Villa Tolomei Hotel & Resort

I’m comparing this stay with other stays I had in the beautiful country Italy. The property is ok, it’s clean and well maintained. However it’s way too overpriced. Examples: Room service fee: 35€ per order At dinner they charge you a head cover of 5€ per person Glass of wine (in Italy!!):15€ Very average pasta with veal: 30€ The dinner menu is very very limited and the food not great for Italian standards. The waiter we had didn’t speak a word English which made it very difficult to communicate with. Also if you have a small child which needs to go to bed before 8pm you’re at the wrong place as the restaurant opens at 7:30pm and they have no flexibility to find a solution for you unless you want to pay 35€ room service fee for a 15€ food order. Unfortunately I cannot recommend this place and will not return.

Pros: clean rooms, clean & tidy grounds, hotel itself is quiet, pool area is very nice, nice views. Cons: front desk staff speaks min English, rest of staff speaks no English, walls are very thin & while the hotel is quiet you can hear guests in the hallway. One morning a European Family with children were leaving & hollering in the hallway for 30 min. It was really frustrating. At first I thought my room was next to a staff room & they were all arriving at 7am, so I asked the front desk if that was the case I wanted to be moved & she said no it was a family checking out. I could hear the guests in the next room using the restroom. The hotel is an 8 minute drive to town center. Half the Taxi drivers grumbled when I told them that’s the destination on the way home. Unless you have endless amounts of time & leisurely schedule you’re not walking to/from hotel to town. Now, if you don’t have much of an agenda I’m sure it’s a lovely walk. It’s an uphill hike home. After walking all day & all the steps at the Duomo/Bell Tower etc the last thing I wanted was a 25 min+ uphill hike home. The phone in my room didn’t work despite the staff trying to fix it. So, calling a cab, room service, requesting a hair dryer was a pain. I would recommend this hotel to someone who lives locally I& is looking for a weekend getaway. Someone who is looking to primarily stay at the hotel & will just be popping into town once or twice for dinner or brunch.

On the expensive side (pay attention to the fees associated with the number of occupants... eg. family of four) ... but great hotel & lovely premises... on hill overlooking city, even visible from many city attractions (duomo top). Staff very nice.