Hotel Le Pozze di Lecchi is a beautiful 14 room hotel set along a wooded hillside, adjacent to a small creek and working vineyards. It apparently was an old 15th century mill that was recently converted to a hotel. Furnished with antiques, the rooms retain the old stone walls and beamed ceilings. A 2-level pool (closed during our visit) and a parking lot sit on a flat grassy area nearby with a fine view over the Chianti hills. A covered patio area in the back of the hotel looks like it could be used for group functions. The grounds are nicely maintained.

This hotel actually was not our first choice but our original selection had some plumbing problems and they arranged for us to stay here at a reduced cost, which, given the quality of accommodations, was quite a good deal. We stayed 2 nights.

To reach the hotel requires driving down some twisting, wooded country roads (few shoulders and guardrails). While the main road it sits on between Gaiole in Chianti and Siena is not as bad as the roads between Poggibonsi, Castellina in Chianti, Radda in Chianti, and Lecchi, please be aware it is not easy driving and if you do it at night without having previously driven the road, you may miss the turnoff to the hotel. The turnoff (about 2 miles south of Gaiole in Chianti) is marked with a sign and flag on the west side of the road. You then have to drive up a climbing, winding gravel road past a couple of farm houses for about a mile to reach the hotel.

Our room was a top floor 2-level bedroom with a new jacuzzi tub in the upper loft. There is a modern elevator, but the stairs are an easy climb. The room was very nice with some pretty antiques, a bit small but the upper level made it seem larger. The bathroom had beautiful new fixtures. Satellite TV and a small minibar are provided. There were a couple small dead bugs in the jacuzzi tub, but the room otherwise was very clean. The hotel has a restaurant built out of the old stables attached to the main building; very attractive and the food was good (breakfast is served here in the morning and includes meats, cheeses, fruits, breads, and pastries). There is also an attractive small spa located on the lowest level that has a steam room and a large jacuzzi tub where massages and treatments can be arranged (we didn't use it as there was an extra charge). A small bar is located in the lobby near some seating and the reception desk. The ladies on the staff were very pleasant and offered us use of their computer for emails.

My wife and I found that Chianti was not such a big deal. Yes, there are some nice views, but the nearby towns (Gaiole, Radda, Castellina) are not that interesting and the drive to get to the towns on the narrow roads is nerve-wracking (a large truck barely made it down the main street in Lecchi without hitting the buildings on either side). The towns do have wine cellars and tasting rooms (many of which were closed in November) and there are scattered castles to visit, but we did not find much to appeal to us. We did go into Montevarchi (about 1 hour away) where there is a Prada outlet (good prices) in an industrial park on the east side of the road leading south out of town (ask in town for directions as there are no signs). Siena is about 45 minutes south and offers much more to see and do (we visited there on the way to southern Tuscany, which I thought was more interesting and attractive).

If you do want to visit Chianti than Le Pozze di Lecchi would be a nice choice, particularly during the summer when the pool would be open and the days are longer to accommodate the long drives.