Villa Cora

If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to live in a castle, Villa Cora is the place to stay. From the moment you step inside, you’re transported to another era. Every room, every hallway, and every little corner is beautifully preserved and decorated, making you feel as though you’ve traveled back more than a century. The architecture, artwork, and attention to detail are absolutely stunning. One piece of advice I’d give future guests is to avoid booking a room on the third floor near the balconies, especially if you’re a light sleeper. The balconies offer beautiful views over Florence, but during our stay, some guests remained outside until around 3:00 a.m., drinking wine, laughing, and speaking loudly. The noise carried into the room and made it difficult to sleep. That said, Florence has plenty of incredible viewpoints throughout the city that offer even more spectacular panoramic views, so I personally think it’s worth choosing a quieter room over one with a balcony. A good night’s sleep will make your stay much more enjoyable. Aside from that, everything else was wonderful. The food was delicious, the property is impeccably maintained, and the service was excellent. A special thank you to Sarah at the front desk, who was incredibly kind, welcoming, and always happy to help with anything we needed. Overall, Villa Cora is a truly magical hotel and a memorable place to experience the elegance and charm of Florence.

While this hotel was a splurge for us it could not have been a more lovely stay. It’s unlike any property I’ve ever stayed at before and we were so happy to have experienced it. The location—it is only about a 7 min ride to the city. So you’re not really giving up convenience or your ability to enjoy Firenze. They also have a courtesy shuttle van, which we used both days of our stay so it’s very easy to get there and back. The rooms—we booked a specific room, which had a large king bed and a loft with two twins. It was on the royal floor and had 20 fort ceilings and really felt grand and like something from the set of Bridgerton or like a room at Versailles or something. I considered booking a smaller room at a lower price point and I would have probably been disappointed. Try to be on the “royal floor.” I think it’s technically the second floor. -the pool. This was what made our trip so fun. It was hot in July and the pool made it fun to play during the heat of the day and explore Florence in the evening. The food is great. The BLT was so amazing (hard boiled eggs in a BLT-yum). The drinks at the pool are amazing too. The pool decor is so picturesque as well. A good mix of families and older adults and everyone co existed. There is also a cold plunge by the pool that my husband and kids enjoyed. The only drawback are the hours. 7-7. This is because the restaurant shares the space with the pool and so the pool is closed for dinner service. -the property. I’ve never stayed at a luxury hotel before that was so upscale but made me feel so comfortable. Because it’s small you can wander the rooms and the cool underground speakeasy as if you’re a guest of the owners rather than feeling like things are inaccessible and corporate or you’re under foot. Like in the lobby is an amazing ballroom and we sat for hours talking while my kids signed the guest book and drew a picture of the duomo. Nothing was locked or off limits or “closed,” which made it feel like a truly luxury experience. -the last thing is the staff and personal touches. Other than an occasional amazing person at a hotel that makes your stay I’ve never had an experience where the entire staff of the hotel were so impactful. The concierge is larger than life (see him on their IG), the GM was friendly and warm at check in and the best was the departure gift. As we left the woman handed us gift bags with water and snacks for our roadtrip. I’ve had a welcome gift at a hotel but never a departure gift. Also there were balloons and kids slippers and robes in the room for our kids. -price. It’s spendy. No doubt. But we got a lot of value out of our stay as it was more of an experience. For a family of four we were entertained for two days at the pool and had a once in a lifetime experience at a villa once owned by napoleon iii’s widow and Tchaikovsky.

Beauty, relaxation, kindness and attention beyond compare. From the moment we arrived, the staff was welcoming, professional and warm. From the bell hops, to concierge, to the drivers and housekeeping staff, the servers at breakfast, Allesandro, Marco, EVERYONE was kind and smiling. The history of the Villa, the beautiful restorations, the pool, the breakfast, and the people were beyond compare. It was heaven on earth and we can’t wait to return again in the future!