We had a really lovely time in Montecatini at the end of July, which was made all the better by staying at the Riviera.
The room. We were offered a choice of the available rooms on arrival and had a look around before deciding. The room was nicely furnished with a large comfortable bed, excellent wardrobes, a dressing table, chair and tv. The nice bathroom had a shower, bidet, hair dryer etc and towels replaced daily. The room also had a balcony and had blackout shutters and they really did black everything out. The air con was excellent and a definite friend in July! The room was immaculately maintained during our stay as was the whole hotel.. cleanliness is certainly something the owner and his wife take great pride in. Some people have mentioned traffic noise, but we were on a side room and I cannot say noise affected us at all.
Breakfast. – Vincenzo, the owner, was flexible with us over breakfast time and we usually made it about 9.30. I blame the black out shutters. Breakfast consisted of rolls, croissants, cereal, breads, prosciutto, yoghurt, jams, juice and coffee, a very nice continental breakfast and just the thing to get you ready for the day ahead.. Vincenzo also has a habit of providing home made cake which is lovely but makes you feel naught before the day has begun!
Hotel generally – The hotel is small and intimate in a very pleasant way. There is a nice terrace where you can relax at any time of day. I enjoyed an early evening beer there each night before going off for a meal. The bar is small, but well stocked and the prices are most definitely fair. Vincenzo will rustle up whatever you would like. We had a rental car and free parking was provided a couple of minutes walk away.
Location – The location is excellent within Montecatini and also within Tuscany. About 5 mins walk to the train station and 10 min walks to the main restaurants and bars. Vincenzo also recommended nice places to eat. Its about 50 mins on the train to Florence or Pisa and costs about 10 Euros return which is excellent value. High quality trains and very punctual. I would much rather use this town as a base and travel to the cities. We spent a day in Florence and it was packed, hot, touristy and draining. Getting back to Montecatini was a joy. Grotta Giusti is also nearby and we spent a couple of days at the hydro pool which is very pleasant…my wife eventually caving in to treatments! It costs 18 euro per person for entry but the facilities are excellent, basically like a day at the beach but on a hill lovely. It was also a pleasant drive to Sienna and San Gimagnano, which are lovely if a little touristy.
Service – From a lovely welcome to a cheery wave on departure Vincenzo and his wife were perfect hosts. Nothing was too much trouble and the really appear to enjoy having guests. Vincenzo can answer any questions you have in very good English if required, and will profer sound advice about when and where to undertake visits. They clearly take great pride in running their hotel and the rates offered present outstanding value for money. If I were returning to that area I would definitely return to this hotel.