Albergo Croce di Malta

I stayed at the Albergo Croce di Malta in Florence, Italy on 6÷11÷2013. It was my first time there. While my room was small compared to some hotels that I have stayed its location in the heart of Florence makes up for it. Plus free wi-​fi.

Less than 5 minute walk to the Main train station and all the excitement of ‘city center’ Florence, this hotel was inexpensive, clean, and actually even had a pool! The inclusive breakfast left much to be desired, but if your OK with cappuccino, danish, and maybe some fruit/yogurt…you’ll be set.
There is a self-​serve laundry accross the street which you can leave your laundry and they will do for 8.50 euros a load or you can do it for 8 euros (I recomend you doing your own, just from observing the guy transferring the clothes around).
We liked this hotel because it was so close to everything… street shopping, retail stores, mercado centrale, museums, tour buses…
The staff was super-​nice, and most spoke english too.

Save your money. On the surface this place looks ok but it’s the details that matter as one quickly learns. Details such as heat in the room, decent wifi, a working mini-​bar fridge, cloths hangers, a soap dish, make that two soap dishes, one for the shower, one for the sink and lastly, an edible breakfast.
Unlike most folks, we had the fortune of visiting the hotel. It seemed almost too good to be true– nice looking room, with an egg breakfast include for 70 euro a night. I guess we had expected something at least on par with the Best Western Hotel Rivoli down the street. We had stayed our first two weeks at the Rivoli but the rates were going up for the remaining 4 weeks, so we switched. Boy were we sorry.
First, they tried to put me in a room barely large enough to hold the bed let alone me for 4 weeks. Turns out they tried to give everyone in our group ths room at first and the guy at the desk had the gall to grumble when I asked to see additional rooms. I saw 4 before finally being shown one with a full sized desk and possible wifi. Little did I know it was missing other things. On day 3 they finally gave into my grumbling about no heat and sent up a space heater. Until then they kept looking at their little computer saying «it says the room is at 21 degrees.» To which I’d reply, «I know but I’d like it 23 degrees». The was a week when it was below zero out and the room dropped into the teens at night. Late in my stay the reverse happened and the room was about 28 degrees for two days, even at night!
I fixed the fridge myself on day 4 and convinced the staff that «do not disturb» meant «do not disturb», regardless of whether I was in my room or not on the same day. Two days earlier I had asked for additional hangers and the same guy at the desk said he could only bring me two. Two days later I had spoken to enough additional people to get 6 hangers and my wife was able to bring me the rest when she came to visit.
The wifi was very fickle and the daily user id and passwords were even worse. I have 3 devices and needed 3 passwords, typically one of the 3 didn’t work.
For some reason the place is very popular with tour groups and on several occasions I’d go down to breakfast to either no free tables or no food. This is somewhat understandable when there’s a large group but unacceptable when breakfast starts at 7am and you’re there at 7:05 and the don’t have the eggs ready. If you open for breakfast at 7:00, the eggs should be ready at 7:00 and not 7:15! More than once I had to walk down the street to the Rivoli for their breakfast.
The eggs themselves were at times unpalatable, taking on a day glow orange on some days. Other days they made members of our party ill. By the end of our stay, most where skipping breakfast and I was eating eggs on very selective days.
All this aside, it was an ok place to spend 4 weeks but I think next time I’ll stay someplace else.
Oh, just realized I’d forgot to mention about them loosing my laundry. A t-​shirt and socks to be precise, actually two pairs of socks but one eventually turned up. Another peeve, when I turned in my first week’s laundry on Saturday afternoon the fellow said it would be ready Monday because it was late in the afternoon and the laundry doesn’t work Sunday. Ok, understandable but he made it sound as if I had turned it in early that morning, I’d have it same day.
The following Saturday I turned my laundry in at 7am and was told again I’d have it on Monday!