Four Seasons Hotel Firenze

It's the former residence of a Medici pope with its own private park and outdoor pool — you really can't go wrong staying here.

It feels like a full resort tucked inside the city, which makes it the perfect place to retreat to after a day of sightseeing. I've returned multiple times because the experience is consistently exceptional. There's nothing else in Florence quite like having that much private green space in the middle of a historic center.

When they've done the upgrade offer right with me, it's led to staying in a Royal Suite that made other cities' presidential suites look like studio apartments.

I get offered upgrades semi-regularly, usually after my travel advisor has already worked something out, and it's always discreet. At Four Seasons Florence they offered us the Royal Suite and it was like living in your own palace — genuinely one of the best rooms I've had anywhere, more impressive than presidential suites at far pricier city hotels. The key is it has to be done quietly and without pressure, which is usually how they handle it.

I was excited to celebrate my honeymoon here, but check-in turned into an uncomfortable sales pitch that killed the arrival vibe.

The front desk agent kept pushing a suite upgrade, repeatedly tying it back to 'but it's your honeymoon' in a way that felt like a timeshare pitch rather than genuine hospitality. When we declined, she still made pointed comments while showing us to our room, saying things like 'well you would have had this... but you have...' I get that upselling happens at luxury hotels, but I didn't expect it to feel this aggressive at a Four Seasons.

Traveling with a 4 and 2-year-old, this was the perfect family property — my daughter asked for the kids club every single day.

The private park, kids club, playground, and huge pool meant our kids could play freely without disrupting things for couples nearby. The pool had toys and goggles available for everyone, which was a nice touch. Being about 15 minutes from central Florence actually worked in our favor, letting us dodge the worst of the tourist crowds.

Even without an upgrade, our garden-view room felt as spacious as a suite, and the concierge's restaurant picks gave us the best meal of our trip.

The hotel was fully sold out during our stay so we didn't get bumped up, but the standard garden-view room still felt generous in size. Service was flawless across breakfast and concierge, and their recommendations for restaurants outside the hotel were spot-on. We actually preferred that it wasn't smack in the downtown core — Florence was packed with tourists and this felt like a genuine retreat.

I came for my birthday expecting the best and got a mixed experience — stunning building, but the room they first gave us was a real letdown.

The building itself is gorgeous, full of history and soul, and the gardens alone are worth the visit. But when we checked in, the room we were given in our category was dark, tiny-windowed, and oppressive — nothing like what's shown on their website. We had to complain twice before they found us something better, and I got the sense they try to give you the worst room first unless you push back. Once that was sorted, the rest of the stay, including dinner at Il Palagio, was excellent.

This might genuinely be one of the best hotels in the world — the private garden alone justifies the trip.

Our suite overlooked the garden, which is the largest private one in Florence, complete with pheasants wandering around while you take in the quiet. When our mattress turned out too firm, they swapped it without hesitation. Room service breakfast had an incredible spread of breads, the best fresh orange juice I've had, and the concierge even scored us last-minute Uffizi and Accademia tickets during peak season.

This is now my new home in Florence — the coordination between concierge, front desk, and butler team felt like watching an orchestra.

Every need seemed anticipated before I even voiced it, and the whole team worked together seamlessly. The property itself feels like a private Italian village, with expansive gardens and historic architecture creating real calm despite being in the heart of Florence. Dining at the Michelin-starred Il Palagio meant I never had to leave the grounds for a serious meal, and privacy and security were handled with total discretion.

The suite upgrade I received was extremely luxurious, and the chef personally came out at breakfast to build a meal around what I like.

I booked through AMEX with a suite upgrade several categories above standard, and it matched the photos exactly. There was a minor coffee machine issue that staff fixed quickly, and the pool and jacuzzi in winter were an unexpected highlight. The gym is one of the best-equipped I've seen in any hotel, and yes it's expensive, but every euro felt earned.

The hotel is gorgeous, but mid-July the pool was overrun with young kids and toddlers, which wasn't what I wanted at that price point.

I like kids fine, but it genuinely felt like being at a nursery school poolside, with nannies chasing toddlers everywhere. This property is large enough that they could carve out a separate kids' area, and I think they should. The poolside food didn't help either — I had a completely flavorless burger for lunch that was pretty underwhelming.