We were travelling from Venice to Florence on the day we were due to stay in the hotel. We arrived at the main train station (Firenze) at about 10pm following a day of travelling and were told that the only bus to the hotel finished at 8pm and that a taxi to the hotel would be 150 euros. luckily, we managed to find a hotel nearby and we cancelled our stay with this hotel. Just a warning; we thought it unacceptable that the last reasonable form of transport finished at 8pm, particularly given that check in is at 4pm, giving a short window in which to reach the hotel.

A friend and I went to Tuscany in order to look for a villa to rent next year. We chose Hotel Villa Cesi to stay at as a base for four days because it was in Impruneta and thus very central to everything in Tuscany. The location was indeed great. The room, which was billed as luxury room, did bother me a bit because the onion smell from the kitchen was wafting in but it wasn't too bad. The whole layout of the building with the guest rooms did bother me indeed: endless twists and turns and very strange steps going up and down for no discernible reason. Breakfast was ok, people were nice enough. I would rather have been told in advance that on Sat there is going to be some sort of an event (wedding?) which meant that there were hundreds of cars all around the terrain and it was difficult to drive back in to the building. But, all in all, aside from these minor nuisances, fine place to stay and ok value for money. Impruneta as village is nice enough, although why the Bar Italia (GREAT icecream!) closes so early, is beyond me...

We stayed here for one night and booked three rooms for our extended family (grandparents, aunt, parents. and two small children). It was a welcome retreat after driving from Rome to tour Florence. The rooms were clean and the a/c cold. There was a wedding at the hotel and I heard some guests complain about the noise, but they were simply moved to our side of the hotel which was quiet. The hotel is not really near anything but it is a great stop for the night. In the morning a continental breakfast is provided and we ate outside on a beautiful terrace. After checking-out we began our drive throught the Chianti road (the hotel is at the start of this road through the Tuscan countryside which leads you down to Siena). The front desk provided us with map and tourist information. You definitely need a car in this area. The only recommendation is to get clear directions on how to get to the hotel (a bit confusing) and we arrived at night which made it seem almost impossible to find. However we called the front desk about ten times and they were able to guide us in.

This is a villa stuated in the countryside about 1 1/2 miles outside the small town of Imprunetta. We attended a lovely afternoon and evening celebraton event at Villa Cesi this May. There is a nice patio area outside for drinks and cocktail snacks. A sit down meal was served inside. One side of the room is open to the elements. This is very attractive, with candles burning at night, but take something warm to put on. Our meal was nice, with an empasis on traditonal tasty rustic Tuscan fare. Overall it was nice, with a local rather that lavish feeling.

It is convenient to stay overnight if you have been celebrating, but I really recommend that you dont make it part of a holiday experence! The villa hosts a constant stream of events which means that all of the outside areas, where you might like to sit in the sun, are full of party or confeerence guests everyday. There is no space, service, facilities (or peace and quiet) for other guests. We found our room rather utilitarian in style and noisy (thin walls and tnoisy tiled floors!). You really do need a car if you are staying here!
(We paid E100 per night)

The restaurant just opposite the bottom and to the left of the Villa Cesi driveway is lovely. It has a great wine list, English speaking waiters and a refined decor.