This is a perfect italian hotel. Understated in the decor of bedrooms, but amply made up for in quality and service and providing value for money that cannot be found in Florence or Prato.

The majority of staff are welcoming, interested and attentive. The restaurant is excelllent. Other reviewers suggest a 'nearby restaurant', we neither found it nor needed it. The hotel's dinner was excellent quality and value.- a glass of excellent wine here is a third of the cost in Prato.

The location is perfect for those who might wish to wander on foot. Moments of walking take you into lovely countryside with an abundance of wildlife, while the town of Poggio has everything you could need.

I hope to find a reason to go back. If you need a good value for money high quality alternative to Florence, or respite before or after business in Prato, look no further.

This hotel is about 45 minutes west of Florence in a very nice residential neighborhood high in the hills. There are olive groves down the road from the hotel. You can actually see the Duomo in Florence in the distance.

The parking was free in a graveled and fenced lot out front. The lobby was spacious with plenty of seating and a flat screen television. The room was very clean and nicely decorated reminding us of a Marriott or Hampton Inn. It had a large bathroom and a lot of closet space.

Breakfast was in a very nice restaurant area wth ample seating and included in the price of the room. The buffet had plenty of croissants, rolls, cereals, yogurt, cheese and lunchmeats, with juices and coffee/tea.

It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. We really enjoyed touring around the area and checking out the church with its Lourdes grotto and olive trees.

The pros: This hotel has great service -- at the front desk as well as the restaurant. The rooms are great, and we had a really lovely balcony. Unfortunately, the pool was not open yet; but it looked beautiful. The countryside is gorgeous and very relaxing. Once we figured out how the air conditioner worked, it was fantastic as well. The pillows are quite flat, but if you ask, the staff will be happy to give you a second set.

The cons: The hotel sits on top of a huge hill. If you walk from the bus stop (like we did), be prepared for a hike. Also, we did not rent a car.... we rented bikes from the hotel. At the time we thought bikes would be perfect. We did not realize how extremely hilly the surrounding area was which made our bike rental almost a joke. We thought we could take a nice leisurely ride around town and to some of the surrounding vineyards. Unless you are comfortable biking up steep hills repeatedly, this is is definitely a place you want a car.

I took my mother to Florence for 8 days. I wanted somewhere with a pool and not too busy as she is now 80 and doesn't like too much noise etc. Poggio a Caiano is pretty quiet and an excellent spot for touring the various places of interest such as Lucca, Pisa and Florence. We took the bus into Florence which was only €2 each way and about 30 mins. Better than driving and having to find parking! Tip for driving especially round Tuscany where a lot of the towns have baffling one way systems - take satnav if you have it! Without ours we got lost round Prato twice!

The hotel was excellent - our room was a little dark and so they moved us - in fact they let my mother have a choice of rooms to move to. All the staff were most helpful and friendly. Breakfast was adequate and we ate out most nights (hotel evening meals not quite so good!) again they advised us on restaurants to try and we had some very good pizzas locally and a lovely meal in a village a few miles away sitting outside looking out over a panoramic view of Florence!

In the end we only used the pool on our last day there to wind down before going home!

We would like to thank all the staff for making our stay so enjoyable!