I stayed there in November 2006 and it was part of an expedia package that came with flight, rental car, and hotel. Expedia advertised it as a hotel "in Florence". We thought it was close to Florence or on the outskirts but turned out to be about 1 hour drive from Florence! So it is very, very far out in the country. Its a beautiful drive to get there, the Tuscany landscape is just unbelievable. But it is very difficult to find, you will need an excellent map before you travel to Italy. We didn't use GPS but from reading the other reviews, the GPS doesn't help much either. All I can say is the first time going to the hotel from Florence took 3 hours of driving and map reading, looking for road signs etc, and pulling a lot of u-turns in the small towns looking for roads. But, once we found it we got accustomed to the area quickly and had no further problems finding the hotel. The hotel is very nice, the weather was totally perfect when I was there so we didn't need AC or fans in the rooms but I can imagine the summer gets pretty hot and it might get uncomfortable in the room,not sure about that. The bathrooms were very small but I don't mind minor inconveniences like that. The staff was very nice and had a great free breakfast every morning. The hotel is an ancient farmhouse converted into a hotel, its like 1000 years old and is in better shape than most new houses in the US, amazing. One thing we really had a problem with - they have a curfew! If you arrive after 1am from a side trip, you are out of luck, they do not open the doors after 1am until around 6am. That alone ensures I will never want to go there again, I need to come and go as I please, apparently this is more of a bed and breakfast family style hotel where they expect their guests to be back by a decent hour. But if you can make sure you return to the hotel every night by 1am, and you dont mind being 1 hour from Florence out in the Tuscan countryside, this is a decent hotel, very nice and rustic, no frills, just the traditional Italian simple style - beautiful.

Location was too difficult to find by GPS and maps, rooms are very small, tiny, not very clean, bathrooms - terrible size, you'd find yourself on the toilet seat while taking a shower, no air condition and no fans, lots of mosquitoes & bees, dogs barking all night. price was far too high for what was provided. However,staff were very nice and helpful.
We don't recomend this place at all

We recently stayed in this hotel for a week and were absolutely delighted. It provided the ideal base for visiting Florence (hotels within the city are generally very expensive and service variable) and exploring Tuscany. We drove in to Florence from here, sometimes by motorway and sometimes cross country. The journey time was around 45 minutes and Piazzole Michelangelo was an excellent (free) parking area to head for, set high and overlooking the city, just across the river, and giving a magnificent viewpoint. The local town offered a variety of services and decent cake shops and restaurants but you would need a car to drive there. Near the motorway entrance we also found an excellent leatherware factory outlet shop. I can't remember its name but there were signs for it all along the approach to the motorway. The hotel was extremely clean and comfortable as well as being very attractive and in a delightful location, alongside the lake. There was lots of seating outside, offering different viewpoints, and usually we had these to ourselves. The bathroom had a shower only but it was a powerful shower and met our needs. Free slippers were provided as there was no shower tray but the floor dried quickly. Our room overlooked the lake. As it was over the front door we sometimes heard the comings and goings, as well as maintenance work such as lawn mowing. The staff were very warm and welcoming - particularly at breakfast where I have never received such friendly and helpful service. It consisted of a whole carton of fruit juice, water, excellent coffee, various pastries (often with cream inside) and bread as well as the ubiquitous ham and cheese. We felt that it offered great value for money, looking at other hotels in the area and what they charged. The local taverna is definitely worth a visit. I would thoroughly recomend this hotel and hope to return there one day.

...especially if you are on a budget. I have to disagree with the review that wrote so badly about it ...... I have stayed there NINE times over the past twelve months as I visit the area frequently.
The owners are delightful, limited English is spoken but hey, you are in Italy ! I have stayed there on my own and with my partner. I have always felt safe when staying alone and very very welcome.
The rooms are clean, breakfast is always served with a delighful smile and the owner is a lovely man.

Directions are simple if you get driving directions from the internet. For the previous person to say they couldn't find their way is unreasonable. The fun of travelling is researching your route!

The hotel isn't like the $995 per night St Regis I stayed in on Dana Point California or Soho House New York ... but I found that it was nicer and very homely for a very small price. I look forward to staying there again ! It is a very pleasant hotel with lovely people :0)

It is perfectly situated for enjoying the countryside and visiting Florence. I drive to the Figline train station and get the train to Florence for the day - no hassle of expensive parking OR tackling the one way system.The nearby town San Giovanni Valdarno is gorgeous too!

The Taverna Del Lago ( a short drive further up the lane from Hotel Del Lago ) makes exquisite Tuscan food. My boyfriend liked the Wild Boar pasta.

The starters are mouth watering, the tomatoes actually smell like tomatoes (!!!) not like the prepacked rubbish in the UK, the mushroom truffle on toasted bread is exquisite, the artichoke, local prosciutto .... at amazing prices.... I could go on.
It has a very nice french guy (who speaks fluent english) who is very helpful with the menu. You will see locals there too for that authentic Tuscan experience.
In San Giovanni Valdarno there are some very cute little cafe with scrumptious cakes .... all at very reasonable prices compared to the overpriced tourist land of Florence.
Hotel Del Lago is a fine price to stay - especially considering the price of the rooms! I would 100% recommend it.