Hotel Pian d'Ercole Resort - Montebonello Pontassieve

3.8

We went there in September, damp, small rooms which are quite noisy. Location is beautiful, if one does decide to go here (I think there are better loctions around for better prices) don't eat here, too expensive, no atmosphere (who puts a loud television in restaurant with some American series dubbed in Italian???) For a fantastic meal walk up the road (via Colognese?) away from Montebenello, about 2 km, here is an Osteria, absolutely fantastic food and great service!!!

7.3

We drove to this villa, and I would reccomend you dont drive if you cant speak italian. The maps were very confusing and we got lost for 2 hours trying to find the place. When we eventually did find it, we were all grumpy and tired. We did have a nice greeting though, and the pool was lovely and relaxing. There were a few families with small children, but we didnt mind the noise. The rooms are nice and there is internet facilities. I thought the property would be bigger, to walk around, but it was all fenced off. Not much to do except swim.

8.5

Hint number one: if driving, don't use Google (2008)for map instructions. They didn't have the hotel located in the correct town so we were lost for several hours. Thanks to a local shopkeeper, we finally got to the hotel. The hotel is actusally located in a town called Rufina, about 10km NE of Pontassieve. Our room was quite large, very clean and well furnished. The hotel has it's own winery and the food and wine for dinner were excellent although the service was somewhat slow. Breakfast was plentiful and there was a wide selection of hot and cold choices. The hotel is in a country setting, very farm like. The sourrounding country is classic Tuscany. The swimming pool is nice but the pool-side deck and furniture require up-grading. This hotel is a good three star property.

6.6

Hotel/resort was very nice in a picturesque area. About 30-40 mins from Florence by private car. We had a garden room on the bottom floor. Coupled with great weather in summer this was a huge bonus. The courtyard is semi-private, bounded by hedges. The bed and room furnishings and fittings were excellent. The restaurant was reasonably priced with great food, wine and service. Breakfast was a bit more generous than some other hotels we stayed in. The bad things, there was very little hot water at any time. My wife and I were never really able to have a proper hot shower while we were there. Sometimes we had a minute of hot water then lukewarm, sometimes only lukewarm to cold. The room was also quite noisy compared with other Italian places we stayed at. There was noise from the hall and from the room above. I couldn't get my computer to connect to the wireless, or even the wired network here, which was the only place it didn't work on the whole trip to a number of countries. The terminal in the reception area worked fine though. The pool and restaurant were also closed with short notice on a Saturday night. Fortunately the owner gave me directions to a number of restaurants in nearby Rufina, which may have been difficult if we did not have a car. Loved the property itself, but might be a bit hesistant to stay again due to the little issues.

6.8

Lovely setting. Area needs some looking after. Menu in restaurant is limited and service is fairly poor. Believe they are understaffed.

8.9

Meet my standard.

9.9

The service was really exceptional. The staff was extremely helpfull to fullfill any wish - even the not yet told ones! The menu is excellent - local and lot of seafood dishes and the wine selection is one of the best in the Rufina region.

9.5

We stayed in Montebonello for 3 days as it is very close to Florence.We used the train to go to Florence on two dxays and the owner even dropped us at the railway station.He and his wife made us very welcome and managed to get our motorcycles into the main hotel as parking is over the road.The hotel is in a very quiet area and we would definitely stay their again.

8.9

Hotel staff were very kind and welcomed when we arrived late at night. I would like to stay again.