Villa Elda - Siena, Italy 

Villa Elda is a nice hotel,but only nice and not deserving of its no.1 ranking. First: it is very pricey given the quality of its rooms and the above average furnishings,size,and ambiance. Second: there are no lounges to speak of,no public rooms Third: the breakfast was mediocre and the coffee was not drinkable! Having said that,I will say Giorgia(the owner) is very nice as is the entire staff and the location quite good although a hotel inside the medieval walls would be better. I have been to Siena more than five times and have generally commuted from other towns and had a great time staying a La Badia in Orvieto,for example.Even commuting by bus or train from Firenze is very easy. There are just better options in my view than Villa Elda. The rooms are spartan,bathrooms small,no public rooms to speak of,breakfast average. The management is extremely nice,however.

Giorgia, the manager, welcomed us with genuine friendliness and made us feel very welcome. She was incredibly helpful, including driving us to the train station when we left! Our stay here was one of the highlights of our trip.