I stayed at the Hotel Eden during a recent trip to Paris, Florence and Rome, as part of a travel tour with our senior class from our school. We arrived early in the morning, fresh off an overnight train from Paris, and were a bit bedraggled, having walked from the train station when the promised bus didn't arrive. The staff graciously let us drop our luggage in our rooms at the early hour, and we immediately felt welcome. The lobby, although small, was nicely appointed, and the breakfast room was cheery, with a bar and espresso machine prominent (yeah!). We didn't spend much time at the hotel, as we walked throughout the town from morning til night, but the rooms were comfortable, bathrooms were large and had blowdryers, which was important to all the girls! The bathrooms also had bidets, which I'm not sure anyone attempted! The morning breakfast service was impeccable. GREAT coffee, lattes, cappuccinos, whatever you wanted, all made to order in a fantastic espresso machine that was as fast as I've ever seen. The breakfast included the ubiquitous Italian dry toast packages, Nutella and other spreads, wonderful yogurt, fresh croissants and pastry, cold cereal choices, two kinds of juice, cheese wedges (like Laughing Cow) and of course the wonderful coffee. They even bring you a second one if you ask! Get the "Caffe Latte", it's the best, in a tall glass - yum! The front desk was helpful, they spoke English quite well, and were able to help us with some directions. There's a fun little breakfast/cafe/stand-up bar on the corner, we visited one night for cappuccino and wine, lots of fun! We didn't pay a room rate because we were with a tour, but at $130 a night or so this is a bargain. I'm sure there are fancier and more expensive hotels in Florence - it's such an amazing city - but we were happy here. It's closer to the train station that the center of town, but we walked everywhere and it was not a problem. Don't miss the market, open 9-7 every day - fabulous deals on Florencian made scarves, leather goods, t-shirts, pretty much every souvenir you could imagine. You don't have to bargain, but it's fun. They are much more willing to give you a "deal" if you purchase multiple quantities. 100% Cashmere scarves for 5 Euro, you can't beat it!

I'm not really a 2 star girl but this hotel was fine it was clean and tidy. Unfortunately the TV was only in Italian. The staff were friendly and helpful and I felt comfortable staying there as a solo female traveller.