I travel to Florence every six months and have stayed at several hotels in the historic city district. The Hotel Balestri is another hotel I would choose to stay at again for a future trip.

If you stay within the historic district of Florence then you will be in walking distance to the sites. The Balestri is on the River Arno, about a five minute stroll to the Ponte Vecchio. There are several good restaurants near the hotel, which the staff will recommend if you ask at the front desk.

The room was clean and comfortable. Definitely not chic, but decor is not something of which I am concerned when I travel. I had a window overlooking the car park and did not find the noise to be a problem. Breakfast was fantastic. I rate hotels based on the cleanliness, comfort, service and availability of breakfast - the Balestri ranks high in all four areas.

Hotel is in an excellent location and rooms are decent. But what makes this my favorite hotel in Florence is the service! In my recent trip, I left behind very important documents in my room, and realized this only after I had taken the 4-hour drive from Florence to Milan. I called the hotel and Paulo the receptionist was extremely helpful. He not only called all the chambermaids to track down the documents, but he also went down the square to sift through the garbage bin to reclaim the documents! I had a driver pick them up and send them to me to Milan the same evening, just in time before I flew out a few hours later. I love the hotel for this and I'll definitely be staying at the hotel when I'm back in Florence in a few weeks!

Good location near the uffizi, ponte vecchio, and piazzas (Santa Croce, de la Signoria). Have stayed at better for this price. Front desk were occasionally helpful. Good, cold breakfast range. Since you can walk to Oltrarno via many bridges across the river, I would recommend the hotel for its location, rather than rooms or service. Ask for rooms away from the street if you prefer an uninterrupted sleep.

Our room was huge and very comfortable with a great view of the river. They were cleaned very quickly and discreetly- none of the annoying knock on the door. The elevator is teeny but serviceable, the staff was very nice and helpful. The breakfast is very good.

The location was perfect, so close to the ponte vecchio and the uffizi. And, behind the hotel are great little streets to explore. Perfect neighborhood- I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in Florence.

I would definitely stay there again.