We stayed here with Travelsphere. The hotel is family run and the staff and owners were very friendly and nothing was too much trouble. The furnishings in the hotel public rooms were cosy and comfortable.. lovely to have some soft squishy arm chairs and sofas to relax in after a hard days sightseeing.Although we didn't use the spa we heard that it was very relaxing and enjoyable. The hotel is within walking distance of both the old and new town but after a day of sightseeing we we were quite happy to relax in the bar. Bar prices were very reasonable 1.50 euros for cappuccino and a bottle of house wine at dinner 10 eurosOur room was a good size with a balcony and everything we needed including a fridge, safe and a shower as we had requested and the bed was comfortable. We found our pillows too hard and asked for some softer ones which appeared immediately. I would like to offer the hotel some constructive criticisim regarding the food. Firstly the food was plentiful, freshly cooked and speedily served. However .I agree with a previous review about the orange juice at breakfast. It was more like an orange drink and not my choice. However other than that breakfast was fine for us and I'm sure if we had asked we could have had something cooked. I think the salad buffet could be improved compared with other 3 star hotels we have stayed in There was not a lot of choice or variety.. it was the same every night. It could have been improved by adding other vegetables or rice salad, pasta salad,maybe some cold meats, sweetcorn etc. or other Tuscan specialtiesAlso there were only two choices of main meal and no choice of desert. We really didn't like having to choose our main meal the previous evening it felt a bit like being in hospital, although maybe its to stop guests having to wait for their meal or stop food being wasted. Maybe this is common practice in Europe but we have never come across it before and we like the anticipation of what is to come! There should definitely be a desert table with a few choices.
Marina our tour manager was really great. She was always cheerful and enthusiastic and made the days really enjoyable.This holiday was a 45th wedding anniversary for us and we had a cake iced in blue l and a present wrapped and presented with a blue rose for sapphire which Marina organised as well as a card signed by everyone. The places we visited were fabulous and although we were quite a distance from Florence and Pisa we got to see miles of lovely Tuscan countryside.
I may have given the hotel food a bit of criticism but we would certainly return and this holiday was everything we had hoped for.We met some very nice people who we hope to keep in touch with. So thank you Marina for EVERYTHING. Barbara