Accommodation in Italy

[Accommodation Review] Palace Catania UNA Esperienze (The Suite), Catania, Italy (6 – 9 Dec 22)

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Location

Palace Catania UNA Esperienze is very well located in the city of Catania. The hotel is a little outside Catania city centre, a mere 7 min walk to the elephant statue in Piazza Del Duomo. There are tons of restaurants around the hotel and no lack of shopping options. There is a department store directly across the street and a supermarket about a 6 min walk from the hotel. The airport bus stops by the bus stop diagonally across from the hotel, where some bus services also stop. Attractions in Catania city, such as The Roman Amphitheatre, the Duomo, and Ursino Castle, can be accessed by foot under 15 mins from the hotel. The bus terminal and central train station in Catania are also 15 mins walk from Palace Catania UNA Esperienze.

Palace Catania UNA Esperienze facade
Palace Catania UNA Esperienze is located near to Catania city centre
The street where Palace Catania UNA Esperienze is located

The Suite

We stayed in the 48 m2 Suite at Palace Catania UNA Esperienze, a duplex suite room. This is the only suite category room in the hotel. It seems like Palace Catania UNA Esperienze ran out of creative juice to name their suite rooms, they decided to call a spade a spade and just termed the only suite room they have in the hotel as “The Suite”. The Suite in Palace Catania UNA Esperienze is designed with the living area on the lower floor and the sleeping area on the upper floor.

The Suite is a duplex suite.

Entryway

There are several configurations of The Suite in Palace Catania UNA Esperienze. We were assigned to a corner suite with a long entryway before we came to the living room. I like how Palace Catania UNA Esperienze furnished the entryway with a wardrobe, making it very convenient for us to hang our jackets. However, I find it odd that the only in-room safe is placed inside this wardrobe. Besides hanging space, there is plenty of storage space in this wardrobe to store small items. We mainly used this wardrobe to hang our jackets.

Powder Room

A door reveals the powder room along the corridor leading to the living room of The Suite. Inside the powder room is a sink with a large mirror and another separate room where the toilet is housed. The sink area in the powder room already screams luxury with the use of a single black marble as the countertop for the sink. A wood carving around the mirror, coupled with the floral patterned side lamps sticking out of the wall, reinforces the luxurious theme in The Suite. The inclusion of the powder room not only allowed us to do last-minute business before heading out but also allowed our friends staying in the other rooms in the hotel to use when they popped by our suite for movie night.

Sink in the powder room.
Toilet in the powder room

Living Room

The living room occupies most of the space on the lower floor of the duplex suite, with a small corner reserved for working. The decor in the living room looks modern and elegant at the same time. A white marble top work desk sits against the wall of the living room. The work desk is of a good size, coupled with the power outlets on the wall. The work desk is excellent for those who want to be productive when staying in The Suite at Palace Catania UNA Esperienze. It seems like the hotel intended multiple purposes for this work desk. On top of using it as a work desk, the hotel also placed a Lavazza coffee machine on the work desk, doubling up as part of the minibar. The work desk also serves as a make-up table with the installation of an elegant white wooden panelled mirror. A beautiful white table lamp decorated with gold leaves, placed at one corner of the table, matches the theme at the work desk while providing additional illumination.

An oval-shaped TV cabinet sits next to the work desk. The TV cabinet has the same design as the work desk, decked in white-coloured wood at the base and refined marble at the top. An LCD TV is placed on top of the TV cabinet, providing entertainment, mainly in Italian, while lounging in the living room. A mini fridge is nicely hidden inside the cabinet under the TV. A black fabric three-seater couch and an armchair along the wall, next to the TV, gave us plentiful space to lounge around in the living room of The Suite at Palace Catania UNA Esperienze. However, I find the placement of the couch does not make sense. The couch is placed facing the staircase leading to the second floor of The Suite instead of the TV. It seems like the hotel does not intend for guests to be lounging and watching TV in the living room. Another TV cabinet, this time with nothing on top, less a small “no smoking” place card. We found a use for this cabinet as we packed our luggage on the last day at the hotel. I also find it weird that the hotel did not furnish the living room with any coffee table (not as if there isn’t space for a small coffee table).

