Villa Casalecchi - Castellina in Chianti, Italy 

We stayed for 3 nights at the Villa Casalecchi and found it to be a beautiful and enchanting location. We were offered a choice of rooms and paid a slightly higher rate for an upstairs room with a valley view. It was well worth paying extra for; the view of the olive groves and the forest is gorgeous and you could easily spend an hour just looking out of the window, enjoying the peace and quiet and watching the birds flying around the hotel. If you stay here, I recommend that you don't over-pack your itinerary and allow yourself some time just to enjoy the hotel's tranquil atmosphere with a bottle of wine. It's worth it! The wood panelled dining room is quite grand-looking and makes a refined breakfast room and restaurant in the evenings. Breakfast is in the form of a cold buffet which included hard boiled eggs and home made cakes and tortes. One morning they served scrambled eggs and bacon but i"m not sure if this was a one-off. We dined in the same room one night and I can highly recommend the 1kg bistecca alla Fiorentina, which was exceptional. The hotel also produces its own wine, although I didn't try it. Service from all the staff was always excellent and attentive. There was an elderly gentleman who seemed to be the main English speaker and gave us some helpful advice on driving to some of the neighbouring towns. Despite the hotel clearly being a very old building, the bathroom facilities were up to date, if a little basic. The supplied toiletries are the most basic, too. However the rooms themselves are full of character and very comfortable. The hotel has an immaculate looking pool (which we did not try) and is surrounded by picturesque vineyards and forested hills. Its location makes it a very good base from which to explore other Chianti towns such as Siena, Radda, Greve and San Gimignano all of which are an easy drive away. The town of Castellina itself is a 2 minute drive from the hotel and has two 1 Michelin star restaurants (Al Gallopappa and Albergaccio), both of which were excellent. The great views, the peace and quiet, and the character of the property all make this a really unusual and nice place to stay.

We spent 9 nights in Italy last April which included 4 different hotels (Rome, Florence, Chianti and Venice) and Villa Casalecchi was our favorite. The grounds were beautiful, the staff extremely attentive - dinner was excellent - and the rooms were what you hope for when you book a villa in Chianti! The solid huge wooden doors open to large ceilings, comfortable bedding and birds singing in trees outside your shuttered (only) windows. Stone, nice furniture and cleanliness will make you smile. Our only regret is that we did not stay longer than our 2 nights. Lunch at Banfi (hour drive) was also a highlight....