Qype User (Epicur…)
Yelp
Half a lifetime ago, I stayed at a wonderful place called the Hotel Bernini, whilst visiting Florence with my family. Then, by chance, Monsieur whisked me off to Florence for a long weekend. When he told me that we'd be staying at the Hotel Bernini Palace, you could have knocked me down with a very small feather. The name had changed a bit, but it was the same hotel. Teenage memories of falling in love with Italy whizzed about in my very excited brain. I only hoped the breakfast room frescoes were still there.
The lobby has been modernised to resemble something that Lawrence Llewellyn-Bowen has stamped in that unmistakably theatrical style. Yes, there is indeed gold leaf and swags of velvet. That made me a bit sad because the style argues with the traditional palatial style of the hotel. I wondered what the rooms would be like. Would they be decorated to match?
Thankfully, no. The rooms were still reassuringly traditional, with little linen mats put down by the bed at turn-down, just as they had been on that first visit so long before. Our view was over a central courtyard. The view of my first visit had been of terracotta rooftops. Cheekily, I asked if we could move for a rooftop view, but those rooms are now suites, so unless we wanted to pay for an upgrade, the answer was no.
Another thing about our room - it was large. Very large, in comparison to most hotel rooms in Western Europe. It even had a small dressing room and large, marble bathroom attached. No need to bump into each other, here.
During the finer months, there is a roof terrace where you can take a drink and watch the sun set over the Arno. It was a bit too cold for that when we were there, so we took an evening cocktail at the bar in the lobby, instead, marvelling at the horrid interior design. How I longed to rip down those swags of unnecessary fabric.
In its favour, and to my great relief, whoever made over the lobby did not touch the breakfast room. The frescoes of statesmen still gaze down at you from the walls, and it feels very, very Florentine. The hot chocolate is a must - tastes like something Willy Wonka made.
The Hotel Bernini Palace is close to the Arno, the Uffizi, various churches of note, including the Duomo, and lovely little artisinal shops. The staff are incredibly helpful with recommending places to eat and I would definitely stay here again. I only hope that someone decides that a more traditional lobby might be more in keeping with the Palace itself. Right now, it feels like a different hotel to the one you actually sleep in, and that's a bit disconcerting. I would usually give this hotel 5 stars, because its other points should win anyone over, but the lobby's current decor loses it 1 star, because it simply does not work.
