Atlantic Palace Hotel, Florence

We stayed in this hotel for a week in March-April 2011 to visit our daughter that was studying in Florence. It was a perfect location for us; close to the train and the bus station in one direction and in the other direction the Marcato Centrale, the Duomo and the Uffizzi. Location aside, when we arrived (and met up with our daughter in the lobby), they invited her to come to breakfast every day. The building is several centuries old, but modernized so you have all of the comforts of a new hotel. The walls are very solid, so very quiet. The showers were hot and good pressure, very clean throughout and the breakfast provided was eggs, meat, a variety of cheeses, rolls, sweets, juice, coffee, cappacino if you like. We would defifnitely go back.

I simply cannot understand how this hotel can be called a Four Star hotel. This hotel is barely 200 meters from the train station, on a grey, dirty, loud, ugly street. We walked in, and were astonished at how run down the hotel was. The reception desk was falling apart--the file cabinets actually had duct tape on them. The "elevator" was tiny and didn't simultaneously fit both of us with our two suitcases, and it jerked the whole way up to the 3rd floor. The room was dirty, two twins poorly jammed together to make a king? The floor was sticky around the minibar, and the tile grout was black where it should have been white. It was atrocious. The staff was literally useless, and I think the first comment on this page must've been written by the hotel staff, because only they could have written such a glowing review of their hotel. We checked out within two hours, and went to a hotel recommended by our tour book, and THEN we enjoyed Florence.

Hotel Atlantic Palace was perfect in every way! It is well located, the staff is very professional and friendly, the rooms are beautiful with a lot of character and the breakfast is the perfect way to start the day in Florence. We will not even think about staying at other hotels in Florence. Our experience only made us want more.

O.K., I admit that the hotel walls are thin and you can hear everything in the hall way or the next room, particularly when someone flushed. I also can't say the breakfast was fabulous (- but I did manage to get enough considering that I'm dairy allergic and won't eat white carbs.) But the hotel staff salvaged my stay there when my little solo weekend trip was almost ruined by pickpockets who took my wallet along with EVERYTHING. Yes, cash, credit cards, ATM cards, you name it. And on a Saturday night too. I talked the receptionist into calling the hotal manager for permission to allow cash advance on my fiance's credit card. The Conciege was able to overcome the typical Italian inertia of "not my problem" and stepped up to help. It nearly sent me to tears with gratitude. Thank you, Atlantic Palace.