In the know
- Our favourite rooms
- For sheer size and spectacle, make a swift beeline for Room 4 – it’s bigger than a small flat, has three walls of floor-to-ceiling glass windows gazing out over the Arno, and its stunning grey wood kitchen is designed to be almost invisible when not in use. Upstairs, you’re met with polished concrete floors, over-sized ball lamps and a dangerously comfortable bed. Room 9 shares the same spaciousness, but cultivates a slightly less arch-contemporary prettiness, and Room 7 has a quirky string curtain surrounding the bed, which lends it the air of an ultramodern, but nonetheless romantic boudoir.
- Packing tips
- Huge D&G sunglasses will not only lend you the in-crowd stamp of cool, but also help keep the flies out of your eyes as you zoom along the river on one of Riva Loft’s 1950s bikes.
- Also
- Owner/manager Alice Nardi (daughter of the hotel’s designer and architect, Claudio) is almost always on hand to offer restaurant tips or pointers on art exhibitions and events that outsiders might miss. Riva Lofts also has a partnership with Armilla Beauty, so you can order in face and body treatments, massage and hairdressing whenever you like.
Current offers
- Smith card offer
- A bottle of Tuscan wine
More photos
Riva Lofts
Florence, Italy[view map]
- Style
- Hip and homely
- Setting
- Leafy Arno riverside
Combining the visionary designs of architect Claudio Nardi and the convivial hospitality of his hotelier daughter, Riva Lofts is a dreamily rustic boutique bed and breakfast that’s filled with contemporary artworks, enormous antique mirrors leant against the reclaimed stone walls, and an array of vintage chairs ranging from Louis XIV to Mies van der Rohe. Despite its fashionista-friendly looks, however, Riva Lofts maintains the homespun welcome of a rural bed and breakfast.
Need to know
- Rooms
- 10 suites.
- Rates
- €210–€550, including Italian breakfast, soft drinks, and 10 per cent VAT.
- Check-out
- Midday; later check-out can be arranged, if available.
- Facilities
- Communal sitting room LCD TV, DVD/CD player, library of books, films and music, free WiFi in lounge area and some other parts of the hotel. In suites: flatscreen TV, DVD/CD player; most suites have kitchenettes and free WiFi, others have wir
- Poolside
- Contrary to impressions, the heated ‘metaphysical swimming pool’ does actually exist – it’s a plush white sandstone pool set in a serene hedgerow-lined garden.
- Also
- Small, well-behaved, non-sofa-soiling pets are welcome. Reception is open 8am –8pm, but arrangements can be made for later arrivals. The hotel is non-smoking throughout. A two-night minimum stay is required during Pitti fashion fairs.
Food & drink
- Hotel restaurant
- Riva Lofts serves a modern Italian menu with a Tuscan farmhouse flavour for lunch and dinner in the living room or outdoors if the weather allows. Book by 11am on the day you plan to eat. A mouthwatering breakfast spread of home-made bread, croissants, organic yoghurt, and muesli is served either outside by the pool or beside the modern fireplace in the stone-walled, art-lined lounge.
- Dress code
- Quirked-up elegance.
- Top table
- On the green, green grass by the pool.
- Hotel bar
- With every hand-picked sculpture and artwork perfectly placed to ensure there’s something to look at in every direction, Riva Loft’s main lounge is made for sinking into a sofa and supping a cocktail from the honour bar.
Also worth knowing
- Children
- Rollaway beds cost €50 a day, but cots are free and there’s no charge for children staying in parents’ rooms. With two days’ notice, babysitting can be arranged for around €15 an hour.
Smith Members offer
A bottle of Tuscan wine
If you're a member of Mr & Mrs Smith, you can get special privileges at every Smith hotel you book through us. Just show your Smith card at check-in to claim the offer featured on every hotel page (like the one above).
Click here to become a Mr & Mrs Smith member
Book this hotel
To book this hotel please click here, or contact our travel team on 1 866 610 3867.
Riva Lofts
Via Baccio Bandinelli 98
50142
