Mr & Mrs Smith

The rooms, garden and communal sitting room are simply beautiful. Real attention to detail and a designer's eye has gone into perfecting this hotel. Our room was huge and split level, with a cosy little terrace off the bedroom where we drank red wine into the small hours. Most of all, I liked the little quirky touches. Our breakfast cappuccinos were served in dainty tea cups and saucers, there was a yoga mat and weights in our room, and a satisfyingly powerful hairdryer (so rare in even the best hotels!) which was made full use of. Alice and her team were so welcoming and friendly. When we asked to borrow the hotel's bikes, Alice not only provided us with a map, but sat me down and plotted a route for us, highlighting the dangerous areas for cyclists.

Nothing to improve in terms of the hotel, but the taxi from the airport seemed rather expensive at €25, considering it was no more than an 8-minute drive. Apparently, we should only have paid €20 (standard charge from airport into the city) plus €1 for each of our two bags, so we were only slightly overcharged. Other visitors to Riva Lofts might find this useful.

Maria Novelli at Riva Lofts suggested that we go to Trattoria Sant'Agostino when we asked for somewhere with great food, simple and informal. It was great. Even the the menu was in Italian, the owner translated it all for us and served us a wonderful meal. Having declined desserts as we were so full and with our taxi ready to take us back to the hotel, I spied what I thought were chocolates on the bar and went to take one. The owner explained that they were not chocolates but gave me a complimentary slice of delicious, rich, chocolate tart complete with plate and fork to enjoy back at the hotel. I believe Maria Novelli is a regular and she kindly returned the utensils for us. A great touch!

The owners' daughter Alice made us feel very welcome and gave us some super advice on what to see and do, and what to avoid. We felt at home at Riva Lofts, as it was far enough from the touristy atmosphere of Florence, but close enough to reach the main areas by foot or bike. Riva Lofts have plenty of bikes for you to borrow and ride over the river and around the park. Rooms are spacious and lofty! There are plenty of DVDs to borrow if you feel like you don't want to venture into town, but we went at low season and had the whole garden and pool to ourselves. Just a short distance away, there are lots of good restaurants located on Borgo San Frediano. At these places, you will be dining with the friendly locals. Aperitif is the latest craze in Florence. Have drinks and nibbles at the Continentale on their rooftop Sky Lounge, which is another Mr & Mrs Smith hotel. It's an excellent place to drink cocktails and watch the sun set.

Gozzi Sergio (Piazza San Lorenzo): the best restaurant in Florence, full of local people and the best Italian food – so good we went twice. It only serves lunch and the wait for a table can be long even with a booking, but it's worth it.