Toscana Resort Castelfalfi

This is our second time we have been there, and our first since the takeover by the Lohia family. Interesting to compare, so first of all prices have gone up substantially, but I guess that is not unique, many hotels have risen the prices post Covid. The view and location never cease to amaze me, it is great to lounge in the chairs overlooking the rolling hills, and if you are lucky you see the sky lighting up orange at sunset! The hotel room was adequate, the bed is good, the bathroom is spacious and well equipped and the storage cabinets are great. It has a nice TV. The bedtables had good sockets for USB and USB-C on both sides, which is great. We had some issue with the reading lights that would turn on and off during the night, and the only thing stopping it would be to switch of the central switch (unplug the card). The airco was hard to adjust and it kept at the same pace no matter what you did. We appreciated that we could indicate when room would be cleaned during the day. The hotel has 6 electrical chargers, which was very helpful for us. You can do walks around the golf course that is linked to the hotel, which are well indicated. The restaurant in the hotel is used for breakfast, which is of very high quality it has stunning view, but service is relatively slow. It seems to be in the way the staff is organized where certain people can only clean the tables or something. In general, I find the staff is very friendly and helpful. You can also dine in the same restaurant, strange that in the morning the tables are covered with a table cloth and in the evening they are not. The menu is limited and the food is a little disappointing for a hotel of this level. We much preferred the restaurant at the golf (which I will review separately). The golf course is also beautiful with 18+ 9 holes. Unfortunately, when we came 9 holes were closed, and I thought it was odd they don’t tell you when you book. Nevertheless, the course is good fun to play, I would recommend using a buggy due to the hilliness of the terrain. You have some stunning views here as well. Then they have a live musician every night at the bar area, which we appreciate and is fitting for the standard of this hotel. Unfortunately, they have a central loudspeaker system that was (softly) playing different music for both the bar area and the outside restaurant. Quite annoying to hear the live musician being spoiled by the system. I asked them to stop it, but it didn’t seem possible. Overall, we find the place beautiful and of a high standard, but more attention to details that provide true customer comfort could bring it to the level that fits the prices they charge.

The location and views are unbelievable. Service in the bar area, concierge is 5 star. Food and service at the main restaurant and pool restaurant is terrible. Not good value for €1000 a night. Service at breakfast was particularly poor and there was only a buffet available in the evening every night we were there (4 nights) a buffet in a 5 star hotel is not acceptable. We are out in some great local restaurants each night. It’s a nice hotel as a base to explore the area, but not good value for money. We also feel a bit miss sold as the pictures and facilities are not accurate. The spa was closed for renovation, they claim 4 pools and there is 2. We asked room service every day for milk and did not get any. Unfortunately with the price you expect equal service and it wasn’t up to the €1000 a night cost for a fairly basic room with no food. Experiences although very expensive are good. The temporary SPA massages were very good to be fair. It has potential and we may return when it is finished but we were disappointed given the price. At no point did anyone ask us for feedback whilst at the hotel, we didn’t even have a table check whilst eating on any occasion, so I can only assume they knew it was poor. The Tomato Pasta by the pool was genuinely one of the worst meals I’ve had and the service was like being at Karen’s Diner. The bill took over half an hour to arrive and by this point I had left but my wife couldn’t bring herself to leave and sat waiting for 30 minutes trying to chase it up! Very disappointed.

We read some of the negative reviews before visting and they cannot have been more wrong! The service here was impeccable, I feel like these people must have been at a different hotel! The staff were so accommodating, friendly, helpful, nothing was too much trouble! The place itself is beautiful, dining with the most incredible views. We did the wine tasting experience, as well as the vesper hire where we drove to San Gimignano, both were great fun! Thanks for such a fantastic 3 nights, it was the perfect end to our Italian holiday!