Cala Grande

Do not judge a book by its’ cover was the lesson learned here! Inconveniently located 20 minutes (walking) from the Santa Maria Novella train station, the Aurum Uffizi is nestled on a side street with only a sliding door entrance. Upon first impression, doesn’t look like much but when you get to your room, what a surprise! The rooms were HUGE and super modern with a spacious bathroom which had a rain shower. We were shocked when we entered as our expectations were very low. The disappointment came at night when, despite being in an alleyway, the noise level coming from outside made me feel like I was on Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras! The street noise continued until 4am and thankfully the next night it rained so it was quiet. My recommendation is to make sure you request a room AWAY from the front of the building (I was in room 104) or you’ll be sorry. Breakfast was included but only a small offering of items but still free which was a nice touch. Cons (aside from the noise) were you have to pay the ‘City Tax’ in Euros cash. Every other hotel we stayed at allowed credit card payment. And I was also slightly irritated that I sent them a message inquiring about a travel bag I know I left in the room and they never responded. All said, the location in Florence is super convenient and walkable and it was perfect for our 2 nights in Florence

Easy walking to all sites