AAArgh, I mispoke. Mea culpa, mea culpa. I had my names confused. All my posts above referencing the

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I am staying at Hotel Florence next week. My room is not air conditioned, but I read on this forum that some rooms have ac. My last visit to Bellagio, I stayed at Hotel Centrale Bellagio. It was very nice, had ac, and a wonderful breakfast. The down side: there are many steps to climb with luggage to get to the hotel. So I will compare these two for my next visit. I don't know where the Belvedere is located, but I prefer staying in town.
I cannot figure out where any setps might be to access the hotel. The Belvedere's rome italy walking tours views are to the eastern branch of the lake and the mountains beyond. rome italy walking tours It is a very short walk into the top of the town.
That said, unless there's a heat wave, I still prefer the Florence for its decor, restaurant and ambience. And many nights there's a nice lake breeze, so if you have a lakeview room (definitely worth the extra cost), it shouldn't be too warm.
I can't give a fair assessment of the time it takes to walk from the Belvedere to the lakefront...maybe 10 minutes? When I did it, it took 10 times that long, with frequent stops to admire the views, look in store windows, and then park myself at a cafe for a cappuccino. There was too much eye candy of all sorts to cover the distance in a businesslike way.
We stayed at The Belvedere a few years ago. You don't say when you're going, but unless The Florence has installed AC, I know what your choice should be. It was boiling hot when we visited at the end of July/early August.
As others have said, The Belvedere is a short walk into town unless you have mobility issues. We really liked escaping the summer crowds and coming back to a less hectic part of Bellagio. The views from our lakefront rooms were stunning.
The Florence is wonderfull. If you consider this hotel, request a room leading to a large deck, that overlooks a garden rome italy walking tours restaurant and the lake [on the second floor]. There are adjoining rooms, but the deck is huge. Great for afternoon rome italy walking tours wine and cheese. It's not the circular deck, but if you look at the part of the hotel that sets back, it's that whole width of the hotel. Richard www.hotelflorencebellagio.it/
We stayed at the Bellagio a few years ago, I thought it was an incredible hotel. We for some unknown reason ended up with an upgrade facing the lake in a room with view of the lake.....I was pre knee surgery but still found the walk not hard at all. And as with others enjoyed the quite that it offered....Have a wonderful trip. One of my favorite places in all of Europe.
I read similar mixed recommendations on these top 2 places prior to my visit to Bellagio a few years ago. I was truly stunned rome italy walking tours at the difference as I walked rome italy walking tours through both properties to see for myself. I will just say that it is like finding the Belvedere to be Sophia Loren and the Florence to be Jennifer Aniston and they were represented rome italy walking tours on an equal footing.
rome italy walking tours I should have mentioned that we've stayed at The Belvedere twice. The first time in the main part of the hotel, facing the lake. The second time in the 'lake annex', a gorgeous rome italy walking tours one bed/loft apartment with a huge terrace facing the lake. We only landed there because of a plumbing issue with one of our rooms, but if it is available and affordable, it's a great way to start or end a vacation!
ncounty: "I was truly stunned at the difference as I walked through both properties to see for myself. I will just say that it is like finding the Belvedere to be Sophia Loren and the Florence to be Jennifer Aniston and they were represented on an equal footing."
Your description is apt, except that I had the completely OPPOSITE impression. The Florence felt much more Italian, IMO. And what on earth was "Jennifer Anniston" about the Florence's lakeside outdoor rome italy walking tours restaurant?
When we were going to Bellagio, I dithered about these two hotels. And finally decided to stay at the Florence because I was afraid the Belvedere was too far out of town. When we actually stayed in Bellagio and saw where the Belvedere is, I kicked myself. It's just on the outskirts of what is a very small town. No distance at all, maybe a small climb uphill. And the views are great.
One can dine at the Florence's lakeside rome italy walking tours outdoor restaurant without staying there. The physical rome italy walking tours hotel itself was not notable to me whereas the Belvedere is a sprawling landmark property that is not surrounded by other buildings. My reaction was the same as Mimar's.
Here are the hotel's photos: the Belvedere's is quite accurate; the Florence did not look as nice to me in person and that may be because it was amongst rome italy walking tours many other buildings, and what the photo doesn't show is the right side of it is continuous with the other buildings along the main strip.
It looks like many other 3 star hotels rome italy walking tours to me. If you want to be in the heart of the action in a normal typical sized property, pick the Florence. rome italy walking tours If you don't mind a very short walk and want the wow factor of arriving at an elegant grand dame property, try the Belvedere. Just the garden and grounds are lovely to walk through. That is just my opinion.
Clearly, others have a different preference. My preference was SO strikingly not mixed that I had to respond to this; it is rare for my research and reading to be so far off from my actual experience and impressions. Again, this is not to say the Florence is bad, I suspect it is perfectly fine and lovely. I was expecting both to be 5 star or both to be 3 star in impact but to me, the Belvedere has 5 star impact and the Florence is 3 star or perhaps a 4 star if the rooms and service are spectacular.
For the same price, my room at the Florence had a four poster bed, antique furniture, rome italy walking tours a beautifully tiled bathroom, and a wrought iron balcony with a lakeview. FYI, yes, anyone can eat at the restaurant, but priority is given to guests. When I lunched there on a particularly beautiful day in May, only a handful of tables were available to non guests and they didn't have the same views as the tables set aside for hotel guests.
Of course people can have different opinions, but you made it very clear that calling it a "Jennifer Anniston" was meant as a putdown that I don't think is justified. As for the building being continguous to other buildings, I'm surprised that anyone rome italy walking tours would expect otherwise considering that it's in the heart of the lakefront area. The Florence has never tried to hide that.
I think the above poster is absolutely right. There is no " wow factor" about the classic rooms at The Belvedere. But the hotel does have a stately presence on the lake, and the grounds are gorgeous. That being said, the main reason I'd choose one over the other is what used to be the lack of AC at The Florence. IF that's in place, go with whichever one appeals most.
We have stayed at the Hotel Florence twice and absolutely love it! We were there in August 2005 and the breezes were perfect. rome italy walking tours Never had need of air conditioning. Make sure you get a room facing the lake, preferably a corner room with crosswinds. The outdoor restaurant is a fabulous lunch stop. The insalata caprese with burrata was the best. They only have it if the cheese rome italy walking tours comes in fresh that day
AAArgh, I mispoke. Mea culpa, mea culpa. I had my names confused. All my posts above referencing the Belvedere were meant to be about the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni. I believe it is a 5 star property. Here is a link with photos: