Villa La Borghetta Resort, Figline Valdarno

My husband and I found this villa in an upscale tour guide and decided it looked great. We booked four nights with our 2 children in a large room/suite. The villa is very beautiful and impressing upon arrival. We had 4 days in mid July there. However, I admit that I was a bit disappointed by several aspects: 1. The villa seemed to be dead. There was always just one person at the reception and one waiter who was juggling the pool and dining halls requests during the day. 2. We paid 290 EUR for a family suite and found ourselves in the attic with slanted ceilings - you know, the ones where you cannot even stand up straight in all places. I felt like I was in the last floor of a little doll house. And it was quite expensive to have just one bed, a small nook with canapy bed for children and small and clean bathroom with no counter place to put our things. The rooms online and in catagloges were NOT AT ALL like the one we go, so please, if you do come to this hotel, at least pay attention not to get on the fourth floor! 3. The elevator is ancient and has doors on 3 sides. It was annoying to wait minutes for the elevator as there were no stairs going directly to floor 4. 4. Location - pretty good - not too far from Sienna (but the route is so windy that you had better not drink to much in Sienna) and no too far from Florenze (but you can expect significant traffic delays. 5. The menu at the hotel is nice, but missing some pasta dishes. Plus, the menu was the same the entire time we were there, which was bit disappointed. On the brighter side, the pool is lovely, try to spend some time there with a bottle of presseco. The staff are very nice (even if you have to search for them at times). The view is very beautiful. Overall, I found the villa overpriced for what we got, especially since we had paid 30% less for a hotel in the same area the night before and it was so much better!!!

If you plan to visit the villa you should know that this is a place to relax. When you arrive at the first thing to notice is that it is very quit - no traffic noise. Bring a good book and relax by the pool or jaccuzi (which by the way is free of charge). We did not have any trouble to get a sunbed. One of my favourite things about the villa is that it is so beautiful (both inside and outside). The views are amazing! We have only tried the junior suites (room 101 and 105) with private terrace outside. I think both rooms were great. The bathroom in both rooms have a nice jacuzzi and both rooms are spacious. I also like the interior in the rooms, and it was cleaned every day. About the restaurant: The breakfast is very simple with bread/cakes, ham, cheese, jam, some fruit and serials. There is a very nice (elderly) waiter who works in the restaurant during breakfast and lunch (only?), and he asked us every morning if we wanted coffe. We only had one day with lunch from the lunch menu, and I am sorry to say it was a big disappointment. We ordered "Stuffed sandwich" with ham and mozzarella, and it was a dissaster. (The problem was that the bread must have been cut many hours before it was served, so it almost fell apart when we tried to eat it). But when it comes to dinner we were very pleased! (And we had dinner in the villa four times). It is not a gourmet restaurant, but quit good! I will especially recommend the risotto! We had a reservation for a special table in the restaurant every night, with the most beautiful views.

Quite simply, Villa la Borghetta is one of the finest hotels that I have stayed in anywhere in Europe. The location midway between Florence and Siena is stunning with amazing views of the Chianti region. The romantic bedrooms are spacious, quiet and beautifully appointed, with delightful bathrooms. The restaurant produced some of the finest dinners that I have ever enjoyed - yes it really does look like the pictures. All the staff are extremely friendly and helpful. While we couldn't take advantage of the recreational facilities in January, the infinity pool and spa looks amazing! It's a perfect place to enjoy a relaxing visit to Tuscany. Villa la Borghetta only opened as a hotel in mid 2006 - go there soon before it gets "discovered"!