Hotel Tonfoni

Stayed at this hotel while on a EF Tour. Hotel is quaint in the little town of Montecatini Terme. They serve dinner and breakfast everyday included in your rate. Rooms go from single to quad occupancy. Bathrooms are nasty and you may have to walk outside and up some stairs to get to your room. All-in-all, ROOMS SHOULD NOT BE UP TO QUAD OCCUPANCY.

We spend 2 nights in the hotel during Easter hollidays, the hotel is old and more like 2 not 3 stars. It has several buildings, the rooms are big but very old school and the bath is as well very outdated ( shower with limited pressure of water). I recommend it more for jungsters for party rather than travellers with expectations. Breakfast was very basic with low quality of food. The positive thing is the location - close to city center / restaurants / promenade. No Wifi in the rooms.

Except for nice breakfast ,everything was disappointing! We went there with a tour, hotel manager could not find as a room in the hotel and sent us to the nearest hotel although booking had been performed before. My advice is confirm your reservation and room before you go there!!!

I expected much more convenience from this hotel. The stairs are extremely narrow, good that there is an elevator. The furniture is old, the sheets aren't soft, the bath cabin is so tight-fitted that I had to stay with my legs unwashed. The breakfast is just in the lobby, the only fresh thing was the coffee. For sure never back again in this hotel, this time it just didn't depend on me.

I went end of October- beginning of Nov 2011 with a friend, two girls in our early twenties, we came for the spas and a relaxing break, got a very cheap rate, 25euros per room, per night. To be honest the below reviews claiming how disgusting it is are being a bit unrealistic, for £20 a night what do you expect? The hotel was very basic, had a small lift. We stayed in a tiny room with 2 single beds, and barely enough room to move around, had a small ensuite. Only way to describe it was a hostel with an ensuite. Rooms were clean, beds were a little uncomfortable. Bathroom was clean but a bit gross, hotel must have had a (low budget) refurb since previous comments, as shower was self contained, no leakage on floor. towels both had faint stains on them. when we went is was unseasonably warm, it was 20-22 degrees during the day, coldish at night. the room has a shutter with a peice of plasticy looking glass over it, bedding was a sheet with a very thin bedspread over it, extra blankets in the wardrobe but they were musty and it was still cold, if you got at winter pack jumpers. free breakfast... nice croissaints. coffee was not good, no tea, only grey dregs of water. the hotel owners dont speak english, the old lady there seemed outraged that we were in her hotel, and looked angry everytime we saw her, the man who speaks a little english seemed annoyed and unhelpful as we asked directions to the train station. they lock the doors at midnight, if you plan to be out after that you have to call someone who travels from their home to open the doors. the echo is ridiculous, we were woken up every hour by other ppl talking, toilets flushing or noises from the street. not the best place to go, probably the worst hotel i have stayed in but it was also the cheapest, so really what do I expect?! we were thre 2 nights, very very central, great location, definatley not a 3 star, it is what i would expect for a £20 a room hotel.

Except for nice breakfast ,everything was disappointing!!! All four beds in our room were "extra beds" - like the beds on the camping site - with legs bending, air condition was in a very bad condition!!!! (you can imagine in August !!!)

People, do not go there. Travel agents, don't be fooled by the low rates. It is a dump and it doesn't deserve any rate.

Once back in the States, on 9, 20, 2007, I sent the following letter, and pictures, to the Credit Card Company contesting the Hotel Tonfoni charges for the specified reasons. "RE: Contesting charges because room unfit to rent. See enclosed 4 photos. I delegated my daughter to arrange my visit in Italy hence the reason why she used her credit card for my expenses. It is my wish for her to contest the charges on my behalf because of the following problems: I reached the Tonfoni Hotel, via delle Saline, 42 – 51016 Montecatini Terme (PT), Italy, about 8:00 PM, on August 28, and I was assigned room 131. Because the room was so hot, I started the air-conditioner and went for a walk, stopping first at the office to complain about the smallness of the room, hardly any bigger then a walk-in closet. The "gentlemen" told me that for the next 2 days he could give me a bigger room, but after that through Sept. 4th, I would be reassigned to the same room. About midnight I came back and took a shower, then I walked in the bedroom and found I was standing in approximately ¾” of water. I immediately took the towels and sponged the water. Once I felt comfortable that the floor was dry enough I called the office (about 1:30 AM) to report the problem, but I got no answers. I dressed and went down to the hotel office, which I found dark and deserted. I went back in my room, and finished drying the floor. To circulate the bedroom air, I managed to run the bathroom fan with the light off, and at a little past 2:00 AM, I went in bed trying to sleep, to no avail. In the morning I went to the hotel office and reported the problem. I was immediately told that probably I put my feet on the shower drainage hole at which I replied absolutely that was not the case. I proceeded to explain in detail that the problem was due to the fact that more than half of the bathroom floor is pitching toward the bedroom, and not toward the shower drainage. Something that I should probably have noticed in advance having an Italian college degree in Civil Engineering. Also I told him that this is not the first time it has happened, because the plaster in the bedroom side is damaged due to standing water on the bedroom floor. He promptly replied that the damage was due by the maids cleaning the floor. Photos # 4 shows otherwise. The manager told me that I should have called the office immediately, and they would have sent someone to do the job. I replied, that I did, but nobody answered the phone. "That is strange because at that time", he said, "he was in the office". I replied that it was not true because I came down approximately at 1:30 AM, and the office was completely dark, deserted, and nobody was around. He proceeded to say that, "maybe, at the time I went in the office, I was out for some errands" (at 1:30 in the morning?). Finally I told him that, because of all the problems and aggravations I went through, I was not paying for the room. He answered that he had the guarantee of a credit card; hence, he didn’t care what I was saying”. Again I told him that I was not going to pay for the bill, at which he asked me the reason why I didn’t want to pay it. “I just told you,” I said, “but you don’t get it. I am a guest in this hotel, not a worker. At night I am supposed to sleep, rest and relax, not working and be aggravated.” Very abruptly he told me that he didn’t want any discussion, and proceeded to shut the office door in my face. I reopened the door and again I repeated that I was not going to pay for a defective room that never should have been rented in the first place. He again told me that he didn’t want to discuss the matter further, and he added, “If you don’t like it, you can leave any time you want.” I took my luggage and left for good. The above is the true story, and the reason why I am contesting the charges. Sincerely, (Signed) PS: Enclosed are 4 photos representing the above situation. Photo # 1 - Towels used to sponge bedroom floor. Photo # 2 - Fixed shower head. Not swivel. Photo # 3 - Blanket used to go in bathroom once floor was reasonably dry. Photo # 4 - Bedroom wall plaster damaged by previous floor flooding."

I have just returned from the Tonfoni where the rooms were very basic but clean and had a superb air-conditioning unit. People writing reviews saying the hotel is terrible have obviously only been on a bed and breakfast basis. We were half board and had some of the best authentic food ever-5 courses with the cheese course served before the dessert and fruit courses which is the correct way in Italy, but hardly ever done in tourist resorts. On our last day we ate Lunch there 6 courses this time (paid extra highly recommendeed) If you want to spend all your time in your room don't go to the Tonfoni but if you want a clean room with fab food at 48euros Half Board you won't find better. When you read the reviews on the Tonfoni notice that the only positive ones come from the Italians themselves-the reason I booked the hotel-I disregarded all the negative ones. Oh and parking is FREE and the manager and his family are friendly.