Bedroom

The staircase, opulently made of marble to add to the luxurious theme, leading us to the second floor of The Suite, wraps around the parameters of the wall. The bedroom has an open concept, sitting directly on top of the living room. A king bed occupies a substantial amount of space on the second floor but still leaves us a good amount of space to access the other parts of the bedroom. The sleep quality on the king bed was good, but the pillows were a tad too soft for my liking. Fortunately, Palace Catania UNA Esperienze has a pillow menu catering to the different preferences of guests. The space on bedside tables was a tad limited, leaving us just enough space to charge our mobile phones. The light switches and power outlets were conveniently placed on the bed’s headboard for easy access. The bedside lamps were mounted onto the wall to free up the already limited space that comes with the bedside table. There is another larger TV in the bedroom, mounted onto the wall above the entrance to the balcony, facing the king bed. We could still watch the TV from the king bed despite its location. However, we were stuck with the limited English channels as there were no outlets for us to plug in our laptops to stream any movies we had on our laptops.

Walk-in Wardrobe

Instead of a standard wardrobe in the bedroom, Palace Catania UNA Esperienze fitted The Suite with a walk-in wardrobe on the left of the king bed in the bedroom. The walk-in wardrobe has a generous amount of space for us to hang all our clothing, and I like how the hotel provided sufficient hangers here. There was shelving on top of the hanging rack, which gave us additional space to store our things. An open five-tiered shelf sits by the walk-in wardrobe entrance, providing space to put our smaller clothing items. The bench in the walk-in wardrobe allowed guests to stow away their luggage or duffle bags after unpacking their clothing. We did not bother bringing up our luggage as they were pretty heavy.

Bathroom

The bathroom is to the right of the king bed and has an elongated design. We were greeted by the black marble top sink when we entered the bathroom. Perched on two wooden legs and mounted by the wall, the sink countertop has just enough space for us to place our toiletries. Palace Catania UNA Esperienze supplies their guests with a complete set of toiletries. The hairdryer in The Suite is mounted on the bathroom wall, next to the sink area, freeing up some space at the sink countertop for guests.

The sink in the bathroom at The Suite

Opposite the sink area, by the bathroom entrance, sits a bathtub with shower facilities. Guests can use the tub to soak away their fatigue from exploring Catania and even have the option of showering after their soak here. The hotel was thoughtful to include bath salts for guests to indulge in. The toilet and bidet are mounted on the wall on the same side, just after the bathtub. The Suite has a separate walk-in shower. There is no rain shower but only the regular shower head here. I find the walk-in shower space a little tight and a tad dark as the hotel did not fit any lighting at the walk-in shower. We had to rely on the lighting from the bathroom to illuminate the walk-in shower. There is shelving at the walk-in, but I thought the shelving space was limited. We had to use our Tetris skills to fit all our showering amenities on this shelf.

Balcony

The Suite at Palace Catania UNA Esperienze has a small balcony between the lower and upper floors. The balcony is large enough for only two persons to stand on, looking out into the streets of Catania in front of the hotel.

Service

Service in the hotel felt very standard, and nothing memorable. I am not sure if it is the language barrier that inhibits the staff from providing better service. We noticed only two of the staff at the reception spoke English, while others made do with some very basic English. Check-in was standard but took a tad too long. Requests for items took a while to be delivered to our suite. Having said that, the hotel thoughtfully placed the three rooms we booked on the same floor without needing to request for the arrangement. We commented to the hotel about the original suite we were assigned being stuffy, as the hotel does not turn on air conditioning during winter months. The initial suite we were assigned is the only one at Palace Catania UNA Esperienze that does not have a balcony. The small window did not provide sufficient airflow into the suite. The female staff who attended to us offered the solution of swapping our suite the next day after the guests had check-out. She took the initiative of arranging for our luggage to be delivered to our new suite while exploring Sicily.

Hotel Facilities

We spotted that Palace Catania UNA Esperienze had facilities like a Turkish bath and a gym on the button in the lift. However, when we tried to locate these facilities in the hotel, the floor where we could find these facilities seemed to be closed for renovation work. Therefore, we did not bother asking the front desk staff about these facilities.

Breakfast

The room rate in Palace Catania UNA Esperienze comes with breakfast. Breakfast is served in the restaurant on the first floor. Breakfast mainly consists of a wide selection of pastries, from bread to croissants to pies. The hotel dedicated one full buffet table for pastries. The other table is a mix of cold cuts, fruits and cheese with a small selection of warm food such as baked beans, sausages and scrambled eggs. Despite the limited selection, the breakfast served was very tasty.

