Belmond Villa San Michele
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Hotel Description
Heat, cathedrals, and German tourists clicking cameras at the Venus de Milo — Florence in the summer has a way of wearing you down. Desperate? Well, a way out exists, a fifteen-minute drive outside of the city's throbbing heart. Welcome to the Villa San Michele, where tranquility reigns, alongside more beauty than you would have ever thought possible for one hotel to contain. Around you is the sunlit quiet of the Tuscan countryside. Below you, Florence shimmers, with the Duomo emerging from the terracotta rooftops like Venus. Look familiar? In A Room With a View, the sight quite stirred George Emerson and Lucy Honeychurch to passion.
But when you're at the San Michele, it's difficult to say what's more stirring — the view, or the villa. Designed by Michelangelo, this cream and chocolate marvel was once a monastery, and many of the architectural details, somber and otherwise, have been preserved. Forbiddingly dark wooden doors sport massive metal bolts, and open into doorways still designed for people of fifteenth-century stature (in other words, duck before entering). Faded portraits of monks in bygone days still flit on the corridor walls, while Jesus gazes at the goings-on from the Last Supper fresco over the bar.
Don't let the holy fixtures scare you. There's plenty of secular distraction at the San Michele. Put on your highest heels, and dine on pigeon ravioli in the outdoor colonnade. At night, the canopied beds and massive bathtubs are not in the least suited to celibate behavior. Besides, who knew that the Renaissance monastic aesthetic would be so agreeable to our modern day notions of elegance? Carved chests, austerely shaped chairs, glazed terracotta floors. None of that clutter that you find in your run-of-the-mill 18th-century palace hotel. The decor, in fact, almost looks minimalist.
So even if you never wanted to be a Florentine Renaissance monk (and a lot of us haven't) you will love it here. Follow the winding garden trail to the pool, and drink in more of that famous view. The hotel's shuttle can whisk you to the city center's La Reppublica Square in under fifteen minutes, but after a few days here, you'll start to think that the best way to see Florence is from where you are, up high and far away.
Please note: Hotel Villa San Michele is open annually from the end of March through November.
How to get there: Hotel Villa San Michele is 10 kms. from Florence Airport and a 15-minute drive from Florence Santa Maria Novella railway station.
Hotel Criteria
- 46 Rooms
- Style: Traditional Elegance
- Atmosphere: Quiet
Map
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What I liked:
What the hotel could do better:
Guest
Hotel Amenities and Services
- 24 hour front desk
- Bar
- Free parking
- Free wi-fi
- Outdoor swimming pool
- Pet Friendly
- Restaurant
Need to Know
Pets are allowed on request and are free of charge. Children stay free. The maximum number of extra beds in a room is 1.
Credit cards accepted:
Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diner's ClubCheck in:
2pm,Check out:
12pmHotel Booking Widget
Edit Dates and Rooms for Search
Finding Available Rooms & Prices
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Limonaia Two Bedroom Suite
- Fits 4 people
- 1496 ft²/139 m².
Amenities
This room includes:
- bathtub
- CD player
- central air conditioning
- DVD player
- flat panel television
- hairdryer
- international channel
- iPod docking station
- kitchenette
- minibar
- plunge pool
- safe
- separate bedroom
- separate living room
- sofa
- stand up shower
- terrace
- working desk
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Limonaia Villa
- Fits 6 people
- 2045 ft²/190 m².
Amenities
This room includes:
- bathtub
- CD player
- central air conditioning
- DVD player
- flat panel television
- hairdryer
- international channel
- iPod docking station
- kitchenette
- minibar
- plunge pool
- safe
- separate bedroom
- separate living room
- sofa
- stand up shower
- terrace
- working desk
-
Classic Room
- Fits 2 people
- 1 King Bed
- 258 ft²/24 m².
Amenities
This room includes:
- CD player
- central air conditioning
- DVD player
- flat panel television
- hairdryer
- international channel
- minibar
- phones
- safe
- wake up service
- working desk
-
Deluxe Room
- Fits 2 people
- 1 King Bed or 2 Single Beds
- 269 ft²/25 m².
Amenities
Views: garden or city.
This room includes:
- CD player
- central air conditioning
- DVD player
- flat panel television
- hairdryer
- international channel
- minibar
- phones
- safe
- stand up shower
- wake up service
- working desk
-
Superior Room
- Fits 2 people
- 1 King Bed or 2 Single Beds
- 322 ft²/30 m².
Amenities
This room includes:
- CD player
- central air conditioning
- DVD player
- flat panel television
- hairdryer
- international channel
- minibar
- phones
- safe
- stand up shower
- wake up service
- working desk
-
Superior Junior Suite
- Fits 2 people
- 1 King Bed or 2 Single Beds
- 376 ft²/35 m².
Amenities
Views: garden.
This room includes:
- adjoining room on request (charges apply)
- bathtub
- CD player
- central air conditioning
- DVD player
- flat panel television
- hairdryer
- international channel
- minibar
- safe
- sofa
- stand up shower
- terrace
- wake up service
- working desk
-
Deluxe Junior Suite
- Fits 2 people
- 1 King Bed or 2 Single Beds
- 430 ft²/40 m².
Amenities
Views: garden.
This room includes:
- adjoining room on request (charges apply)
- bathtub
- CD player
- central air conditioning
- DVD player
- flat panel television
- hairdryer
- international channel
- minibar
- safe
- sofa
- stand up shower
- terrace
- wake up service
- working desk
-
Executive Junior Suite
- Fits 2 people
- 1 King Bed or 2 Single Beds
- 484 ft²/45 m².
Amenities
Views: garden.
This room includes:
- adjoining room on request (charges apply)
- bathtub
- CD player
- central air conditioning
- DVD player
- flat panel television
- hairdryer
- international channel
- minibar
- safe
- sofa
- stand up shower
- terrace
- wake up service
- working desk
-
Deluxe Suite
- Fits 2 people
- 1 King Bed or 2 Single Beds
- 645 ft²/60 m².
Amenities
This room includes:
- bathtub
- CD player
- central air conditioning
- DVD player
- flat panel television
- hairdryer
- international channel
- phones
- safe
- sofa
- stand up shower
- working desk
-
Garden Suite
- Fits 2 people
- 1 King Bed or 2 Single Beds
- 645 ft²/60 m².
Amenities
This room includes:
- bathtub
- CD player
- central air conditioning
- DVD player
- flat panel television
- hairdryer
- international channel
- minibar
- rollaway bed (on request)
- safe
- separate bedroom
- separate living room
- sofa
- stand up shower
- terrace
- working desk
-
Limonaia Suite
- Fits 2 people
- 1 King Bed or 2 Single Beds
- 861 ft²/80 m².
Amenities
This room includes:
- adjoining room on request (charges apply)
- bathtub
- CD player
- central air conditioning
- DVD player
- flat panel television
- international channel
- iPod docking station
- kitchenette
- minibar
- plunge pool
- safe
- separate bedroom
- separate living room
- sofa
- stand up shower
- working desk
Member Privileges EligibleHotel Amenities and Services
- 24 hour front desk
- Bar
- Free parking
- Free wi-fi
- Outdoor swimming pool
- Pet Friendly
- Restaurant
Need to Know
Pets are allowed on request and are free of charge. Children stay free. The maximum number of extra beds in a room is 1.
Credit cards accepted:
Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diner's ClubCheck in:
2pm,Check out:
12pmMap
- Close
