your Cash at JK Place in Florence
What did we say about staying away from the centre of Florence?
Only if you're on a budget. If you're not and you want to flash your cash in the shops and slap-bang city centre, take a room in the JK Place boutique hotel in Santa Maria Novella square.
There are only 20 rooms and the staff like to call it a 'house' rather than a hotel. That's going a bit far - décor is stylish and understated but undeniably Italian-design (Michele Bonan, if you're interested). Clean lines, simple colours and cute details everywhere. Breakfast is in an old internal courtyard which has been covered over by a huge glass structure.
Yet we're a bit worried about the pretentious factor.
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