Overall

We had a great stay in The Suite at Palace Catania UNA Esperienze. The hotel is very well located, slightly outside the heart of Catania. The proximity to the city centre and the presence of the bus stop where the airport bus stops provided the additional advantages of staying at this hotel. The spacious duplex suite was comfortable, with living and sleeping spaces segregated by floor. The sleep quality on the king bed was superb, and we always woke up feeling fresh. Service at the hotel was good but not impressionable. We certainly did not regret staying with Palace Catania UNA Esperienze.

[Accommodation Review] Mercure Roma Centro Termini (Junior Suite), Rome, Italy (2 – 6 Dec 22)

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Location

Mercure Roma Centro Termini is very close to Rome’s major public transport facilities. Roma Termini, the main train station in Rome, is about 15 mins walk from the hotel, and the nearest Metro station is Repubblica station, which is about 5 mins on foot. There are several shops and restaurants within a stone’s throw of the hotel, and even a supermarket diagonally opposite the hotel. The hotel’s location is superb for exploring the attractions in Rome. The Colosseum and Roman Forum are about 10 mins walk from Mercure Roma Centro Termini, but attractions like Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona and the shopping districts near Spanish Steps are a tad further, about 20 mins walk from Mercure Roma Termini. We chose to stay at Mercure Roma Centro Termini due to its proximity to Roma Centro Termini Station, which gave us the convenience of moving interstate and to Roma Fiumicino airport. We find it weird that the main entrance to Mercure Roma Centro Termini is located in a small alley at the side of the hotel. The other entrance (which we used to enter the hotel on the first day), located along the main street, is the entrance to the restaurant on the hotel’s premises.

Mercure Roma Centro Termini facade

The Junior Suite

We checked into the Junior Suite at Mercure Roma Centro Termini, which feels like your standard run-of-the-mill hotel room. The decor of the suite was functional, and felt a little tired. We were expecting an enlarged standard room like Junior Suites in most hotels. Instead, the 35m² Junior Suite at Mercure Roma Centro Termini has a dedicated living room and a large common balcony that was shared with the room next door.

Living Room

We were greeted by a smallish living room when we entered the Junior Suite at Mercure Roma Centro Termini. The parquet flooring with a white colour wall living room is an elongated room that allowed us to lounge around with our friends staying in the other rooms in the hotel. The decor in the living room is very simple, and there are no decorations in this part of the suite. The Junior Suite at Mercure Roma Centro Termini furnished the living room with a three-seater sofa placed against the wall, capable of converting into a bed. The sofa bed enabled us to watch TV comfortably. I thought it was an excellent idea for the hotel not to furnish a coffee table in the living room. Having it would make the already cramped living room smaller.

A 42″ LED TV is mounted on the wall opposite the sofa. There are numerous entertainment options from local TV stations if one is fluent in Italian. Unfortunately, we only found one English music channel out of over 500 channels on the TV. A work desk sits by the wall near the TV and is cluttered with a kettle, complimentary coffee and tea and a telephone. The limited available space on the table barely allows guests to do any decent on the work desk. The power outlets on the wall, a tad far from the table, seem to signal guests to relax and not work while staying at the hotel. A small mini fridge tucked nicely under the work desk provided limited space for chilling beverages. However, the mini fridge did not seem to be working well during our stay, and we found leaving our drinks out on the balcony a better way of chilling drinks (given it was early winter in Rome during our travels). The in-room safe is the most out-of-place item in the living room. Placed on top of the mini fridge, next to the main entrance to the Junior Suite at Mercure Roma Centro Termini and in plain sight of anyone visiting the suite. The safe does not assure us that it would be able to keep our valuables safe.

