Mary's House

Small but very clean and comfortable room near the main train and bus stations. Good price and clean functioning shower and toilets. Quiet and well managed. Use of microwave. Friendly. Plenty eating places very nearby.

The room was fairly basic with no ameneties but that's expected from a budget place, so nothing bad there. The location is great with many restaurants, bars, bakeries, etc. within 50 meters. Central station and bus stops are also less than 5 minutes walk away. On the downside, there was a lot of noise in the room at night from the bars around the place - not much of a problem for me but if you're a light sleeper you probably won't be able to catch any sleep. Second negative point is no elevator, so if you're traveling with a lot of luggage (which thankfully I wasn't) then be prepared to do some heavy lifting. The staff is friendly and helpful in making suggestions for tourists.

*See my Roma review first* After 4 days in Rome (not enough), we took the high-speed train (Frecciarossa - operated by TrenItalia) to Florence. The ride was ~1.5hr. We booked the train online and on short notice. Florence is the home of Michelangelo and the Renaissance. So much history and art. When we exited the train station in Florence, we went to the Tourist Info Centre (across the street) to pick up free maps (definitely need them to navigate the narrow and interwoven streets of Firenze). We then walked to Mary's House (one block behind the Info Centre). It's a residential building and the House is basically a floor in the building. There was a Go Express (grocery store) a few steps from the house. Our room had two twin beds and a private bathroom with shower. It was simple and clean as expected. There was mini fridge in the room which was handy. Quick and easy check-in/out. Paid by credit card at check-in (city taxes must be paid by cash only). Was able to split the payment with my friend so we each used our credit cards. Toilet flush didn't work all the time. Room was cool at night we slept in wool socks and fleece. The shower had running hot water. Wifi worked perfectly. The room was overlooking the street, which was very busy and loud at night. The weather was unusually cold at that time (Oct. 12, 2016). It was below 10'C, windy and rainy. It was very unfortunate as we didn't get to walk around a lot. My favourite areas were: 1) Piazzale Michelangelo. We went there to watch the sunset. Very beautiful with magnificent views of the city and the famous Duomo. 2) Ponte Vecchio was beautiful, crowded and full of shops and history. My friend is an opera singer so she sang O Mio Bambino Caro as we walked the bridge :) 3) Florence Cathedral (Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore), the main and largest church in Florence. It was huge and some areas were under constructions. We didn't tour it. The area is full of restaurants and cafes. 4) Academia Gallery, home of Michaelangelo's David (which is a must see). You need to buy the tickets online to avoid the 2hr line up. The museum is small. We didn't have time to visit the Galleria degli Uffizi but I definitely will when I return (and I'll get the ticket online in advance). We only stayed two nights, which at the time, was a good thing because of the weather but I say you need 3 days to see most of it.