12 Dec Hotel Il Giardino – A mixed experience in Pisa
I always wanted to visit Tuscany.
I have seen so many places in Italy starting with my trips from Milan, moving through Cinque Terre, discovering Puglia and even reaching Sicily.
But Tuscany always eluded me.
So you can imagine the joy last month when I booked a small trip to Pisa and Lucca in an attempt to see a little bit of Tuscany.
Pisa and Lucca might not be the first options when you hear Tuscany but I am glad I discovered these two places and left the more famous towns for the next trip.
Now, as the title suggests my experience with the accommodation in Pisa is mixed.
It certainly had enough good points but also a small incident that is worth mentioning.
The hotel however has two big pluses which you can’t ignore when looking for accommodation in Pisa.
First advantage. Location.
This place is not close to the Piaza dei Miracoli. It is literally glued next to it.
From the window of my first room you could see the Baptiserio, which is about 50 meters away.
The place can be reached easily from the airport too.
Either a cab for 14-15 Eur(5 kilometers ride) or catch the express train from the airport which will leave you at the train station in Pisa from where you take a bus directly to the hotel.
During daytime the E3 bus line reaches the hotel directly also from the airport so you really have a lot of options for reaching the hotel.
Not only is the Piazza close but also the rest of the important sights in Pisa are just a walk away.
Places like the Arno River, Piaza dei Cavalieri or the Botanical Garden among others.
Also, the bus to Lucca stops 20 meters away from the hotel and for 3.5 Eur/way you can reach Lucca in under 45 minutes.
So when it comes to location, this place really comes on top.
The second advantage is the staff.
I know I have said many times that I met great people and I was happy but this place reminds me of the hotel I was accommodated in Bari and even pushes hospitality a bit more up.
It was a real pleasure talking with the staff, I was encouraged to speak more Italian(I’m a mediocre speaker) and help was provided each time it was needed.
So the staff really weighs in a lot for this establishment.
The room.
The room was decent in size but sparsely decorated.
The bed was OK and had no trouble falling asleep in for the first two nights.
Overall the room was clean and the big difference from other rooms was the window on the ceiling, window from where you could see the Baptiserio.
The bathroom was small but clean. You have to be careful with the sink since turning the water volume more could throw water pellets all over you.
the bathroom
I wasn’t very satisfied with the warming of the room since it only had one noisy air conditioning unit and to be honest it didn’t warm up the room very well.
Breakfast.
Each morning we had breakfast included in the room’s price and it was simple, standard Italian breakfast alongside a good cup of coffee.
It was much more in quantity and variety than we received in Rome but also less than my experience in Moneglia for example.
And now for the big elephant in the room.
Remember the ceiling window in our room?
Well during our third night there a storm started and it kept raining for hours.
Around 06:00 o clock in the morning i moved my foot in the bed and felt something a bit…wet.
I moved the foot again and got the same feeling so I woke up and to my surprise saw that from the ceiling water was dripping on the bed.
While not a downpour it certainly was enough to make me go to the reception and ask for help.
the problematic window
In about ten minutes tops we were moved to another room, on the first floor of the hotel and things here were different.
From what I studied later I saw that the new room was a step up and that could be seen in how warm the room was and the difference in the bed.
Most important thing was that well, you know, it wasn’t raining anymore on the bed.
The only downside to this room was the shower cabin.
Since I’m 190(6’3″) and 110 kg(about 240 pounds) I had difficulties entering the little cabin and actually washing.
The opening was very small and I could barely push myself through it so I could shower.
In the end.
As I said from the start I am having mixed feelings about this place.
The staff is fantastic, the second room was so much better and the location is simply amazing.
However, I wouldn’t recommend a room on the second floor due to the fact that if weather is unpleasant you might wake up soaked in water.
That about covers my experience in Pisa but I will be back soon with new articles from my trips.