Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel, Florence vs Belmond Mount Nelson

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.

The "Nellie" is a grande dame in the literal sense: pink Cape Dutch buildings, gardens under Table Mountain, and a history that most Cape Town rivals simply can't manufacture. What guest after guest actually returns for, though, isn't the room, it's the afternoon tea. Sommeliers like Zodwa and Craig get named unprompted, months and even years apart, walking people through 70-plus teas and a menu people plan their year around. That's the strongest, most consistent thing on offer here, guests or not.

The rooms and staff can be genuinely excellent, too, guest relations managers who remember a preference for decaf English tea and fresh milk delivered daily, turndown staff leaving small gifts, a one-table Chef's Table that people call the best meal of their trip. But it's not uniform. One recent report described a waitress who treated a wine order change as a hassle and vanished when it started raining, then rushed the bill instead of checking on the table. A milestone dinner for 70th-birthday guests saw the kitchen completely botch vegan and gluten-free requests. And a poolside detail that should worry anyone booking a sun lounger: black marble side tables that get hot enough to blister skin on contact, a real hazard, not a nitpick.

Compared to design-forward rivals like Ellerman House, Mount Nelson trades on old-world charm rather than newer luxury, and one seasoned reviewer flatly called it "more ordinary" at a lower price point. That's fair: this is a hotel for people who want history and theater over cutting-edge design, and who'll forgive service that's excellent more often than it's flawless.