Bedroom

A door separates the living room from the bedroom in the Junior Suite at Mercure Roma Centro Termini. I was glad to find a larger living space in the bedroom compared to the living room. It makes sense for the hotel to allocate a larger space in the bedroom as we would spend most of our time in the bedroom, given the hotel’s limited real estate in its Junior Suite. The use of an open wardrobe, though it did not provide much privacy, contributes to the spaciousness of the suite. The large wardrobe provided us with tons of space to hang up our clothing, but the absence of drawers limited the number of smaller items we could store. The comfortable king bed occupied most of the space in the bedroom, providing us with excellent sleep quality. However, I do find the pillows supplied by the hotel to be a tad soft for my liking. Accompanying the king bed are bedside tables, which gave us space to charge our mobile phones. There wasn’t much space on the flimsy grey stool-like bedside tables, fortunately, the hotel uses hanging bedside lamps, which freed up precious space on the tables. Another smaller TV is mounted on the wall facing the king bed. The mounting of the TV seemed fragile, half the time, we were worried that the TV might drop off any time (luckily for us, it did not). We found the bed bench in the corner of the bedroom, just outside the bathroom entrance. Unfortunately, the bed bench did not seem to serve any useful function other than giving us space to place our luggage. Mercure Roma Centro Termini did not furnish this Junior with any luggage rack, and we had to make do with what we had.

Bathroom

The bathroom in the Junior Suite at Mercure Roma Centro Termini is the most disappointing part of the suite. The bathroom decor seems to be in contrast with the rest of the suite. The open sink countertop fitted by the bathroom entrance did not offer us much space to stow our toiletries, and installing an oversized sink that took up the bulk of the countertop space did not help give us more space. The bath amenities provided by the hotel are a far cry from luxury. The bath amenities, other than looking cheap, have an overpowering musky smell. As with the other hotels we stayed at during our trip to Italy, Mercure Roma Centro Termini installed a bidet and toilet by the bathroom wall, opposite the sink. We found towels hanging on the rack next to the toilet. I was glad the hotel allocated ample space for the semi-open walk-in shower with consistent water temperature and pressure. I thought this part of the bathroom was best designed as we did not find water splashing out despite the semi-open design of the walk-in shower.

Balcony

We were surprised to find a large balcony in our Junior Suite, spreading across the entire length of the Junior suite and the standard room next door. Granted, we did not have the best views from the balcony, but we found the balcony to be a great place to chill out with our friends, with whom we shared the balcony occupying the room next door. Luckily we knew the occupants next door, I thought it might be awkward if some strangers were staying next door as there is no segregation of the balcony between the rooms. The balcony in the Junior Suite at Mercure Roma Centro Termini was thoughtfully furnished with two armchairs, a side table, and a dining table for four, allowing for some form of communal living with our friends next door.

Service

Despite the flaws with the room and the weird main entrance, service was impeccable throughout our stay at Mercure Roma Centro Termini. Gianluca was the only one we met and interacted with during our three-night stay at Mercure Roma Centro Termini. We were warmly welcomed by Gianluca when we checked into our rooms. He was personable and generous in sharing information about the hotel and Rome. His strong local knowledge allowed him to give us excellent suggestions on what to see and how we could efficiently visit the major sights in Rome. Gianluca was also not stingy in helping us differentiate between authentic Italian restaurants and touristy ones. He would always greet us with a smile and chat with us whenever we walked past the reception. Gianluca even helped us solve our issue when we causally mentioned we had a hard time dragging our luggage on the uneven Roman street roads from Roma Termini Station. He helped us get a van to the airport at a rate that we thought to be reasonable (it would have cost us roughly the same amount if we were to take the train to the airport). Gianluca made us feel very welcome during our stay with Mercure Roma Centro Termini.

Overall

The location of Mercure Roma Centro Termini was great for exploring Rome. The Colosseum and public transport were within minutes walk from the hotel. The neighbourhood felt safe with some light shopping options, and a supermarket across from the hotel adds to the advantage of staying at the hotel. Granted, the room’s decor was a tad boring, and the suite did not feel luxurious, but our stay in the Junior Suite at Mercure Roma Centro Termini was comfortable. We were glad we met Gianluca during our stay in the hotel, who provided valuable local knowledge about Rome and made us feel welcome. Overall, we had a great stay at Mercure Roma Centro Termini.

[Accommodation Review] Hotel Cerretani Firenze – MGallery (Junior Suite), Florence, Italy (29 Nov – 2 Dec 22)

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Location

Located in the heart of Florence, Hotel Cerretani Firenze is between Firenze Santa Maria Novella station and the Duomo. Stay at the hotel during our trip to Florence is perfect due to its proximity to the train station and the major sights in the City of Florence. It is within a few minutes walk from the Duomo, and Ponte Vecchio, the two main attractions in Florence. Hotel Cerretani Firenze is also very close to the shopping street, wedged between the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio, where luxury brand boutiques are found. There are also numerous restaurants and a supermarket within a stone’s throw from the hotel.

