Jimbob - thanks again for the clarifications.

And after reading what CVerga has to say, I am going to hesitate indeed when thinking of booking Il Giglio. The niceness and graciousness of the hosts of your hotel is VERY important to me. It can "make" or "break" a visit in my opinion and since this is so important to me, I may just try one of the apartments that are listed on the Dusi's site. Other than that, I have also heard about the Palazzino Cesari and may check that out as well.

Sorry that you had such a "less than perfect" stay at the hotel. Glad though that you enjoyed the village.

I agree ! Cesira is across the street and a better place for the same $$$. Just be sure that Robert tells you how to confirm your stay. He does not take CC.

bobthenavigator - have you actually stayed at the Cesira? And who is Robert? How do you pay if they don't take cc?

thanks.

Hi Flame,

I would agree with CVerga's assessment of the owners of Il Giglio - just to a point. The family is not the warm outgoing types you would expect and have probably encountered many times in B&B and hotels. They are on the reserved side.

However, the hotel is very nice, spotless rooms where everything works and works very well, large bathroom, comfy beds, great views and location. I don't require hugs and kisses from the staff, just service when I request it. My car was always promptly parked and retrieved for me, my laundry was done perfectly, my bill was accurate. I felt the hotel was a very good value for Tuscany, 80E /night for a double room in Sept, high season.

So there you have it.

I did stop to look and have sent clients there. They take cash, checks or bank transfer. Robert is the owner and is American.

bobthenavigator - thanks again. Mind if I ask what is your line of business as you write that you have sent clients there?

Dayle - I agree with you that I do not need to be coddled by the owners of a B&B but there is a difference between that and what CVerga describes. Since you and many others have had good experiences, I shall put it on my list and continue in my searches.

Flame,

I have stayed at Cesira and you could not hope to find nicer owners than Robert and Lucille....He is extremely well versed in the history of the area..we asked him question after question and he was ever patient...and he makes a fabulous omelet, to order, for your breakfast. Rooms are simple and the home is right in town...I would upgrade to their "best" room if possible...

Traviata - can you tell me about what you paid for your room in Cesira and when were you there? I did not find prices on their web site. Thanks.

Flame,

I don't recall, but it was not much..I want to say about $60.00 but that was three years ago...Robert and Lucille are really generous hosts and very pleasant...he taught us most of what we know about Brunello!!!

Flame:

We had exactly the same reaction. Our day trip to Montalcino made us want to use it as our base for our next trip. We have stayed twice at the Hotel Vecchia Oliviera adn really liked it--we had a room with a view (would not want one without). They have a pool. We thought the staff was very nice.

http://www.vecchiaoliviera.com/

Flame, You can look here:

www.bobthenavigator.homestead.com

We have travelled all over Italy several times and stayed in B & B's, 2,3, and 4 star hotels. The number of times we've had help taking our luggage to our rooms can be counted on 2 fingers, once in Rome and once in Todi. I don't consider that good or bad about a hotel. I don't expect it.
We found the owners of Il Giglio warm and helpful. They gave us great directions and information whenever we asked for it. Them smiled at us when we came in every time, when we came downstairs, and at breakfast. We came in about 11pm one night and asked the host if he would be willing to make us some capuccinos and lattes. He smiled and made us our drinks and stayed close by to talk while we sat and drank them. We will definitely stay at Il Giglio next trip.

Like I said in my previous post, I don't take writing negative feedback lightly. However, the experience we had at the Il Giglio was very unusual. I am very happy for those of you that had a different experience there. I guess we all have different expectations.
Dayle, I followed your advice regarding the Grappolo Blu and couldn't have been more impressed. I also pointed out many of the good things about the Il Giglio in my post, that you included in yours. I was trying to give credit where credit was due. The example I used regarding our luggage was just one of many simply not friendly encounters. The Father and the son were lukewarm at best and the Mother bordered on being rude. I have several examples of her odd behavior, but am not going to labor on with this. I would say that maybe it was something we did, but we went out of our way to be nice, as we did everywhere else.
I liked our accomodations in Rome and loved where we stayed in Florence and Venice and would highly recommend them. A nice, clean room and a little kindness is all I ask for in a hotel. We only got the nice clean room at the Il Giglio, but it didn't put a dent in the great time we had in Montalcino

cverga, did you end up staying at the Res. Canali in Rome?

SeaUrchin,
We really liked the Residenza Canali. We spent 2 nights in one of their top floor rooms with terrace and one night in one of their regular doubles. I have to say that there was a big difference between the two rooms. We loved our room on the top floor and wished we could have spent all three nights there, but it was only available for two. It was well worth the extra money! The location was great for walking everywhere and we thought that the street that it was on was very charming. All of the staff were very nice and helpful. I would definitely stay there again. Next time (I am already trying to figure out how/when I can go back) I want to stay in Rome longer. Thanks for your help during the planning process. I guess I should probably write a trip report!

Don't want to hijack this thread but..(yes you should write a report!!)(Glad you liked Res Canali!)

I agree with Dayle's assessment of the Il Giglio. I thought the owners reserved, especially the mother (she did smile a few times, especially when the grandchildren came for a visit), but they were not rude. They were always helpful when I needed directions or help with bus schedules, shop hours, etc.

As for the luggage. There is no elevator and three people running the hotel, so it would be quite a burden on them to help all the guests get their luggage up the stairs. I managed fine and was on the third floor.

I used their shuttle service, which is a great feature, and both Michele and his father were polite and pointed out interesting sites.

The view from my room was wonderful and the location of the hotel is excellent, I would definitely stay again if I return to Montalcino.

To add to this long thread,we have been there the last three years and stayed there twice, Once a year ago in May and again this last October.
We really love Grappolo Blu and ate there twice last year.
we've stayed at Il Giglio-nice view
and Cesira -nicer rooms.
Last year the author was in Montalcino (doing a tour) when we were there. My wife grabbed her book and had it autographed.
A very nice lady in one of our favorite little towns.

Many thanks again to everyone who posted on this thread. I am filing this away for future (hopefully very soon) reference.

what a great thread! I'll have to find that book, too.

I will be in Montalcino in about 5 weeks!