My fiancee and I were backpacking through Europe and decided to go through Siena. From searching the web, we came across the Castello di Selvole "hostel", which sounded great. We understood that it was somewhat remote but took a chance on it anyway and it wound up as one of the best stops on our trip. I would recommend it to anyone & everyone.
We arrived from Florence via the train and were picked up at the station by the groundskepper. Make sure you set this up with the staff ahead of time as they're more than happy to pick people up at the train station. He took us to the local super market and let us stock up on food. Make sure you get everything you'll need as they hostel rooms will only have cooking equipment, glasses, & silverware. No spices, oils, or food. They do have rosemary bushes everywhere though. From the market its about a 20-30 minute ride through the hills to Castello di Selvole. First impressions of this place are that it's gorgeous! Old tuscan style villas set on a hill between a couple hundred acres of wine vinyards. Not many things more picturesque than this.
The main guest area is a large villa with about 14 "hostel" rooms located about 100 yards from the main castle. I have no idea why they call this a hostel when it should be called an apartment. Anyway, our room cost about $70 USD a night and had a small kitchen with everything you need to cook & eat, dinning & living room area, an upgraded bathroom, & a large bedroom. The views from each apartment are spectacular.
Some notes to remember about this place are that it is remote. If you don't have a car, then you'll be very limited in what you can do. Their is a restaurant that is only open for dinner, which is about a 2-mile walk away. The food is delicious & relatively cheap so make sure you visit it atleast once. You can setup a pick-up and drop-off with the staff instead of walking if you want. They do have a washing machine available for use, though it's not the best one around......no dryer though, you'll have to use the clothes lines. They have a wonderful pool that is set above their vinyard. What an amazing view from the pool! We'd sit there for hours! The manager hosts an informal wine tour & tasting every day or two. Make sure you ask about this as it's free and the Chianti Classico wine they make is wonderful.
Positives: Great views, relaxing, pool, eating the grapes off the vine, seclusion, apartment style hostel.
Negatives: Secluded if you don't have a car.
