Villa Tolomei

​Stay at a five star resort in the heart of Tuscany, complete with rolling hills, vineyards, and expansive views. Sip on fine wine, take a dip in a stunning pool, have a Turkish bath, then walk into one of the best cities in the world. Yup, that's right, walk right on in. Oh, and pay less than $200 a night.

Find small areas to call your own on the expansive grounds at Villa Tolomei

Rooms: A-

Each room is slightly different, and I found ours to be just wonderful. High ceilings, vineyard views, and the most comfortable bed we had on the entire trip made for a room that was quite difficult to leave every morning. The shower head was solid (a strong indicator of a nice hotel in my opinion) and the closet space was more than enough (another trait of most hotels which I believe is seriously lacking). No elevator though for the rooms, so keep that in mind.

The hallway down to our room from the bar/restaurant area

Location: A-

This is really why I chose this resort in the first place. It's location gives you the best of both worlds. We would spend our mornings lazily eating as late of a breakfast as possible, followed by lounging poolside overlooking the suburbs of Florence, then on to the city in about 30 minutes by foot. It really does not get much better than that when it comes to location. It actually almost doesn’t even make any sense. A hotel of this beauty, space and grandeur should be at least an hour drive from any major city. The only reason I do not give it a solid A is because there is another hotel with similar characteristics but only a 10 minute walk into the city. Call me petty, I'll take it.

A 30 minute stroll down streets like this on the south side of the river will lead you right into the heart of the city. Florence is one of the most walkable cities in the world!

Food: B+

Lunchtime at Villa Tolomei

It's definitely overpriced, but the lunch we had was very filling and quite tasty. The wine that went along with it was fantastic. San Francesco Rose-highly recommend it. The breakfast was on the smaller side but had good options, including champagne which we took full advantage of once we discovered it was also free. The best part about the breakfast here was the overall ambiance. It's a solid sized restaurant with a few tables, meaning there is a considerable amount of space in between groups of people leading to a more open and liberating atmosphere. And the views are simply outstanding.

And it was all included (yes, that means the bottle of champagne as well!)

Amenities: A

You've got a solid gym, sauna, Turkish baths, pool, library, restaurant, bar, vineyards, expansive gardens, conference rooms-you get the point. There's a lot to offer at this hotel.

Down by the pool you have a gym and bath, along with a restaurant and bar, and the surrounding area is beautifully landscaped by rolling hills and expansive vineyards

Service: A

Marco was everywhere, working the pool, the restaurant for lunch, and the bars in the afternoon. He, along with everyone else working at Villa Tolomei, were an absolute pleasure, combining quality service with personal, non-robotic interactions that made you feel a heightened connection.

Villa Tolomei puts its own personal touch on almost everything in the hotel, giving it a heightened level of connection with those who are staying.

Crowd: Not really sure to be honest. It's odd, because I know that we saw other people, but something about the hotel made you feel like you were the only ones there. What I do know is that it was not a geriatric center (see: Grand Hotel Casselburgh). Only nuisance in regards to the people of the hotel was an Asian man who listened to YouTube videos on full volume during breakfast, which was taken care of by the restaurant staff, much to his dismay. Another side note on the hotel which I found to be lovely was how they had their own labels and products on absolutely everything, from the sugar to the vases to the wines to the olive oils. It was all Tolomei, and they made sure you knew it (without being obnoxious either). A cute city hotel in the middle of the Tuscan hills, this is undoubtedly the place to stay in Florence.

The main causeway between the two buildings on the hotel property-take your pick, through the hallway or out in the garden.