Hotel Savoy – A Rocco Forte Hotel

I’d half expected Hotel Savoy – A Rocco Forte Hotel to be a bit stuffy. It isn’t. The welcome is warm from the moment you arrive and the whole place has a comfortable, almost homely feel to it – quite an achievement given that it sits directly on Piazza della Repubblica in the middle of everything. Reception is small and understated, but you’re taken straight to your room and looked after beautifully throughout your stay.

The hotel reduced its room count from 100 to 80 during its last refurbishment, specifically to create more space, and it shows. Triple glazing throughout means that despite being bang in the city centre, the rooms are wonderfully peaceful. Outside, carriages circle the piazza and musicians perform beneath the arches. Inside, you hear very little of it. The design is light and lovely: yellows, greens and blues with a warmth that feels distinctly Tuscan, and the views range from city rooftops to the piazza itself – there really isn’t a dull outlook from anywhere in the building.

Restaurant Irene opens directly onto the square and is a brilliant spot for lunch or dinner. You’re right in the middle of all the buzz and entertainment, but the terrace gives just enough separation to sit back and enjoy it all. The menu changes daily using produce from local farmers and they’re particularly known for their spaghetti with tomato and basil. It sounds impossibly simple but tastes extraordinary.

Then there’s Bar Artemisia, tucked away at the back of the hotel and easy to miss if nobody points you towards it. I loved this place. The interiors are dramatic – bold frescoes, rich colours and details that nod to Caravaggio – but somehow it feels cosy rather than imposing.

It’s the kind of bar where you sit down for one drink and discover you’re still there an hour or two later. Salvatore Calabrese’s cocktail menu is exceptional and the Rothko-inspired collection they’re running at the moment is clever and playful without taking itself too seriously.

Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel

This hotel was something else entirely. A former 15th-century Franciscan monastery in the hills above Florence, it recently reopened following an extensive renovation and has one of those positions that immediately makes you exhale. The property sits in Fiesole surrounded by terraced gardens and woodland where Leonardo da Vinci is said to have first experimented with flight, but honestly, what you notice immediately are the views. Florence lies below you in its entirety – domes, rooftops and church towers stretching across the valley. Every chair in the garden seems positioned towards the city and I spent an embarrassing amount of time simply sitting there with a coffee doing absolutely nothing.

The staff were wonderful throughout and a complimentary shuttle runs hourly from 8am until 11pm, taking around 20 minutes to reach the centre of Florence, so it’s extremely easy to divide your time between the city and the hills. There are 39 rooms and suites in total, many with terraces or balconies. The Deluxe Rooms are large and overlook the peaceful interior courtyard, so if views over Florence are high on your wishlist, I’d look at one of the Junior Suites or Monastery Suites instead. The Chapel Room is particularly unusual – a converted chapel with shower only but its own patio with sunbeds and views across Florence. The Grand Tour Suite is spectacular, occupying the entire length of the Michelangelo-inspired façade and once serving as Napoleon Bonaparte’s private residence.

Dining is spread across three restaurants and I suspect where you end up each evening will depend entirely on your mood. San Michele Grill sits at the top of the property on a terrace with uninterrupted views straight over Florence. There’s a wood-fired oven where you can watch them cooking pizzas alongside fish and meat dishes and somehow that sets the tone for the whole place – relaxed, sociable and easy to settle into. The menu includes Florentine zucchini hummus, a classic panzanella and various sharing plates and we tried the Signature Fiesolana pizza, topped with zucchini, which was incredibly good. I can imagine happily losing a few hours here over lunch or arriving just before sunset and staying put. We ate from a set menu during our visit, so guests would normally have much more freedom to choose for themselves, which may well change the experience.

Ristorante San Michele feels quite different. More classic Italian perhaps, but not remotely stuffy. The terrace also looks out across Florence and on a cool evening it’s beautifully done, with ceiling heaters keeping things comfortable and just enough glazing to cut the wind without spoiling the view. The Chianina beef tartare is the signature dish and there’s a lovely selection of local cured meats and cheeses alongside pasta, risotto and fresh fish. The T-bone arrives on an enormous platter and is carved at the table, which caused a fair amount of envy from the rest of us. Again, we ate from set menus both evenings so never saw the à la carte, but I’d be very curious to go back and try it.

Antesi is the one I wish I could tell you more about. Just eight tables in the 16th-century loggia, all looking out across Renaissance Florence, with Executive Chef Alessandro Cozzolino combining local Tuscan produce with contemporary techniques. Guests can choose between tasting menus or create their own experience by selecting two courses from each section of the à la carte.

But as hard as we tried, we couldn’t get in. It was fully booked on both of the evenings we tried, which tells me this would be the restaurant most people remember afterwards. It’s certainly given me a good enough excuse to come back again – although next time, I’ll definitely be booking ahead.

And then there’s Bar Doccia, tucked into the historic cloister and gardens. Aromatic cocktails, refined interpretations of the Negroni and a beautiful setting within the monastery gardens.

The entrance to the Guerlain Spa is one of the most beautiful parts of the hotel, with hand-painted frescoes throughout the monastery building. We only had a brief look rather than experiencing a treatment ourselves, so I can’t comment on the therapies, but it felt very private and calm – just a handful of rooms, intimate rather than expansive.

But what La DoubleJ have created in the woodland wellness area behind the villa is extraordinary and I genuinely can’t think of another city hotel doing anything quite like it.

The Energy Chapel transforms a former place of worship into a meditation and sound-healing space complete with a gong, bespoke lighting and immersive audio installations. The Sungazing Lounge sits on a garden terrace designed for golden-hour rituals, and an open-air yoga deck is tucked among the trees. Programming covers Kundalini yoga, sound healing and yoga nidra, with monthly visiting practitioners and seasonal retreats co-hosted by JJ Martin herself.

The other facilities are excellent too: an outdoor heated pool to 28°C on the upper terrace looking out across Florence, a panoramic gym housed within the monastery itself, complimentary morning classes, calligraphy, live music in the gardens, and monthly concerts with the Fiesole School of Music. Tennis is available in Fiesole, and there’s golf at Club Ugolino 30 minutes away. It’s also fully family-friendly with a dedicated Kids’ Concierge. All in all, it was quite an extraordinary place to stay.