Hotel Cerretani Firenze facade
Entrance to Hotel Cerretani Firenze
There are numerous shops around Hotel Cerretani Firenze.

The Junior Suite

We stayed in the Junior Suite at Hotel Cerretani Firenze. At 35m², the contemporary decor Junior Suite looks modern but feels small. This Junior Suite at Hotel Cerretani Firenze does not have the standard feature of a Junior Suite, such as an area dedicated to a couch, and feels more like an enlarged standard room.

Entryway

The Junior Suite at Hotel Cerretani Firenze has a dedicated entryway, a room with a door separating it from the rest of the suite, furnished with an armchair and a standing lamp. The chair in the entryway allows us to wear our shoes and is also great for relaxing and reading a book with the warm light from the lamp and the lighting in this room. There is an open wardrobe in the entryway, which is meant for us to hang our jackets. Despite being a small room, there is sufficient space for us to place one of our luggage with the luggage rack in the suite.

Sleeping Area

We could see the rest of the Junior Suite from the second door. Despite having 35m2, the space in the suite feels tight with the fitted furniture. I guess part of the real estate is dedicated to the entryway, which leaves little room in the rest of the Junior Suite. We were in the sleeping area as soon as we passed the door after the entryway. The decor in the sleeping area is contemporary, exuding a comfortable and cosy feel. The lighting in the sleeping area matches the suite’s theme, adding to the comfortable feel. The sleeping area is furnished with a king bed, occupying a bulk of the space in this area. The king bed is comfortable to sleep on with its firm mattress and the pillows provided by the hotel. We found the bedside tables were small and offered limited space to charge our mobile phones.

The window in our Junior Suite looks into some back alley.

Despite having over 500 channels showing on the 40″ LED TV mounted on the wall across from the bed, there are limited English entertainment options as most of the channels on the TV are Italian channels. Even the Nationa Geographic Channels on the TV are in Italian. We had a hard time scrolling through the channels, looking for a channel we could comprehend, and eventually giving up. A minimalistic work desk is found placed by the wall beneath the TV. There is not much space on the work desk for one to do any proper work, at the very best, it will fit one 14″ laptop and one file. The cluttering with items like drinks, glasses, a telephone, the hotel directory, and a reading lamp made the space available for work even more limited. The velvety-wrapped chair the hotel used to furnish the work desk looks elegant but impractically designed. The chair is uncomfortable to sit on, and the low backrest also makes one’s back ache after sitting for less than 30 mins. It seems like Hotel Cerretani Firenze wants its guests to relax and enjoy their time in Florence rather than spend time working in the hotel.

Wardrobe & Minibar

A three-panelled cabinet sits at the end of a small corridor that houses the wardrobe and minibar in front of the entrance to the bathroom. The wardrobe occupied two panels, providing limited storage space for two guests staying in the Junior Suite at Hotel Cerretani Firenze. The wardrobe space is only sufficient for guests to put away at most five days of clothing. I also find the hangers supplied by the hotel to be a tad limited, and we had to request extra hangers from the hotel reception. A two-tiered open shelving inside the wardrobe maximises the amount of storage in the wardrobe. The hotel maximises the cabinet by fitting the minibar within one cabinet panel. The suite came equipped with a Nespresso machine, placed on the open shelving of the minibar area. The minifridge is tucked inside a cabinet space on the lower tier of the shelf, while the in-room safe took the top shelf.

A beige-coloured leathered bench sat beside another floor lamp right before the wardrobe. I find the placement of this bench weird, as it just faces an empty wall. It seems Hotel Cerretani Firenze is trying to fit a sofa to satisfy some form of checklist that mandates a sofa must be in a Junior Suite. Unfortunately, the placement of the bench serves no purpose other than to take up precious real estate in the compact Junior Suite. Nevertheless, we found a use for this bench to place one of our luggage.

A bench, placed next to the wardrobe, seems not to serve any purpose, less putting our luggage.

