Hotel in Florence - Casa Howard Guest Houses - (Tuscany) - Italy

B&B is far too pedestrian a term to describe these two award-winners 10-rooms extravaganzas in old palazzi just yards from the Spanish Steps in Rome and Piazza Santa Maria Novella in Florence.

That means burying blandness in favour of original and imaginatively themed rooms. Twin this with all the warmth of a private home plus can’t-do-enough service and you’re in clover. Ancient features are axiomatic in Florence or Rome and there’s no cheating at Casa Howard; parquet and stone floors, heavy wood doors, marble chimney pieces and fine artworks. However it’s the striking decor and luxurious little extras (breakfast is brought to your room) that turn a stay here into a treat. "Casa Howard provides the charm of a private house with the standard of personal service you would expect from a 5 star hotel."