I have to admit that we stayed very recently at an amazing hotel in Paris, so our standards were a bit higher than usual when we arrived at Hotel Santa Caterina for the weekend of New Years. We had reserved parking but could not find where to go, so we parked on the curb in front of the hotel, which is a very busy spot. The hotel staff were friendly and assisted us in parking.

The room we got was large with high ceilings and overlooked the gardens, which was a nice view. The bed was comfortable but the fabrics on the chairs and bed was kind of worn-looking. We liked the breakfast but the meats were not the best, overall it's a filling breakfast and can't complain as it's free. The bathroom was a good size, with a small shower but this is normal for Italy, it wasn't the smallest we have seen by a long shot.

The first problem was that I found a small bug on my pillow when I was reading late at night. This was not a fun experience, as I found myself searching the room to make sure it was the only one and that resulted in a poor night's sleep. (Note: I did not see any for the rest of our time at the hotel). The second issue came with the smoke alarm, which is directly above the bed, and it has two red lights that flash ALL NIGHT LONG. This was kind of annoying and interrupted our sleep. The walls are also not thick so we heard our upstairs neighbors on many occasions (again, this is not uncommon for Italy).

Another issue came when we had a late morning and the cleaning staff came into the room while I was getting dressed, I just managed to shut the bathroom door in time. She did not knock and this was not a great experience. We talked to the front desk and he agreed to talk to the staff to ensure they do not enter the rooms unless we were gone and had passed in our keys.

And last but not least, the room we had was VERY HOT all the time. We had to have the window open most of our stay, and it was late December! We spoke to the front desk after the first uncomfortable night and he showed us how to turn off the thermostat, but this did not fix the problem and the room remained much too hot the entire stay. The floor next to my suit case was hot... I have no idea why this was!

The location was convenient, a 10 minute walk to the main piazza, which was very nice. As I already said, the bed was very comfortable. The staff were friendly, except the one who walked in on me mostly naked. We were not overall impressed unfortunately, even though they were nice enough to give us all the mini bar items we used for free. I was disappointed that we paid more than our original budget because it was a busy time of year, yet our hotel was just average in the end.

I think the main draw of this hotel is the location and the garden, which is unfortunately not as useful in the winter months as it is too cold to enjoy breakfast outside.

A warm, caring staff and clean, comfortable rooms....that's why my husband and I have stayed here three times on our visits to Siena and we will again. Great location and great value.

The hotel is a 15 minute walk from Siena’s central plaza and has a beautiful garden where breakfast is served. The breakfast is very nice including freshly squeezed orange juice. The staff’s friendliness varied by person. We stayed for 3 nights in the standard double room, which was tiny and badly out of date. There were some maintenance problems with the room which were resolved quickly once we made the request. The hotel has a small parking which was very hard to get in and out of and was extra charge, so in retrospect, we were not happy with our selection, we would have been better off staying a bit further in a more contemporary hotel and driving into the parking lot right outside the old city, since we paid for parking anyway. If you are staying for one night, this is still a nice valid option, get the bigger room though, but for more than that, it’s not the most comfortable option.

This past October my husband and I stayed at Hotel Santa Caterina for the fourth time and once again it was a WONDERFUL stay! We felt like we were ‘coming home’! Lorenza and her staff are amazing! Their smiling faces and genuine care makes everyone feel welcome – from the front desk to the chambermaids to the ladies serving in the breakfast room. The location of the hotel is perfect – just outside of Porta Romana. Its close enough to walk (or take bus/taxi) to city center yet far enough away from the hustle bustle to feel as thought you’re staying at country inn. The views from the garden and the garden-side rooms are just beautiful! We can’t wait to go back!