Martelli 6 Suite & Apartments

Look, I’ve stayed in a lot of places around Florence, and Martelli 6 Suite & Apartments honestly caught me off guard in the best way possible. You walk up to this building on Via Martelli – which is literally a three-minute stroll to the Duomo, by the way – and it doesn’t scream “boutique hotel” from the outside. It’s more like discovering a secret that locals have been keeping to themselves.

The thing about this place is that it actually feels like you’re staying in someone’s beautifully renovated Florentine apartment rather than a typical hotel room. I mean, the suites have proper kitchenettes with everything you need, which is perfect if you want to grab fresh ingredients from the Mercato Centrale (just around the corner) and have breakfast without dealing with crowds. The design hits this sweet spot between contemporary comfort and respecting the building’s historic character – exposed beams, original terracotta floors in some units, but then you’ve got modern bathrooms and reliable Wi-Fi that actually works. The staff at check-in were genuinely helpful too, not just going through the motions. They gave me real recommendations, like which gelateria to hit up on Via de’ Neri (trust me on this one) and warned me about the morning tour groups that cluster around the cathedral steps.

What really sold me on this place, though, is the location without the chaos. You’re close enough to hear the bells from the Duomo – which is either romantic or slightly annoying depending on your sleep schedule, honestly – but Via Martelli stays surprisingly quiet at night. The building itself has thick walls, so I never heard neighbors or street noise, which is rare in central Florence. You can walk to San Lorenzo market in two minutes, hit up the Uffizi in about ten, and there’s this fantastic little wine bar called Il Santino tucked away nearby that most tourists never find. The rooms vary a bit in size and layout since it’s a converted building, but even the smaller ones feel spacious compared to typical European city hotels. One thing to note – there’s no elevator, so if you’ve got heavy luggage and end up on the third floor, well, consider it your Italian workout. But honestly, for the price point and that 8.7 rating it’s earned, you’re getting incredible value in one of the most sought-after neighborhoods in Florence. It’s the kind of place where you actually want to spend time in your room, not just crash after a day of sightseeing.