Portrait Firenze, Florence, Italy

It's hard to beat this central location on the north bank of the River Arno, just to the east of the Ponte Vecchio with its ancient jewellery shops. Turn in the other direction and you have all the biggest names in fashion and the leather market is just a five-minute walk away. The major sites of the Uffizi Gallery, Palazzo Vecchio and the Duomo are all within a ten-minute walk of the hotel.

By plane: direct flights to Florence from London, Manchester and Bristol take around 2 hours 30 mins. The hotel is a 1 hour 30-minute drive from the airport. Book flights to Florence.

There is a mid-century glamour to the public areas, where whitewashed brick walls are adorned with monochrome prints of photographs from the Ferragamo family archive. Coffee table art books (including the catalogue from the current exhibition at the Ferragamo museum) jostle with vases of flowers on marble or glass tabletops and vintage mahogany sideboards.

With just 36 suites, service can be personal and attentive from a team that serves as both reception staff and concierge and will do all they can to make your stay comfortable. Spa treatments can be provided in one of the suites or in the sister hotel, Hotel Continentale.

• Restaurant
• Bar
• Spa
• Free Wi-Fi

Suites are spacious and stylish with white and grey marble bathrooms with chrome fittings, kitchenettes hidden behind lacquered doors and floor-to-ceiling windows framing the river views. Comfortable sofas, art books strewn on the coffee tables and choice pieces of objet d'art make these spaces you want to linger in.

Room types: Studio, Studio Deluxe, Prestige Suite, Superior Suite, Suite, Family Suite, Penthouse Suite

Key amenities: ensuite bathroom, tea and coffee facilities, kitchenette, hairdryer, TV, free Wi-Fi

Expect exceptional creative cuisine using some of Tuscany's finest ingredients with a fusion twist. Perhaps choose crispy octopus with potato lemon foam and olive dust to start or beef sashimi with sesame and soy meringues. Seaweed spaghetti comes with sea urchin and carbonara sauce, while the duck breast is flavoured with five spice.

Caffe dell'Oro: local specialities, coffees and wines. Dishes include turbot with mozzarella and braised short ribs with smoked horseradish potato. Open daily 7am until midnight. Mains from €28.