Hotel Bernardino, Lucca

This is a very nice hotel with attentive staff. There is a library with lots of old books about Lucca's history, a lounge with TV, and there is a resident calico cat. There is some nice modern artwork, and a good breakfast for 8 euros per day. The hotel is about a 25 minute walk from the train station, which is a bit inconvenient, though I am sure there is a bus if I had had the patience to figure it out. More importantly, it is just about a 10 minute walk into the historic walled city. For about half the price of staying in the old city, this is a great deal. In the immediate vicinity of the hotel are some restaurants, a gelato shop, and grocery stores. It is a real Italian neighborhood, and pretty quiet at night. There is a nice courtyard for breakfast. I would definitely stay here again. The first night I stayed in the room on the first floor off the courtyard and I would not stay there again due to lack of privacy, and noise from voices and an air conditioner unit. In the cold months it might be fine.

Hotel Bernadino was a comfortable, convenient place to stay in Lucca. The rooms are small but comfortable, and a really good breakfast was included in the price. You can rent bikes at the hotel, and bike into the city in less than 10 minutes.

Staff were very friendly and helpful here. However the room was incredibly small. Also it's a good ten minutes walk to get to the walls of Lucca so I wouldn't stay outside the old city again.

The hotel has some but limited parking on their premises (4 cars max). Others must park on the street. The hotel is about a 15 minute walk to downtown but their are a few local restaurants, pizzerias nearby. Breakfast was typical for this type of establishment (Cakes, breads, hard-boiled eggs, cold meats, cheeses, fruit, cereal, milk, juice and coffee, etc.). Would stay again.