Overall we really really liked this hotel. It has beautiful views, lovely grounds, good food and has two pools so that even when full it was never crowded. However it is such a shame they let themselves down in some small ways:

1) Service at the pool was TERRIBLE. Best example I can give is that we ordered food at lunch which took 30 mins to arrive and then my girlfriend asked for cheese with her pasta (not an unusual request in Italy!) and it took 20 mins to arrive so she had finished. I use that as an example but was typical.

2) the Aircon in the rooms is somewhat patchy - it works but is pretty pathetic. It was very hot when we where there with the result that one night we were very uncomfortable.

Aside from that though it is a great place and I recommend it - just such a shame about the small things which one remembers....

My husband and I stayed here for 5 nights in the main villa. Extremely peaceful, beautiful grounds and room (felt like we had the place to ourselves), and very attentive service. We traveled all over Tuscany from there (don't miss biking in Lucca, Piensa, Montalchino, and Poggio Antico Restaurant and vineyards (amazing food and brunello's). If you want to get into the Vatican, St. Peter's and the Sistine Chapel for a private tour before it opens to overwhelming crowds look up Access Italy on the web. Very professional and WORTH THE EXTRA MONEY!!!!!! Much better than booking with American Express Platinum Concierge.

We stayed mid July in this beautiful estate in Tuscany about 20 miles south of Florence... The hotel is situated perfectly with gorgeous vistas of the city of Florence and vast views of the wine country.The hotel is lavish with its accomodation and they just added a beautiful indoor pool and spa facility .I had 2 great massage treatments in a beautiful setting. Our room was situated in the villas and there were amaing public areas , which were actually quite private...I kept changing chairs and couches because they all seemed so inviting. They all looked out into the Tuscany countryside.

The service however while well intentioned was spotty and it was obvious to me that there was a lack of training...TThe staff tried hard though sometimes were distracted and after visiting some other high end hotels there wa an obvious dropoff, and at this price point there should be no concerns for the level of service. For instance we had to help with outr bags because we felt bad for the bellhop/concierge/ office manager while checking out

All in all though the beauty and uniqueness of this villa is well worth a stay and with a little tweaking it can be close to perfect.

The only reason this hotel gets only 4 stars is because the rooms were too, too, too damn small.

The property is absolutely gorgeous. The views are spectacular, the main villa and common areas are decorated beautifully. There are large terraces with frescoed walls and lovely chairs and sofas for reading, drinking wine, taking in the view. The owner has amassed a large collection of statues and other art from South Africa, which is blended very nicely with the traditional artwork and antiques. I cannot say enough about how beautiful and relaxing the place as a whole is.

The problem is with the teeny tiny little rooms. Now, I booked the cheapest room (390 euro) so it's probably my fault, but. . .the bathtub was in the middle of the room, and the toilet was enclosed by a frosted glass door. Read: you can see your partner in using the bathroom. There is a tiny amount of storage space, which makes the room seem even smaller. The bed takes up pretty much the entire room. The rooms are very nicely decorated, in kind of a shabby chic look, all newly renovated with fancy tub and sinks, plasma tvs, etc, but they are TOO SMALL!! Even by European standards.

I asked to pay more for a bigger room, but couldn't get a response out of the staff. I asked three times for a status and finally got tired of begging and accepted my fate in my beautiful but tiny room.

The food is excellent, we loved almost everything we had here. We especially loved dining in the wine cellar, which was very romantic, with candles and music. We did the wine tasting of the Villa's wines, which was fun.

Also, we got a recommendation for a restaurant called Cinque de Vino (I think) in San Casciano which was out of this world. It was the best meal we had in Italy and possibly one of the best meals I've ever had. The owner speaks perfect English and will explain the entire menu to you, and the waitstaff were pleasant and did a great job. We really loved this place.

I would definitely recommend this hotel, and go back myself, as long as a bigger room was available.