The St Regis, Florence, Italy

About ten minutes from the Ponte Vecchio along the north bank of the River Arno, the St Regis sits opposite it's sister hotel, the Westin Excelsior, across the quiet Piazza Ognissanti. This feels like a quiet corner of the city, although the main shops and sites are within a 15-minute walk. The modern art museum, Museo Novecento, is just a six-minute walk from 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 15-minute drive from the airport. Parking is available for €45 a day. Book flights to Florence.

From the moment you walk in, you feel the historical grandeur of what was once a 15th-century palace. The building has been a hotel since the 19th-century, when the exquisite Winter Garden restaurant was created by putting a stained-glass roof over what was once the courtyard to tether the horses.

Enjoy old-fashioned service from elegant staff who joke together like family members. A small spa is one of only two in Italy to offer the personal "My Blend" Clarins facials alongside massages, while a bijou fitness room has cardiovascular machines and weights, although a run along the river is probably more enjoyable.

• Restaurant
• Bar
• Winter Garden
• Spa
• Beauty treatments
• Private parking
• Free Wi-Fi

Period splendour abounds in the rooms, about half of which have windows overlooking the river Arno, some with balconies. Expect canopied beds with swathes of velvet and brocade, antique furniture, oil paintings and pristine marble bathrooms with Aveda bath products. Suites have a butler service that includes clothes pressing and morning coffee.

Room types: Smaller Guest Room, Deluxe Guest Room, Premium Guest Room, Junior Suite, Deluxe Suite, Bottega Veneta Suite

Key amenities: ensuite bathroom, TV, free Wi-Fi

There is an old-fashioned elegance in the Winter Garden, where people huddle over cocktails in one corner or sit at white linen-covered tables in the other. Plates of delicious small tasters arrive with aperitifs, such as beef tartar and red prawn. Dinners involve several courses of fish, pasta and meat.

Winter Garden Restaurant: authentic Tuscan cuisine, dishes include roasted octopus and spicy chicken. Open daily 12-10.30pm. Mains from €34.

Winter Garden Bar: coffees, light lunches, drinks. Open daily 11am-midnight.