Our second digs in Florence was at this chic hotel, literally feet away from the Ponte Vecchio, or ground zero in Florence. I have to admit that - with a child - it was not quite as good a fit and the very modern 90's style was not my favorite, but it had some definitely cool touches, including a most excellent roof lounge with a view of the city (it's also part of a small chain, designed and run by the luxe Lungarno group)...
This is a great place for couples without children, who prefer chic to homey. Again, we booked through Mr & Mrs Smith and found good rates.
The bathroom's sink and shower were very distinctive, with a solid surface which drained around the edges. While cool to look at, I found myself continuously rinsing it to keep it clean for Sara Kate after doing things like brushing my teeth :-).
This sideboard/desk is an awesome design. It looks like a big trunk, but it opens up to provide a chair for sitting while hiding a refrigerator on one side and drawers on the other. Very Louis Vuitton.
The doors in Florence often have knobs in the center, and the Continentale's doors all follow this. With a strong light on each door casting a shadow, I thought it was a good touch.
This is in the dining room, where we had breakfast each morning. I loved the totally un-American color palette and these lamps were everywhere. I realized, after looking at them for a long time, that the solid but swiveling pendant connector allows them to move a bit (and stay centered) as the tables are moved, which is helpful in a spot like this.
Ah, the roof lounge. This is a magnificent place to drink coffee or have drinks at night and was always open. The first day we arrived, Ursula didn't nap, so I ended up taking her up to the roof for an hour and getting her to sleep in my lap - so Sara Kate could rest. We did a lot of this type of thing!
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Comments (22)
NIce hotel - What was the room rate and how was the service?
My husband and I stayed here during the Florence leg of our honeymoon in Italy. Although the sink was aesthetically beautiful, it was definitely cumbersome and awkward to use! For what its worth, I much prefer the location of JK Place to Hotel Continentale.
I love the "4 poster bed"...what are they using to hold up the sheers? The lighting is great as well. I especially love the lights behind the headboard. How did they do that?
Bepsf:
I know your comment was directed at Maxwell but I can tell you that our pre-recession room rate in October 2007 was $609/night. My husband and I had a deluxe room with a river view. As is typical in many Italian hotels, the rate included a very nice breakfast spread (fresh fruit, beautiful Italian eggs, charcuterie, etc.). Service was very nice. The staff sent a bottle of champagne to our room each night and really tried to make the stay special.
The only thing that went wrong was our bathtub clogged one day. The hotel staff sent someone to fix it right away.
that trunk desk is so cool! I want one!
skny0104:
Our room was slightly different than Maxwell-and-family's room but I remember that the lights behind our bed were very beautiful. As I recall, our room also had lights which ran along the baseboards. The cool thing was that the room's master light switch panel allowed you to turn on any combination of overhead lights and/or lights behind the bed and/or in-floor lighting. The effect was quite pretty.
"what are they using to hold up the sheers?"
Hospital track flush-mounted within the sheetrock/plaster ceiling.
j i --
Thanks for the info - It looks well worth it.
eco5:
Wow, I REALLY sound like a talking head for the Lungarno family's hotels, but...
...If you really want that desk you may be able to purchase it. The Lungarno hotel group has a shop, Lungarno Details, where you can purchase many items that are found in the Lungarno group's several hotels. It's a few blocks from the Continentale and everything is SUPER expensive. I don't know whether these items can be delivered to the States.
The website, http://www.lungarnohotels.com/group-InternalPageen-98.html, says that the online shop will be available soon but this is what the website said in 2007, so take it with a grain of salt.
"what are they using to hold up the sheers?"
"Hospital track flush-mounted within the sheetrock/plaster ceiling."
Or, for the DIY'er, easily duplicated with IKEA's KVARTAL system. Slightly less sleek as the track would be visible, but doesn't require tearing out and re-drywalling your ceiling, either.
LOVE IT.
We live in Europe and travel around quite a bit (were just in Italy and Florence 6 weeks or so ago), and my jaw dropped at the $609/night room rate. Checked the site, and it is more in keeping with the sort of costs we are used to -- there are specials right now for around 180 Euros a night for a double room, 2 night minimum. That is the sort of price we paid throughout Italy during our trip in 4 and 5 star properties, from Torino in the North, Sorrento in the South and Florence past the middle.
Europe (well, Italy at least) is far more affordable right now -- great time to visit!
mschatelaine:
We stayed at the hotel in early October 2007 for $609 USD a night. I checked the website and the rates at Continentale in early October 2009 within the same room class are $748 USD (make sure you run the search using USD, not Euro).
I find that the rates at luxury European hotels haven't changed very much, especially during peak season.
that makes my vacations at motel 6 at $40/night looks like pochet money
thanks j i --I'll check that in the future. it's interesting to know what stuff like that costs...though I'll probably wait until Target makes one.
Thanks j i, splatgirl, and bepsf.
I'd love to see if I could get a handyman in to replicate something like it - so dreamy.
I'm not sure if we could do the floor to ceiling poster sheers (our ceiling is low, bedroom is a bit narrow, considering we also have a crib in there), but the sheer backdrop is pretty and if we could get the baseboard lights in, I would be thrilled.
ec05:
During our visit I took several pictures of this desk because I was so charmed by it. While the desk is great, I remember that the actual construction of this piece didn't seem too complicated. We are selling our condo and moving into a house this fall and I think I'm going to hire a local carpenter/upholsterer to build me something similar for much less $.
Beautiful hotel.....but I would probably have to shop around for something more within my budget. I love the white bed and found the door knobs placed on the center of the doors kind of interesting.
I don't understand going halfway around the world and staying someplace so anonymous.
I hope you've booked at least one night in the Four Seasons Firenze - it's gorgeous and actually has a sense of place.
I love that curtain bit! I also really like that it's two single beds.
I would hate to live in a so-modern place, but I think I would enjoy staying in it for a little while. Somebody's clearly thought about it.
Elvedeon, it's funny that you mention it. Although the room is spare and minimal in furnishing, it's actually perfect for severe allergy sufferers like myself. The fewer dust-mite-harboring fabrics (drapes, bedding, carpets) the better off I am. I appreciate the opulence of Four Seasons in Florence but staying there would induce a terrible allergy attack for me. I plan my vacations by looking for the most spare accommodations I can find. Usually this means something pretty modern, which is fine because I happen to like pretty modern rooms.
ji,
I have no way of knowing what class of room you stayed in; I am just pointing out that the hotel currently has a special rate -- double rooms start at 180 Euros (yes, that is about $250). There is also a stay-3-nights-pay-for-2 special.
http://www.lungarnohotels.com/continentale-ListPageen-134.html
mschatelaine:
the stay-3-night-pay-for-2 is during the off-peak season (july, august, november, december). the point i was trying to make was that rates for peak season (i.e., october) are the same as they were when we visited this hotel in 2007, in fact they've gone up a little.
the double room special rate certainly seems like a good deal, but even this special rate increases in peak season (e.g., september, october). as you point out, there are certainly good deals to be had as long as a person's travel dates are flexible.