Friendly staff, comfortable room

We were pleased with our stay at the Carolus Hotel in early August 2004. The room was very large and clean, with a nice view of city rooftops and the hills beyond. Temperatures outside were quite hot, but the air conditioning in our room worked flawlessly. The hotel is within easy walking distance of the train station and most major attractions in Florence. We walked everywhere! There are several good restaurants nearby, as well as a nice internet store and a small grocery. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Alessandra at the front desk was especially nice. She helped us book a tour to Siena and San Gimignano, and she always had a friendly smile for us when we entered the lobby. My only complaint is that the shower doors leaked quite a bit. I spent too much time trying to discover a way to shower without leaving a lake on the bathroom floor. The housekeeping staff stops in twice a day, however, so the lakes would be cleaned up and plenty of fresh towels left behind. The breakfast room was pleasant and the food was adequate. I would recommend the Carolus Hotel.

One great hotel!

We just returned from a week at the Hotel Carolus. The staff was very helpful, especially with confirming tour reservations, etc. We had two rooms, both lovely, ours had a balcony from which we could see local sites. We could see two cats who lived in the house behind. The location was within walking distance of all the major sites but far enough away from the noise and the bustle. We ate in different trattorie (fabulous food) every night within one block of the hotel. There was an internet cafe around the corner which my teenage daughter loved. The breakfast ( included) was just enough, cappucino every morning. The only thing which was tricky was the shower but I understand this is true in most European hotels. It worked fine but leaked a bit. No bugs, great air flow, didn't really need the air conditioning even though it was first week in July. I would definitely return there. Our reservations were made through Expedia and I calculated that our rate was about $125/night

Not the greatest

We stayed at this hotel mostly based on the reviews, but we were somewhat disappointed with this hotel. I suppose many hotels are like this in Florence, but this did not feel like a 4-star hotel to me. Staff was friendly enough and the breakfast was decent. The room was standard size for Europe, but did not feel very clean. There were a couple of bugs in the bathroom, which was a little disturbing. The location was pretty good - walking distance to all the major sights. I can't say the place was terrible, but for $200 and up, I expected a little more. Don't pay too much for this hotel and you'll leave satisfied.

A very comfortable stay

We were lucky to get an excellent rate through lastminute, but the hotel was worth much more. The location is quieter than most, but it's still only a few minutes walk to major sites such as the Medicii Chapel or S.Marco. The room was very comfortable indeed, and the staff made great efforts to help, including finding out about concert tickets, and booking appointments for the popular attractions. The breakfast was OK but not special.

What more could you need?

Spent 3 days at the hotel and could want for nothing. Great location, breakfast was more than enough and the staff are happy to help with any questions from travel to casual chat. Room was great size, wooden flooring, large clean bathroom and comfy bed. Good security too. from a few days to a couple of weeks this is a well recommened place and is suitable for all.

Everything You Could Want

We stayed at the Carolus in January 2003 as part of a package deal from Tour Crafters. It was an excellent hotel in a very nice part of town.

Access to the older downtown sections was easy on foot or by taxi and the room was very large and modern. I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Florence.

Very Good Value and Good Price

I stayed in Corolus first two weeks of August 2003. And I really liked Corolus. Very good quality. In fact, far better that my expectations, especially by considering the price I paid.

Very clean and lobby was very large and comfortable for gathering with friends.

Hotel staff was excellent. They were all professional but also friendly, helpful and talkative. Housekeeping, Reception and staff in the breakfast room was excellent.

Breakfast was pretty well and rich enough. You may only need to pay for some extras, if you wish. Infact, I never felt to have extras. And even at the weekend some extras were served (free) on the main breakfast table.

My language course was very near to Academia. This is also why my language school chooses Corolus in addition to its quality. It is not that near to the "Duomo", meaning heart of the city. Not a big deal. It takes app. 15 minutes depending on your walk.

Heat in August of 2003 was worse than previous years. I checked air-conditioning far in advance before my arrival. As I have been told, air condition in my room and in the hotel lobby was great. My room was (single) big enough. But I would say the ceiling height was giving sense of more space. My room was not seeing the main street, and I did not have any particular view from my room. Frankly, view from my window was not pleasant. It could be a better spot considering my two weeks stay. But it was OK. I was always outside.

All in all, I really enjoyed my stay in Corolus. To me, one of the best hotels among I stayed in Italy by considering in this ranking level. In sum, very good value with good price. I would choose Corolus again, when I get back to Florence.

Hurray for air conditioning!

We spent more than a week in Florence at Carolus Hotel in a triple room. The 3rd bed was a day bed/sofa with a real mattress and was not some 'roll away" jammed in at the last minute. There was plenty of room for 3 friends to stay together. Room and bathroom were always clean and cool during the hottest summer in Italy in many years. The location is great! A 10-20 minute stroll to Accademia, central market, Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio, San Lorenzo, Bargello. The ladies at the front desk and the gentlemen porters always had a smile for us. Special thanks to Simona at the desk for making us feel so welcome. The breakfast rooms and large parlors were a nice place to spend time with friends or linger over cappuchino and the International Herald. We would return to Carolus Hotel!

Great Hotel!

This hotel was very good, much better than we expected for the price.

We visited Florence in August, and the air-conditioning in our room was a real relief. North of the city centre, the Carolus is most convenient for the Academia (Michelango's David), only five minutes away: but most sites are within a twenty minute walk. The staff are very helpful and friendly (and can manage some English), the rooms are bright, clean and modern, although the one we stayed in was taller than it was wide! If (when!) we are returning to Florence or that part of Italy we will stay in the Carolus again.

Very helpful staff

The Carolus is a few blocks north of all the central market. We walked to all of the sites we wanted to see. The staff was very friendly and quite patient with inability to speak Italian. We were there at the end of November and the weather was excellent. The room was excellent. We slept the window the first night, which was great. There are no screens on the windows, so by morning, we had very large mosquitoes in the room. We kept the window closed the rest of our stay, so the room was too warm. If I were to visit Florence again, I would consider staying at the Carolus, especially because of the helpful staff.