Bathroom

The theme in the bathroom is different from the rest of the suite. While the suite exudes a contemporary and warm vibe, the bathroom oozes an industrial and functional feel. The sink sits on an open two-tiered cabinet tucked against the bathroom wall. I like how the hotel decided to go with one sink instead of a dual sink concept due to space limitations in the Junior suite. This design also afforded us plenty of space on the sink countertop to place our toiletries without feeling cramped. The body lotion and hand wash are mounted onto the wall to save more space on the sink countertop. The use of a large Hollywood-style mirror not only brightens the whole space but also makes the bathroom looks bigger than it is. The toilet and a separate bidet are mounted onto the wall opposite the sink countertop, leaving a lot of space for guests to walk and use the bathroom. The photo of Ponte Vecchio hanging above the toilet and bidet Hotel Cerretani Firenze not only constantly reminded us that we were in Florence but also removed the bathroom’s dullness.

The walk-in shower is tucked in the innermost space of the bathroom, separated by a glass panel clad in white marble with a light grey pattern. The walk-in shower is rather sizeable, which gives us plenty of space when showering. The walk-in shower features both regular and rainfall shower heads. The water pressure is great, and the hot water works perfectly. The hotel uses Milanese brand CULTI shower amenities mounted onto the wall, freeing up space for us to place our toothbrushes and facial washes onto the silver rack mounted in one corner of the bathroom. I favour the decision of Hotel Cerretani Firenze not installing a bathtub in the bathroom owing to the lack of space. Having a bathtub or a bath and shower combination will inevitably sacrifice the useable space in the bathroom.

Service

The service we got during our stay at Hotel Cerretani Firenze was mixed. On the one hand, we met with staff who understood what it meant to be customer-centric. Unfortunately, such staff were few in the hotel. Our initial impression of the service at Hotel Cerretani Firenze was excellent when we met Sara, who was already expecting us, identifying my friend by first name when we approached her at the reception. Sara was warm and sincere and processed our check-in so efficiently that we did not have to wait too long before issuing the keys to our rooms. Sara went all out to ensure that our stay was comfortable. She oriented us with the facilities in the hotel and gave us the restaurant’s meal times. When we complained that the Junior Suite fitted only with one window, it felt stuffy (it was winter, and the hotel did not turn on air conditioning). Instead of telling us the obvious, Sara devised a solution and brought a fan into our suite. She was professional and certainly knew her job very well.

Every morning we met Giulio, the elderly gentleman working in the restaurant. Giulio took care of us very well at the restaurant for breakfast. He came across like a grandfather taking care of his grandchildren, constantly checking with us if we wanted more coffee or if we had enough to eat. He oriented us to the buffet corner on the first morning we were at the restaurant for breakfast. Giulio efficiently dispatched our orders for cooked eggs and coffee, not allowing us to wait too long for our food.

The excellent service seems to stop with Sara and Giulio. The rest of the staff in the hotel came across as cold and uninterested in their job. When I requested extra hangers from one of the staff at the reception, instead of helping us, he would give the excuse that he was alone in the reception and refuse to barge. Other staff did not even bother to look us in the eye or exchange any form of greeting when we walked past them. We had the worst service experience during check-out when we checked the bill and enquired about the mysterious charge of over €‎500. Instead of being attentive to us, a male staff at the reception stared at his computer while conversing with us. We contested the breakfast charge to him, explaining that we were informed during check-in that our rate comes with breakfast. The male staff refused to listen and provide any solution. He brushed us off by blaming us for not checking our booking terms. After some back-and-forth exchange of perspectives, the male staff gave us an ultimatum and stated that he was fed up talking to us, was busy, and did not have the time to explain further. He gave us the option to pay or not. The male staff’s action was unprofessional, and did not even bother creating a win-win solution.

Hotel Facilities

Breakfast

We had our daily breakfast at the only restaurant in Hotel Cerretani Firenze, located on the ground after the reception. Breakfast was served in a buffet style with limited options. Each morning we would see the same food in the small buffet area. Despite the uninteresting breakfast selection, Hotel Cerretani Firenze serves up a variety of bread and cakes. The only warm options for breakfast are scrambled eggs, bacon and sausages. The coffee and egg options are not stated in the buffet area, which would have to be ordered separately from the restaurant staff. For the price of €‎13 per pax, I thought the breakfast had little value for money.

