FH55 Hotel Villa Fiesole

This hotel is difficult to review because in reading previous posts, both the five star and one star reviews have some truth to them. Your enjoyment of this hotel will depend on what you are looking for, what kind of group you are with, what your transportation opportunities are, and possibly which room you are assigned. The good things are the view, the distance from the chaos of Florence, the cooler weather in the hills, and the helpfulness of most of the staff. We had “Garden Rooms”, so I can only comment on them. Our first room was very noisy both late at night and early in the morning because it is right below the restaurant. It had a sewage-like odor, and we eventually had them move us to a different room with no odor, but similar noise issues. Noise also came from groups of corporate guests congregating in the patio right in front of our row of rooms. This made this seemingly private and idyllic space a public party area at times. The WiFi is non-existent in the Garden Rooms; in spite of multiple complaints, this was never resolved. All these issues have been mentioned in previous TA reviews, and clearly they have not been remedied. The decor in our rooms was OK, but certainly nothing to Instagram about; makeshift electrical outlets, broken toilet seats. The bed and pillows are comfortable. The shower is adequate, but the bathrooms are tiny, and climbing out of the tub is quite treacherous because it is significantly raised above the floor level. There is a towel “warmer” that is not actually heated, and if you turn it on it gets cold and drips with condensation; not an enhancement for the towels. There is nice storage space and a safe in an anteroom between the bedroom and the bathroom. This anteroom nicely separates the bedroom from the bathroom from noise and light. There is a refrigerator with items for purchase, but even water is 4€ for a small bottle. There is a Nespresso machine. The a/c worked well. No drinking glasses are provided in the bathrooms, so we had to use coffee cups to brush our teeth. There isn’t an ATM in the hotel - so if you need cash for a driver or guide make sure you get it before you come to the hotel, otherwise you will need to travel into the town. The maids did a good job. However, at 680€/night, everything should be much higher quality. There is a tiny, unheated, pool with about 10 chairs in a location that should be picturesque, but seems more sad than relaxing. Aside from that, there isn’t much to do on the hotel grounds. The main negatives are related to the food and transportation options. There is only one restaurant. It has both an inside and outside area, each with great views. The included breakfast is adequate, but not impressive. There is an “all day“ menu until 7:30 pm, which is quite minimal; some triple decker sandwiches, pasta with tomato sauce, and some appetizer choices; no pizza, meatballs, fish filets, or steak. It’s OK for one meal, but not a place one would frequent repeated

Searching through a Michelin guide we found this fabulous hotel and it’s amazing restaurant Serrae run by a very talented Antonello Sardi The elevated position of the hotel gives it superb views over Florence but the restaurant was a magnificent plus We ate from the a la carte however there were 5,7 and 9 course tasting menus too We enjoyed some of their best signature dishes which are amazing The food is inventive fresh beautifully flavoured and inspirational The dining room is very beautiful and we enjoyed a great circular table directly in front of the open kitchen so we could see the chefs hard at work. Dishes of distinction included the lamb sandwich the tagliatelle with beef ragu and the pigeon as well as the scampi. The amuse bouche and the potato foam incredible A VERY impressive restaurant and great cooking……THANK YOI

Fabulous hotel, amazing staff, incredible restaurant. Room was very comfortable, with a great shower. And the view is not to be missed. Cannot wait to get back to this hotel as soon as possible. Highly recommended and not to be missed. Two thumbs up.

Villa Fiesole is a dream location to stay during your visit to Florence. Very well maintained hotel and the entire team is friendly and helpful. All our wishes were carried out with great care. Chef Antonello Sardi's cuisine is exceptionally tasty. The Gourmet dining is highly recommended. Thanks to Jitmer, Andrea, Jacomo Beatriz and all the staff for a wonderful stay in Firenze. Price quality very good

Very nice boutique hotel with very pleasant staff and excellent food. The views are spectacular. The bus stops just below the hotel and takes you pretty much everywhere you need to go. Especially thanks for Antonio - did one time dinner - better then in Micheline !!!

Fantastic hotel in the hills outside Florence. Gorgeous view from the relaxing courtyard. Great restaurant looking over same view. I would definitely stay again.

The staff was amazing and the resturant was 1st class!

Beautiful location friendly staff, aircon could be improved.