I was hosted by the Hotel Ilaria & Residenza dell’Alba in Lucca, Tuscany for two nights from 29 November to 1 December 2009. My complimentary accommodation was arranged through Hotels.com from their selection of hotels in Lucca.

I stayed in Room 12 in the annexe, Residenza dell’Alba, a couple of minutes walk from the main hotel. The room was spacious, decorated in a classic style. The room overlooked a bicycle hire shop and it was very quiet at night. I was happy that there were tea and coffee making facilities in the room, as you don’t find this in many Italian hotels.

The bathroom was also spacious but there was some mould around the bath tiles and at the bottom of the shower screen which appeared to have been glued in position. I was informed at check in that there was a free wired internet connection in my bedroom, however I couldn’t connect when I plugged into the socket. Fortunately there was free wifi with a very good signal if I sat in the cafe area but I would have preferred to have a connection in my room.

There is a free cafe for guests in the lobby with a hot drinks machine (which grinds the coffee beans), fruit juices, fizzy drinks, beer and delicious home made biscuits.

Breakfast is excellent with fresh fruit, smoked salmon, hams, cheeses, bread, pastries, scrambled and boiled eggs, sausage and bacon.Breakfast is available from 7.30 – 10.30, I appreciated the long serving hours as I’ve stayed in some hotels in the UK recently where breakfast on weekdays finished at 09.00, a bit early for leisure travellers. Unfortunately it wasn’t warm enough to sit outside in the lovely terrace.

All the staff were very friendly and helpful. I was able to leave my luggage after noon checkout, hire a bike and use the wifi. Just as well as my flight didn’t depart from Pisa until evening. It was a real boon to pass the afternoon pleasantly as opposed to be lumbered with bags.

Free parking for guests is available in the courtyard. There is also free bike hire for guests. You choose your own bike in the garage and the hotel even supplies free audio guides. You should take the bikes if only to cycle around the town walls, it’s traffic free and level with some great views.

Overall I’d rate the Hotel Iilaria & Residenza dell’Alba very highly. The rooms are comfortable, breakfast is superb and the staff do all they can to make your stay enjoyable. All the free extras such as wifi, parking, bicycle hire and cafe make for good value for money, considering that many hotels charge 12 euro a day for internet access, a coffee can cost 3 euro and bike hire is 2.5 euro per hour.