Detailed Review
The Hotel Helvetia & Bristol is situated in the very heart of Florence’s historical centre, between Piazza della Repubblica and Via Tornabuoni, the city’s most exclusive shopping street.
The Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo and Piazza della Signoria are only a few minutes walk away. Once through the crystal doors, time changes pace, opening up the guest’s heart and his senses to an experience of sublime elegance that will linger on in the memory. The majestic style of the rooms, the dream-laden light of the Winter Garden, and the amazing culinary creations will pamper you in the most natural and sumptuous of ways.
Time has passed through the splendid rooms of the Helvetia & Bristol accompanied by the world’s leading figures in culture, literature, music and politics. From Pirandello to Montale, from Stravinsky to Gorbachev, the Savoy family, the Oasis, Maggie Smith, and many others have succumbed to the charm of this truly enchanting hotel capable of inspiring passionate prose and poetry. More than a home, the Helvetia & Bristol is a delightful ritual to be indulged in every time they come to Florence.
At very first sight, the unique rooms conjure up the grandeur of a bygone age. They are all different, and each endowed with its own history, colors and character. Every room is an authentic private residence where you can reside surrounded by the noblest of Florentine tradition.
Your spirits lift as soon as you cross the threshold into a world furnished elegantly and rigorously with unique items, great inlaid armoires and antique tables, splendid lamps of Chinese porcelain and bronze, walls hung with artworks both great and small, a profusion of gossamer lace, silk and brocade, Carrara marble and Jacuzzi baths. Looking onto the most spectacular masterpieces of Florentine art and the hills of Fiesole, all the rooms and suites – from Junior to Deluxe and Superior – are unforgettable treasure chests of art.
The H&B Hostaria Bibendum Bar and Restaurant is based on a concept that blends impeccable elegance and the latest contemporary trends. The menu is state-of-the-art, offering tempting Mediterranean dishes that enhance the genuine ingredients that give diners the pleasure of rediscovering home-grown flavours. In the skilled hands of our chef, traditional Tuscan recipes are transformed into creative haute-cuisine dishes, distinguished by great attention to detail. The menu changes every four months, along with the seasons.
The H&B Hostaria Bibendum is cosmopolitan: warm colours inspired by the souks of North Africa, Art Nouveau décor, exotic touches and relaxing atmosphere. It is the perfect place for business meetings and more casual occasions, like a lunch or shopping break, an aperitif on the terrace or a romantic dinner. This makes the H & B Bar and Restaurant the ideal rendezvous in Florence, all day long. And it is open all day, every day, from 7.30 am until the small hours, with its own entrance in Via dei Pescioni 8/r.
Press Quotes
"This Belle Epoque hotel is the most central of the top luxury properties in town, host in the past to the Tuscan Macchaioli painters as well as De Chirico, playwright Pirandello, and atom-splitting Enrico Fermi." Frommer's
Independent Reviews
-
"This traditional grand dame in the heart of Florence, calls the Duomo and the Uffizi its neighbours - a true Belle Epoque gem."
Hotel Helvetia & Bristol
By Jamie Dunford Wood
The thing that hits you first about this hotel is the smell - of old polish and fine leather. It's a well established grand dame of Florence, but one that has been modernised for 21stC tastes with elegance and style, while losing none of its classiness. The 64 guestrooms are decorated with tasteful engravings on fabric patterned walls, in a variety of subtle colour and fabric combinations, with fine antiques and lamps, with hifis as standard. Bathrooms are old fashioned.
Downstairs, grey stone and cream walls mix with wood panelling, parquet flooring and oil paintings in classic Florentine style. There is an emphasis on top quality servic here, a rarity in Florence, so for many this is the only place to stay. It's also in a perfect position - central but quiet, unlike the Savoy, for example, where buskers can keep you up half the night. True, there's a touch of scruffiness in places, but its a lived in scruffiness rather one that suggests lack of care.
© Travel Intelligence. All rights reserved
