Wow!

That's the word that come's to mind when my family and I think about our stay at Karin's apartment in Florence. It's hard to imagine a more perfect place to return home each evening after wandering the piazzas, churches, and museums of this magical city.

We didn't have an opportunity to meet Karin as she was out of town during the New Year's holiday we spent in Florence. That didn't matter as her friend Michael gave an exellent tour of the apartment then recommended a terrific spot for lunch. He even guided us to the trattoria along the back alleyways of the city.

The highlights of the apartment start with the absolutely immaculate and beautifully detailed renovation of the space. It's on the 7th floor of a building with a 6-floor elevator which means you climb the final stairs to the top. But that's ok as the extra floor means even better views.

The kitchen is clean and modern with Carrera marble countertops and a full suite of modern appliances. We ate breakfast daily and several lunches in the kitchen. We didn't make a dinner though everything you'd need is available. Our favorite part of the kitchen was the Nespresso machine to give us a headstart on the day.

The living room became a favorite spot for lounging in the evening after spending the day on our feet around the city. There's a big TV but it didn't get much use. Instead we read many of the books that Karin has left for visitors to enjoy.

The two ensuite bedrooms offer extremely comfortable beds with luxurious linens. They are the perfect size space to recede into at the very end of the day. The walk-in closet leading to a marble-lined bathroom made it feel like a 5-star hotel. Do keep in mind to bring your own shower products as they're not provided.

The coup de grace of the apartment are the incredible terraces right off of the living room, bedroom, and another set of stairs further up on the roof. We spent our week in Florence during New Years and the weather was too cold to spend too much time outside. However, we still went to the top of the roof nearly every day including on New Year's Eve to spot all of the fireworks around the city. The noise that night was deafening as this is a city that knows how to celebrate!

We will try to stay here every time we return to Florence. The location at the foot of the Ponte Vecchio means that everything in Florence is no more than a 15 minute walk. We took a cab from the train station on our arrival and a cab to the rental car on our departure. Otherwise we walked everywhere for a week (including to the grocery store just across the Ponte Vecchio).

We were thrilled with our stay in Florence and consider Karin's apartment one of the highlights of our stay!