Overall

The biggest draw of Hotel Cerretani Firenze is its location. The hotel is close to Florence’s main train station and the city centre, making exploring the city of Florence very convenient. Although the sleep quality of the Junior Suite was excellent and the suite was modern and clean, the layout and the inefficient use of space were a letdown. We find the space in the suite very tight, despite having 35m² of real estate. The biggest deterrent lies with the service, with only two staff providing an excellent guest experience. The service from the rest of the staff felt cold and unwelcoming, especially during our check-out incident. I would certainly not return to Hotel Cerretani Firenze if I ever travelled to Florence.

[Accommodation Review] Hotel Papadopoli Venezia -MGallery (Deluxe Suite with Canal View), Venice, Italy (28 – 29 Nov 22)

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Location

Hotel Papadopoli Venezia is two bridges (the Venetians measure distances by the number of bridges they have to cross) away from Venezia St. Lucia Station, the gateway to Venice. Its proximity to the train station means we do not have to drag our luggage across countless bridges to get to our accommodation. Unfortunately, not all bridges in Venice have ramps for easy luggage transportation. The hotel is also near the Piazzale Roma Vaporetto stop, where we could hop on the water bus to explore Venice. There is a bakery right below the hotel, where guests can buy pastries or breakfast (that shop seems to be very popular with locals). However, being situated at the entrance to Venice, Hotel Papadopoli Venezia is a tad far from most attractions, such as Piazza San Marco, Rialto bridge, etc.

Facade of Hotel Papadopoli Venezia

Deluxe Suite

We checked into the 33m² Venetian style Deluxe Suite at Hotel Papadopoli Venezia. Despite naming it a Deluxe suite, the suite does not have a separate living room, nor does it come with a sofa. Understandably real estate in Venice is limited, and Hotel Papadopoli Venezia was able to maximise the amount of liveable space in its suites by having such a design.

We were assigned the L’Alcova Deluxe Suite.

Entryway/ Wardrobe Area

We were hit by a Venetian-style decor when we opened the main entrance to the Deluxe Suite. There is a large amount of gold and bronze colour theme. The yellow floral motif used as the wallpaper throughout the suite (less the bathroom) complements the gold colour theme. A couple of cabinets flanked each side at the entryway to the Deluxe Suite, dressed in gold wallpaper with floral prints. One of the cabinets houses a large wardrobe, which allows guests to hang a substantial amount of clothing. The other cabinet mainly consists of shelving, providing excellent storage solutions for its guests. Housed within this cabinet is an in-room safe and a mini fridge, where the non-alcoholic drinks are complimentary, thanks to my friend’s Diamond status with Accor.

The entryway to the Deluxe Suite
The cabinet with shelves and minibar

The wardrobe in the Deluxe Suite
Drawers in the wardrobe

Two bronze-coloured armchairs occupy the space of the Deluxe Suite in Hotel Papadopoli Venezia a little further into the suite, right in front of the exit to the terrace, from the wardrobe area. These luxurious chairs with thick cushioning complement the Venetian decor of the suite very well; sitting on them is like sitting on a throne. The rounded table between the two armchairs would be great for occupants of the Deluxe Suite to enjoy a cup of coffee or drinks from the minibar, if not for the holder of some pamphlets. A vintage chest of drawers is placed between the bed and the wall, diagonally opposite the armchairs. Bottled water and a huge speaker are placed on this chest of drawers. This chest gave us additional space to stow our items, especially smaller items.

The armchairs in the Deluxe Suite
Chest of drawers, which provided additional storage

Sleeping Area

A large king bed occupies most of the space in the Deluxe Suite in Hotel Papadopoli Venezia, placed at one corner by the windows, a little further from the armchairs. The headboard of the king bed carried the golden luxurious and Venetian theme seen in the suite. The king bed offered excellent sleep quality with its firm, thick mattress. At the side of the king bed are a couple of side tables mounted onto the wall to maximise the space in the suite. However, I thought the space on side tables was a tad tight for us to place our lifestyle devices, as a sizeable egg-shaped night light occupies it. Thankfully Hotel Papadopoli Venezia made up for the lack of space with another stool-like side table which created more space. In addition, the placement of light switches and power outlets by the side table is thoughtful, as this allowed us to charge our mobile devices.

