Unbelievably friendly and warm staff who gladly gave expert travel advice and recommendations that only a Roman would normally be privy to. - Loic Diels
I LOVE this website and will gladly recommend it to anyone headed this way. Nothing disappointed us! - Mary-Iris Taylor
I have been using Cross-Pollinate for about 10 years now. The service is consistently great and I can always find just the kind of apartment we like, at the right price. - Hirani Himona
A really great idea - with a network of hand picked little rooms/guesthouses. If only we could have this in more city destinations! - Zoe Buck
I love Cross-Pollinate and every time we go to a new city I look to see whether they have some accommodations over there. - Arantza Aldea
The two places I have stayed at from Cross-Pollinate have been among the best across Europe. Highly recommended. - Nicholas Burn
Thanks a lot to Cross-Pollinate for the opportunity to experience a city as an insider! We really enjoyed our stay in Rome and Venice and look forward to more. - Tatiana Marchenko
Cross-Pollinate was very helpful when the owner of the B&B wanted to charge us for the baby under 2 y o. It would have been difficult without them since the owners did not speak any english. - Yulia Pichugina
This was our only stay with a C-P apartment and we were very pleased with the entire process. Will look to use them again on our next Europe trip! - Anthony Giglio
Great web site and quick response from the team a CP made the whole experience easy and hassle free. I have already recommended CP to quite of few of my airline industry colleagues and I'm sure they will make use of their excellent service. - Shane Pickles
Cross-Pollinate was extremely helpful! They found us a place to stay in our price range when many other places of business couldn't help us. - Sarah Seminutin
Cross-Pollinate was very easy to use, and it is so much better to stay in places like these than big corporate hotels; you get a much better feel for the place. - Kaspar Deane
Very straight forward. Well done. Definitely would use it again. Love these type of alternatives to hotels! - John White
Cross-Pollinate was fantastic and easy to use. We used Cross-Pollinate to book a room in Florence (the second leg of our trip), which was everything I thought it would be. We have recommended Cross-Pollinate to our friends. - Barbara Carlin
Cross-Pollinate are great - the descriptions are accurate and they are very responsive to questions. - Dominique Bayne
Cross Pollinate was just the best. I had tried a couple of places before coming upon them. As soon as I sent the first email I stopped looking for any more websites. I just wish they expanded to every city in Europe. Their knowledge, helpfulness, etc. was second to none. - Caroline Collis
Il Ghiro Guesthouse
Il Ghiro (dormouse in Italian) is a small, youthful guesthouse a few steps from the central train station and a short walk to the famous sights in the historic center of Florence. There are 3 rooms with private bathroom and air-conditioning, and 2 rooms that share a bathroom. There is also a communal kitchen, equipped with basic cooking and eating utensils, that guests are welcome to use to prepare meals in if they want to save a little money, and a small reception area with a computer, wifi, and a kind of bar for doing some work, having a tea, or reading some of the many wonderful comments from all over the world. While the guesthouse is simple, it's still comfortable, bright and has 2 really good selling points: the location - easy to get to the from the station and convenient to everywhere else in Florence, and the owners - Paola and Francesco who are sweet, informative, and very professional. All in all, a great choice for someone on a budget who appreciates feeling well taken care of.
Amenities
  • use of kitchen
  • linen and towels provided
  • no elevator
  • free crib available upon request
  • WiFi
  • computer with free high-speed Internet access
  • 3rd floor
  • TV
  • DVD/CD player
  • private ensuite bathroom (€ 10.00)
Reviews
Greg Jonuk on Oct 2018:


Il Ghiro was exactly as ordered and was one of best accommodations on our 2018 Italy trip. I liked how close it was to the train station and helpful the owners were. Their care was impressive and appreciated. My wife, Terri appreciated the coffee available in the mornings.
I am tempted to say breakfast offerings but with one of the world's finest markets so close by, I actually don't think this is necessary.
I have used multiple booking services in the past and I appreciate how Cross-Polinate seems to curate quality accommodation providers to enhance the travel experiences of its users.
Lisa on Sep 2015:

The guesthouse was nice and basic. We had a private bathroom in room which was nice. Hosts were nice and gave us all the information we needed. It was close to the train station and was easy to locate and was a short walk to all of the sites. Would recommend and stay again.
Only complaint is that wireless only worked sporadically and then not at all one night.
Amalendu on May 2014:


Location was close to the station. The owner was helpful in helping carry one of our heavy bags to the 3rd floor since there is no elevator.
The room was too small, and was noisy. We could hear loud voices from the street as well as from the hallway outside our room. The communal kitchen was dirty. I think I cannot blame the owner for this because the guests using the kitchen were not cleaning it properly. Also, if you get rooms 3 or 4, these are close to the kitchen and you will get all sorts of smells. I would pay a few extra bucks and stay away from the Ghiro. I guess when you pay a little more, you not only ensure a comfortable stay, but also get better and well behaved neighbours.
Cross pollinate was very helpful. I booked all my Italy accommodation through this and I think they have done a great job.
Admin on 01. Jun 2014:
I'm sorry you didn't have a good stay, especially since it sounds like it was caused by other guests. I don't think this is the norm, nor do I think it's contingent on what you pay. If you're staying anywhere, and next to you and around you are inconsiderate people, it can be a problem.
Kaitlynn on May 2013:


The location worked great, it was a little hard to find simply because the numbering in Italy is sorta weird, but not their fault. The owners were absolutely wonderful, they seemed so excited for us to be there!
Everything was great, no complaints from us!
It was good, worked well. Had a small problem contacting another cross pollinate housing person during our stay, but overall good!
Jane on Apr 2013:

Wonderful hosts! Well situated.
One bath towel is okay, but a hand towel would have been much appreciated. This place is nothing to write home about but it was very conveniently situated to all the attractions and the railway station. The hosts were very helpful in getting us tickets, giving advice and general friendliness.
Ratings
average score
4.5 / 5.0
Price/Value
4.3
Comfort
3.7
Cleanliness
4.3
Accuracy of listing
4.4
Location
4.7
Helpfulness of owner / staff / host
4.8
Helpfulness of Cross-Pollinate
5.0
Booking details
Booking details: guesthouse (owner does not live on premises), 5 guestrooms, some rooms with private bathroom (ensuite)
Payment accepted: cash on arrival in euro, Visa, Mastercard
Minimum stay: minimum stay of 2 nights
Cancellations allowed up to: 5 days before arrival
Occupancy: double
Bed options: 2 singles or 1 queen (160 cm)
Policies & Extra Charges: smoking permitted on balcony only, luggage can be held before check-in, luggage can be left after check-out, room will be ready by 12 pm for check-in, city tourist tax €2 per person per night (not included in price), check-out time is 10 am
Spoken Language(s):
Rates and Availability
Location
 Il Ghiro Guesthouse
A
Stazione Santa Maria Novella
B
Duomo
C
Uffizi
D
Boboli Gardens
E
Ponte Vecchio
F
Piazza della Signoria
G
Galleria dell’Accademia
H
Pitti Palace
I
Piazza Santo Spirito
J
Mercato Centrale