FOUR SEASONS FIRENZE: THE PALACE YOU WALK PAST WITHOUT NOTICING

Four Seasons Firenze has to be one of the most beautiful hotels in the world, although you would never know it was there. Situated down a side street in the middle of Florence, a short distance from the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the entrance gives nothing away. You walk past it without a second glance.

Then you step inside. The bell boys are waiting before you have even reached the door. Luggage taken without fuss, without pause, to the point where you do not even realise it has left your hands. I am a stickler for hotel lobbies and this one has to be up there with Atlantis The Royal in Dubai. Different, but just as majestic in its own historic way.

The hotel was formerly a palazzo owned by an aristocratic Florentine family, and the original paintwork and layout are still exactly as they were hundreds of years ago. It is simply stunning. That old money luxury feel, very similar to Passalacqua in Lake Como. The kind of place where the walls have seen things and the ceilings remember them.

The Suite

During check-in I was informed, without me asking, that I had been upgraded to one of the higher entry suites in the hotel. I had requested a red-themed room prior to my arrival and they had not only remembered, they had gone beyond it. These are the sorts of things I have noticed the elite hotels in the world do for you without any hesitation whatsoever. No drama, no mention of it being a favour. Just done.

Before our suite was ready, we were taken on a tour of the inside of the hotel. If ever there was a moment where I felt like royalty in a grand palace, then this was it. Some of the higher-end rooms are breathtaking, with Venetian paintings on the ceiling giving that extra sense of grandeur. And then the bathroom. I was lost for words.

It was so special that I could imagine people spending their whole weekend just in the bathroom alone. The suite itself. Absolutely stunning. The walls were carpeted with a red floral theme, with a large bar, closet, living room and bathroom. It felt like a luxury small apartment, and one of, if not the nicest hotel rooms I have ever stayed in.

The Staff

What separates a good hotel from a great one is never the room. It is always the people. The staff at Four Seasons Firenze are exceptional, and I say that having stayed at properties where the service felt rehearsed. This did not. I got talking to one member of staff by the name of Klaudia Sina, who has now become one of my closest friends.

Italian, or in her case Albanian, women have the most chic and amazing dress sense I have seen in Europe, and she stood out like a sore thumb. But what impressed me the most was not how good her English was, or her dress sense, but how at ease she made me feel. Her knowledge of the hotel was seriously impressive. Not the scripted kind. The kind that comes from genuinely caring about the place you work in.

The Grounds

This is what sets Four Seasons Firenze apart from anywhere else located in a city centre. It has extensive parkland grounds, manicured to the highest order. An outdoor pool, a spa, a boutique, a gym. All of it surrounded by trees that have been there longer than the hotel itself. The further you venture through the grounds, the more it feels like you are walking in an enchanted new world.

And then you find it. One of the most photogenic restaurants, located on the outer perimeter of the property, where the manicured gardens meet the ancient walls. You could be anywhere. You could be in the countryside. But you are in the middle of Florence, ten minutes from the Duomo.

The Regret

My only regret is not staying longer than I did. Florence is a beautiful city with beautiful people, and Four Seasons Firenze is the kind of hotel that makes you want to cancel your next destination and just stay. I will be back. For longer next time.

Some hotels you check out of and forget. This one checks into your head and stays there.