We were just in Florence for a stay of five nights and we stayed at the Villa Fiesole. We were a party of five, so one triple and two singles. We couldn't have been happier. The hotel is in a lovely location, with stunning views of the countryside around Florence and the rooftops of Florence. It is an easy bus ride to Fiesole (5 minutes) or to Florence (20 minutes). A 20 minute walk takes you to Maiano, where you can buy a bottle of award winning olive oil.
The hotel is clean, appears freshly painted, and is tastefully decorated. Our rooms were spotless, with excellent sheets and towels. As others have written, the breakfast is phenomenal: fresh, delicious pastries, excellent granolas, yogurts, cheeses, even hot eggs and ham.
The staff was charming and helpful, remembering where we'd been during the day and asking how things went. They were more than willing to answer our many (probably tedious) questions and to assist with travel arrangements and museum reservations. They called a doctor for us when one of our party was sick. He soon arrived on his moped and was very attentive. Within half an hour of his departure, room service delivered a beautifully arranged tray of toast, jam and tea for the sick person.

Mille grazie Hotel Villa Fiesole. We look forward to returning.

Really great value and a very hospitable welcome.

We were up-graded to a suite on the terrace because the staff were keen for us to enjoy the stay.

Lovely rooms, beautifully decorated and furnished.
Beautiful clean bathrooms and lots of hot water! Staff very helpful and friendly. Breakfast was delicious, well laid out buffet with great coffee in a bright and pleasant dining-room.

We will visit again I'm sure.

Very enjoyable stay. Why is this hotel not 4 star?

Everything about this hotel was great. The location was right on the number 7 bus line, which takes you right into the heart of Florence's tourist area. The room was absolutely gourgeous, large, clean, beautifully decorated. The bathroom was also large and very clean. Lots of closet storage. There was a well stocked mini-bar, a flat screen TV and air conditioning. Breakfast consisted of cold meat and sliced cheese tray, plus a cheese board, eggs, bacon, freash fruit and fresh fruit salad, and a selection of cakes, pastry and bread, cereal and yogurt, coffee, tea, and juice. Dinners were also very good! Large servings. All the staff were very friendly and helpful. The hotel is very quiet and over looks Florence. Absolutely breahtaking view. Hotel also has off street parking and is wheelchair accessible. There is a moderate size pool, great for cooling off in, after a hot day sight seeing in Florence. We would return to this hotel again and highly recommend it to any one going to Florence.

Just outside Florence (25mins on the bus) we made Villa Fiesole our base for a week. We hired a car which I would say is essential if you want to see a bit more of Tuscany other than just Florence and Fiesole. The hotel is very nice with elegant décor, it is a touch on the small side, and the hotel has been extended with a separate new modern building which houses the restaurant, reception and lounge area. The newer building rooms seem to be more luxurious than those in the original Villa. We initially booked a deluxe room (new building) which was nice but very small so we upgraded to a Junior Suite again in the newer part for 2 nights. We were then moved into a junior suite in the old Villa as the other was reserved for the rest of the week. The difference was quite marked, the newer suite was beautifully furnished probably more a 'hotel style' with everything shiny and new whereas the original Villa suite was more of your shabby chic look with things a little on the tired side both were of a good size though. Service when available is ok but if you plan to hang around the hotel during the day after lunch there is no service, bar etc is not open until 5pm this is apparently because they are only a 3 star establishment, however they are now aiming for 4 stars. My main criticism is if you want a nice shady spot to relax outside this is very limited. My husband was unwell one day so we decided to stay around the hotel and relax for the day. There is really only the pool area which is small with limited beds and small umbrellas and it is in full sun. We had 40oC temperatures during our stay so we really needed somewhere more shaded. There is a courtyard with some park benches but that is it so space for relaxing is a bit limited. We did ask for a couple of sun beds to be put onto our private terrace but they had no extra which was a shame and would have been a nice touch. So if you are looking for a hotel to lounge around and you don’t want to be in full sun maybe Villa Fiesole may not have enough shade for you, this is definitely something that should be addressed by the hotel and may stop us going back again. The restaurant was fairly good we ate there on our first nights but found others in the area and Florence were of better quality and value. For a proper taste of Italian food we would recommend the Cave Di Maiano in Maiano Village about 2 miles from Fiesole nestled in the trees with a view over Florence it was lovely and very good food, full of locals, although avoid the chicken it was a little dry. Also Café Italian in St Croce area, Florence was fantastic, we went twice it was that good. Our one disappointment was our most expensive meal at the Villa San Michele (please forgive me for going on here). It sits just above the Villa Fiesole further up the hill and has stunning views of Florence but at a price. We had considered staying there but our aim was to be out of the hotel more than in it and would not have got the benefit of the £500 per night price, hence why we decided on Villa Fiesole which was a third of the price. So we decided to try out the restaurant and get an idea if it was worth staying. The prices charged for food were what you would pay in a Michelin rated restaurant but sadly do not match the food quality our bill was £300 for two with only one bottle of wine. I had sinew running through my duck which was impossible to cut, when I complained nothing was done just a mild apology given. I know a lot of people go there for a special treat but beware as non residents it seems you are not offered a good table even though you pay the same price as residents. My suggestion is on booking you insist on a front of loggia table otherwise you will have a restricted view and not get the benefit of paying such inflated prices. It is also very formal and probably too pompous for some although some of the touches you usually get at such establishment were missing, such as re-folding your napkin when you leave the table to visit the loo. If you are curious to see what all the fuss is about my advice is just pop in during the day and ask to have a look around then leave and go to Cave Di Maiano or maybe search out one of the Michelin stared restaurants in Florence.
If you are looking for a small good value hotel outside Florence to use purely as a base with a few nice luxury touches I would say that Villa Fiesole is perfect for you. Once it has 4 stars it maybe able to offer a bit more so that you can also use it to relax in too.