We just came back from our weekend stay at this hotel with another couple. We had a special package deal including dinner, so value was good. But the rooms we had were very small, with the bed squeezed against the wall, so i had to climb over my husband to get in and out of the bed. Not at all the rooms they are showing on their website.
The shower stall was very small, a large person would not be able to shower.
Yes, it has a minibar, but in it only 2 bottles of water, and nothing else. We drank them the first night and they were not replaced.
Like I said, dinner was included. The food was actually good, but I did not enjoy being forced to watch loud Italian commercial television. The second night we asked them to turn it down and they did and also changed the channel. The tv was also on during breakfast, so you don't have to make conversation with your table companions.

We got the impression that they had done all that was needed to get a 4th star (the brochure was printed over with an extra star (from 3 to 4)), but we thought they were stretching it.

It in a good location, we visited Florence on Saturday.
It was not bad but I would look for something better next time.
The young waitress was very sweet.

Hotel - the owners

Travelling from London, we had a nightmare journey as we were re-directed from Pisa to Bologne which caused problems with car hire etc (don't EVER book with Easycar) so we were very late arriving at the hotel but we kept our spirits high. We started to have a chat to the owner but he was completely rude to us and cut us dead and did not even smile at us, so it wasn't the best start. It could be the language barrier but we noticed over the couple of days we were there that he could suddenly communicate in English to other guests where English was the only shared language where as with us he would not even try even though we practised our Italian. We said morning to him every day but not once did he smile.

The Room

Clean, basic and tidy but with no character and very similar to a Travel Lodge!

The Food

We didn't eat at the restaurant as when we arrived (after a nightmare journey) we asked if the restaurant was still open and he said it was shutting in 15 minutes, the time was 9.15pm. We found some information a little later that said the restaurant actually closed at 10pm. Again not very welcoming. Breakfast was typical Italian so quite good.

Restaurants near by

When we arrived late we went to the Dory, which is basic, very well lit restaurant. It's not the best in terms of setting but we had a couple of very good pizza's and they were very hospitable.

We had a fantastic time, really because of the two restaurants near by. If you turn left as you come out of the hotel (by car as it is too far to walk) then you will come across a lovely Osteria on the right hand side. It is quite easy to miss but you should see a small car park. It is set under Olive trees and makes a lovely setting for either lunch or dinner.

If you carry on further, you will see some cars parked and you will come across a massive fishing lake with some basic bars and restaurants surrounding the lake. We didn't eat here but it is definitely worth stopping to take in the views.

If you then drive on you will pass a massive bottle of wine on the left hand side (no I'm not drunk!) and then we you will see a Windmill on the right hand side. Head towards that and park and opposite it a excellent restaurant, which is called The Windmill, funnily enough. It is stunning. Excellent views of the sunset and fantastic food. I had the wild boar, which was delicious. We had the best night here.

The area

The town itself is OK not the most picturesque and we know Tuscany quite well. The restaurants made the area for us but I wouldn't stay at this hotel depending on what you are expecting. Very close to the Windmill is another hotel called Casabella Agriturismo and that looked lovely and is much closer to the better restaurants.

We are a nice friendly couple and stayed in 2 other hotels during our trip here and everyone else was very friendly and welcoming apart from the owners at this hotel so I really don't think it was us. Another hotel that we stayed it which we really enjoyed was Relais Della Rovere. This is near Colle Di Val D'Elsa so still accessible to all the areas.

Best towns/cities in order of personal preference: Lucca, Colle Di Val D'Elsa (hardly any tourists), Siena, San Gimignano and then Florence.

The hotel was excellent as a base for touring Tuscany. Excellent for MOTGP which is why we were there. Staff very friendly and helpful. The hotel has been beautifully restored. Would stay again.

We recently stayed at the Pian D'Ercole Resort. The location is great for trips into Florence and to explore the Tuscan area.
We had a luxury room which meant we had a small garden, which was a nice place to sit in the early evening whilst enjoying a glass of wine.
The bedroom was spacious, clean and was pleasantly decorated. The bed was extremely comfortable, firm but not hard. The bathroom was modern and clean, and had a shower. We could not fault the hotel. Breakfast was a very good buffet of cold ham, salami, cheeses, toasts and jams, cakes, fruit juices, yogurts, selection of cereals, fresh fruits, and teas and coffees. The owner Ferdinando and his wife Roberta were excellent hosts, extremely pleasant and helpful, and really wanting to please their guests.
The hotel is nicely situated in the heart of the Chianti region; it is a 5 minute walk into Montebonello and a bit further, over the river, into the centre of Rufina. It is set in large grounds with fantastic views across the rolling countryside.
My only complaint would be that the pool was not open and is not due to open until the end of May, apparently they think it is far to cold to be swimming outdoors before then!
We ate in the hotel on our first night. The food was very nice but the choice was limited. I had chicken with mushroom which tasted gorgeous and my partner had the mixed meat grill which he said was cooked perfectly.
We had a take away pizza from a pizza shop at the top of the square in Rufina which was excellent. But the meal we had at the Ritrovo restaurant by far surpassed anything else we had eaten on holiday. We had a bottle of Chianti Reserva wine and a bottle of water. Starters of cold cuts with crustini and a tomato and mozzarella salad were followed by penne pasta with tomato, garlic and chilli and spaghetti with oil, garlic and chilli, we then shared a pizza with toppings of mushroom, ham & artichoke, this was followed by a glass of lemoncello. The bill came to 40 euros which we thought was very reasonable for the quality of food. I have no problem in recommending this restaurant to everyone.