This place is very old and the decor is dated. Breakfast was just ok. No free Wifi. But the location and value can't be beat. If you are traveling with a budget, this place is highly recommended.

Hotel is old, not very attractive to stay, but has a great location. No free wi-fi. And the available computer was broken. The breakfast was good with bread, croissant, cereals, yogurts, a machine that offered some coffee options and a machine with artificial juices. The main host, an old man, was very helpful, but at night other persons were at the front desk, that had little information to help.

My husband and I stayed at Hotel Balcony for three nights during our 2 week stay in Italy. We really enjoyed Florence and the hotel. The hotel is pretty basic and a little outdated but what isn't in Italy. The hotel was super close to the train station and the Duomo. We personally loved the location. Piazza di Santa Maria Novella was just down the road and was a great spot to sit and have a bottle of wine on a sunny afternoon. The rooftop balcony at the hotel was also a great added bonus. This was a great way to relax in the afternoon after walking around all day. Breakfast was pretty basic and the cappuccino was out of machine and was not very good. Breakfast was probably our least favorite thing about the hotel. It was enough to fill our belly for awhile though.

We found a great place for sandwiches while in Florence. It's across the street from the Accademia and it's attached to a grocery store. There's a little counter/stand and you pick out up to 6 ingredients that you want on your sandwich. This was by far one of the best sandwiches my husband and I had in Italy. You could also get a glass of wine for under 2 euro. We actually ended come back to this place to get sandwiches for our train ride to Rome. If you're going to the Accademia and need a bite to eat I would highly recommend it. There are a lot of places around Florence that will rip you off just for a sandwich and a glass of house wine. We made that mistake the first day.

the hotel is about 5 mins from Firenze SM train station, off a side street. 5 mins to the duomo, about 15 mins to uffizi and about 20 mins to accademia, walking distance to the old center. i booked a single room but i was given a double room on the first night - it faced the terrace and main street, since i had the windows closed, it was pretty quiet. bathroom was big for european standards. for the second night, a single room was open and i switched rooms - it was cozy and the room had a door which opened into a courtyard. the single room bathroom was smaller and tighter compared to the double room. it was also quiet. both rooms had a good heater, a heater in the bathroom and mini fridge.

the hotel computer was not working when i was there, so there was no internet access but you can buy their wifi (5 euros for 24 hours). breakfast was okay - breads, cheese, cereal, cocktail fruit, prunes, yogurt, juice/coffee from a machine (coffee was not the greatest). you had to leave your room key with the receptionist when you leave the hotel, they were all polite and helpful.

for cheap and fast meals, try self service ristorante leonardo, 3 mins away from hotel at via pecori 11 (4 euros pastas, 5 euros main courses, 2 euros side dishes).