We spent 25 days in Italy and this was definitely one of our favorites, if not our #1 favorite. Daniele was part of making our stay so wonderful. He was always willing to help us plan a day or recommend things to do. We travelled to Florence by train so we did not have a car but it was not a problem even though we were not in the center of the city. We quickly learned to use the bus and it was very easy to take the bus to and from Eden Rock. We stayed 5 nights in a Panoramic Suite. It was like having our own place. It had a big living room, outdoor terrace with an amazing view, kitchen, bedroom and big bathroom. It was so quiet we felt like we were the only guests staying there. It was too chilly for us to use the pool but it looked very inviting. It would be so nice to lounge by the pool in the warmer months. After our long days of touring the countryside or the city, we always looked forward to coming back to our home away from home.

More a suite than a room, the decor and suite facilities where very luxurious and exactly what one would expect a 5 star suite to be. However the views are to die for. Even if you don't have the suite with views of Florence all the suites have views of the Tuscan hills.

Should you want to see a view of Florence E.M Forster would be proud of there is a secret terrace on the roof where the amazing skyline of Florence can be seen sitting in the vally. Here's how you get to that terrace.

1.From the reception office walk down the corridor to the right, away from reception.

2. Go up the first set of steps you see on your right.

3. At the top of these steps take a left and walk to the fire door at the end of the corridor.

4. Go out through the door into the tiny court yard. This is where we were told we could smoke but because this courtyard has hotel suite doors opening onto it we didn't think it polite to smoke there.

3. Instead we took the iron fire- escape style stairs which go up from the right of the courtyard.

4. At the top of these stairs it starts to feel like an adventure as you have to walk along a safe but very narrow path along the edge of the roof.

5. At the end of the path are a few more steps to go up but then it opens up and you're at the secret terrace. Florence can be seen from the right aspect of the terrace.

Please let me know if anyone found these directions useful.

On a practical level, don't think you can walk into Florence, the route is a fast, bendy road with sheer drops, Italian drivers to contend with and no footpath. There is a bus stop outside but the bus only passes Eden rock on it's way out of town.?To get into town you catch the bus from Eden rock and get off at the next stop up (which is a good couple of miles up the hill). You then cross the road and wait for the next bus going down the hill into Florence. You can get off outside the hotel on the bus back but remember to note the number and name of that bus stop because if it's dark on the way back you can't see where to get off but LED boards on the buses tell you what bustop number/name is coming. If the boards aren't working it's not the stop imediately after the agip yellow signed petrol station it's the next one a couple of miles further up the hill so stand up and look up for lights of the hotel through the bus windscreen.

There is parking underneath the hotel (which actually means at road level as the hotel is set on the rock above the road) but access to the hotel carpark is on a nearly blind bend that cars take at 40mph on average (The pedestrian entrance is an inconspicuous black gate, up the long drive to the right) Driving to and from the hotel is not impossible but you need to be a calm, confident driver who doesn't suffer from vertigo, which is true of driving in Italy generally.

Equally hiring scooters is cheap and easy but as a scooter driver in the UK I must warn you that if you've not driven a scooter before or it's been a while, Tuscany is 100% NOT the place to start. Bendy fast roads, sheer drops, stones in the road from land slips, and Italian drivers are not considerate of scooter drivers and can be deliberately dangerous on occasion. To ride a scooter in Tuscany you need to be extra alert and drive very defensively, you can't do this while trying to keep your balance and getting used to the controls. Save your first scootering experience for flat beach resorts with wide open roads or the slow roads of inner-cities.

The whole hotel is very Bond Baddy's evil mountain retreat. From breakfast in the summer house by the pool (it's a small pool so don't get your hopes up) to the remote controled screen that slowly raises to reveal your kitchenette, everything is super sleek and luxurious.

The staff are friendly and helpful and you can even buy tickets for the bus from reception (it's more expensive to buy tickets on the bus). Breakfast was delicious and plentiful. It's a bit out of the way but they have luxury, views and parking, all stuff you'd struggle to get in Florence central. If you have a kitchenette and fridge in your suite stock up on food in Florence as there is no shop you can walk to locally. Busses run until late (at least eleven) so you can dine in town and bus back but taxis out to Eden rock are not massively expensive if you want to have a proper late night out.

Florence is amazing, even if you're not particularly into art. For me it was all about the views, the churches and the shopping. It's not cheap in Florence as in other bits of Italy, beer in particular can cost anywhere between €4-8 which is more expensive than London. The cheapest place we found to drink was an Irish bar (isn't it always) €4 a pint.

After the busy city vibe of Florence it was nice to go back to the peaceful relaxed luxury of Eden rock at the end of the day. The rooms were so nice we weren't in any hurry to leave in the mornings either and we enjoyed lounging around our suite until a need for lunch prompted us to make a move.

I'd go back in a heartbeat but in the year since our visit I've given birth to my first child so we are unlikely to have the time or money for a while.

We stayed here as part of our 3 week honeymoon travelling around Italy during the Summer. I could not recommend it enough. It is a unique and amazing place with wonderful staff. I am only sorry I didn't write this review earlier. This is not a B&B, It is a small boutique Hotel….

Good Points

The Room/View...We stayed in the Romantic Suite and I would challenge you to find a better view from a hotel room anywhere in the world. It was and INCREDIBLE VIEW and my photos simply don't do it justice. Sometimes we just sat in our room staring out the window. It is well worth the money. and great value compared to rooms in central Florence.
The Staff…We were made to feel welcome by everybody in the hotel, especially Daniele(MAN) who went out of his way to help us. They leave you to yourselves but if you ever need anything they spring into action. he even gave us a lift into Florence one night to save us getting the bus!
The Pool Area……It was beautiful pool area and we had to ourselves most days. My only complaint would be that there was no Sunshades and the wasps were annoying. However, we sat away from the garden s it didn't bother us. I can't see what the hotel can do about the wasps as you are in the countryside and that part of the country.
Restaurant…There is a limited menu and some kids who are picky may not enjoy, but the 2 evening meals that we had there were in the top 3 of our honeymoon, the Speciality steak was amazing. Allesandro was a great and amusing waiter who kept us entertained. One night were the only people there and it was like it was our own place.

Bad Points

I am struggling to find anything here….You are a little bit outside Florence but that is a good thing. You are in the beautiful Hills only a 15 min bus journey or 5/10 min taxi ride away. Its like a little Oasis.
In the Romantic Suite the Shower was a little low for me and I mentioned it to Daniele and he said it would be fixed in the off season.

Tips, Ask Alessandro to se the Wine Cellar & Book the Romantic Suite, email Daniele and ask for availability as they are very flexible…

Stayed here two nights after a couple of nights in a Florence city centre hotel. Have to agree with other reviews - really lovely place,perfect to chill out, an experience not to be missed. It was also great to be able to stay in rather than having to go out to yet another restaurant.
The breakfast was great but it would have been nice for the staff to inform us of the cooked egg selection on offer (or a printed menu perhaps?) - we only found this out on the second day when we saw someone else with cooked eggs!
The apartments and the are top quality and as such - we could suggest "little" additions that would fit with the high standards here - the kitchen was lacking cooking utensils - a couple of large plates and soup bowls and some milk in the room to go with the complementary tea. Also some nice quality wine glasses rather than the supermarket standard ones. I must stress these are not complaints, but suggestions for positive improvements!
We will hopefully be back as we expect to be in Florence again next year and it would be nice to stay when hotter and get use of the pool. My only problem might be how to get there and back to Florence station, as we probably won't have a car next time. A pick-up and drop off service would be really useful.