Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel, Florence vs Belmond Hotel Caruso

Villa San Michele is the monastery-on-the-hill that Florence hotel conversations keep circling back to: a 15th-century building with a façade attributed to Michelangelo, terraced gardens, and views over the Duomo that guests describe as better than the photos even when they'd already seen the photos. It reopened in April 2026 after an 18-month Belmond renovation, so recent visits are still catching up to the refreshed rooms; most of what we have predates that work, which matters if you're booking on the strength of "newly redone."

The staff is where guest after guest lands, unprompted, naming individuals by first name for their attentiveness at breakfast and by the pool. That's the strongest pattern in the reviews, and it's echoed by people who've also stayed at the Four Seasons Florence and rank this one alongside or above it for atmosphere. But there's a real crack in that story: at least one account describes a genuinely hostile front-desk reception toward guests who hadn't confirmed a booking, cold enough that they left. And a couple of dining slip-ups (an unmet birthday request, plates cleared too early) suggest the polish isn't uniform across every shift.

The 20-30 minute hillside distance from central Florence is the other honest catch. The complimentary shuttle makes it workable, and some guests with rental cars found it turned into an asset for Tuscany day trips rather than a limitation, but you're planning your day around it, not popping down for a spontaneous aperitivo. Worth it if the setting and the loggia dinners are the point of the trip; less so if you want to be five minutes from everything.

Caruso is a wedding hotel that also takes regular guests, and once you know that, everything about the place makes sense. Reviewers across the last year describe named staff, unprompted, months apart: Donatella coordinating weddings from another continent, Antoinetta sourcing ice at the front desk, someone brushing olive oil off a shirt until it disappeared. That kind of repetition doesn't happen by accident, and it's the strongest thing this property has going for it. The service is the reason to pay Belmond prices here, not the palace itself.

The infinity pool and the 11th-century setting earn every bit of their reputation, and one traveller who split a trip between Caruso and its Ravello neighbor Palazzo Avino called Caruso the more luxurious of the two, if quieter. That comparison is worth holding onto: Avino reportedly has more warmth and personality per square foot, Caruso has the grander building and the sharper service, and guests who've done both consistently rate Caruso's rooms and amenities above Avino's. But the wedding volume is a real cost, not a rumor — multiple guests mention a different wedding happening daily, the pool getting crowded by mid-June, and one elopement couple whose own celebration was never mentioned again after check-in. Rooms vary too: some are freshly renovated, others clearly aren't, and which one you get is partly luck.

Book it for the setting and the staff, not for beach access (there isn't real direct access) or a quiet dinner during peak wedding season. Late May reportedly runs calmer than June.