My husband and I stayed at the Oliveta for several days in October, 2005. I have been meaning to send in this review since our return. My husband has said a few times that he wants to go back. It was perfect for us. We rented a car to drive to other towns in the area and there was always parking available at Piccolo Hotel Oliveta. The walled in old city of Siena was a just a 20 minute walk for us (we are slow walkers) and there is also a bus a few feet away from Piccolo Hotel Oliveta. Bus tickets are easy to purchase from the tobacco shop across the highway. Piccolo Hotel Oliveta has an outdoor patio with a beautiful view, where we had wine and cheese, provided by the hotel for a fee. The view from our room was also lovely. The breakfast was ample (croissants, cheese, cereal, etc.) The hospitality offered by Alexandra, Nicolina, Antonio and Fabio was excellent. We enjoyed getting to know them. The shower was a little akward, however bathroom set ups are just a little different in Italy then we are used to in the United States, and this bathroom was one of the better ones. This was previously an old farm house, so the sleepong rooms are in a seperate building from the main house, where breakfast is served, but this was not a problem for us. One day when it rained, umbrellas were provided if needed. We would look forward to staying here again.

there is really nothing to get excited about in this Hotel. Nothing was practical: moist and cold rooms during the winter, divided bathrooms of which towells were not in the shower side (thus having to walk on cold tiles after the shower, paper thin walls of which you hear neighboring guests waking you up in the middle of the night, Spartiate decoration & room amenities, breakfast did not meet any 3* standards (coffee was poor), and finally, indeed, the owners were cordial, but not helpful in ANY way to rave about it. I beleive that anybody that would read the previous comments will be terribly disappointed after their stay at the Hotel.
I, personally, feel that I overpaid for my stay (in excess of 110 euros for the room, per night. I beleive that it wasn't worth 80 euros per night)

My wife and I stayed at the Oliveta for several days, and enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere and loacation...out in the country and a very short walk to the city center. The hospitality offered by Alexandra, Nicolina, Antonio and Fabio was excellent. We felt more like family than guests.

As other reviewers have said, the staff is very helpful and friendly and being able to check your e-mail was nice. Location and parking are convenient. The view from our room was really picture perfect. However, the room was tiny (this was disclosed in advance and the price was quite reasonable) and water from the shower flowed pretty freely out of the bathroom. Also, the walls must be paper thin.