King bed in the Deluxe Suite

A LED TV is strategically mounted onto the wall facing the king bed. The TV placement is perfect for watching the hotel’s many local and international channels while lazing on the bed. However, the work table is slightly out of place under the TV. In addition, the work desk is a tad small for anyone to do decent work with space for only one laptop. The Nespresso machine and electric kettle on the work desk already occupy a substantial amount of space, not to mention the power outlets that are taken up and blocked by these additional machines, making the work desk not ideal.

Bathroom

The bathroom in Deluxe Suite at Hotel Papadopoli Venezia is equally luxurious, consistent with the gold-coloured theme in the main parts of the suite. The first item we saw in the bathroom was a white marble, high-legged sink counter. Furnished with a large gold framed mirror and a stool, the sink counter doubles up as a make-up desk. While there is some space on the sink counter, these spaces are occupied by the hotel’s amenities. The bathroom in the Deluxe suite is fitted with a large bathtub next to the sink and a window. The bathtub is deep and is excellent for soaking away the fatigue we have accumulated from exploring Venice. In addition, I like the inclusion of a window in the bathroom, which provides natural light and allows us to look out into Venice while soaking in the tub.

The toilet and bidet are found after an open bronze-coloured partition next to the sink. I like how the hotel isolated the toilet area in a semi-open space. A huge walk-in shower fitted with a regular and a rain shower head lies after the toilet area. I thought this area was a tad dark due to the bronze colour chosen to furnish this area. The multi-coloured overhead light installed does not help to provide any more illumination. Instead, this is used more as mood lighting.

The sizeable walk-in shower is fitted with both regular and rain shower heads.

Terrace

I like the terrace in the Deluxe Suite at Hotel Papadopoli Venezia. The large terrace extends the entire length of the suite, giving us a great view of Venice and one of the back-lane canals. To add icing to the cake, Hotel Papadopoli Venezia furnished the terrace with a small table and chairs, which allowed us to sit on the terrace, sipping away the coffee from the Nespresso machine and watching life in Venice. The appointment of the hotel will enable us to watch sunrise and sunset from the terrace. In addition, we used the terrace to talk to our friends in adjacent rooms.

Service

The initial contact with a member of the hotel staff was positive. The female staff who checked us in was friendly and warmly welcomed us to Hotel Papadopoli Venezia. She gave us a short introduction to the hotel and where to find things like restaurants. She even took notice of my friend’s status with the hotel group and upgraded the rooms occupied by my friends to terrace rooms. I like how Hotel Papadopoli Venezia arranged our rooms to be next to each other, which allowed us to talk to each other from our terraces in our respective rooms. The female staff also wanted to recommend places to get breakfast and meals when she noticed that our bookings do not come with breakfast. However, that is how much of a good service we received from the hotel. The service by the rest of the staff at Hotel Papadopoli Venezia was pretty standard and not memorable. It felt as if they were doing their bare minimum to provide service.

Overall

We had a comfortable stay at Hotel Papadopoli Venezia. The Deluxe Suite did come with a canal view and is very well appointed. The Venetian decor in the room is unique, and the use of gold colour did not come across as overbearing. We particularly liked the terrace, which allowed us to take in the views of Venice. The location is the most significant advantage of Hotel Papadopoli Venezia. Locating near the train station meant guests did not have to drag their luggage across multiple bridges. However, service was a tad standard and not impressionable.

[Accommodation Review] UNAHotels Century Milano (Superior Junior Suite), Milan, Italy (26 – 28 Nov 22)

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Location

UNAHotels is an Italian brand hotel that operates 25 hotels across the country and has seven properties in Milan alone. We chose to stay at UNAHotels Century Milano due to its proximity to Milano Centrale Station, which is about 7 mins walk to Milano Centrale Station and the Centrale Metro Station (next to Milano Centrale train station). The hotel’s proximity to train and metro stations provided its guests with excellent connections in Milan City and other parts of Italy. The several eateries and cafes near the hotel, in the vicinity of the train station, provided us with options to dine without having addition, there travel too far. There is a supermarket inside Milano Centrale Station, giving us the convenience of getting some drinks and snacks. The quiet but safe location where UNAHotels Century Milano sits, coupled with the numerous shops around, is an excellent place to stay when visiting Milan, especially if one has an early train out of Milan to catch. Furthermore, the hotel is a mere five Metro stops from the Duomo, where most of the shopping in the city congregates, meaning we are not too far away from the actions in Milan.

UNAHotels Century Milano facade