Is there ONE property, either an Inn or a hotel, that stands out as being the "best of the best" as far as rooms, locaton, service, etc.? In other words, if you had an unlimited budget, where would you stay? I wouldn't be interested in staying in a larger city like Florence or even Siena but pretty much anywhere else would be fine. We have been to Tuscany several times and we're just looking for someplace new. Some that I've come across on this board are:

Locanda dell'Amorosa (we've actually stayed here and altough its nice---we're looking for something a bit more upscale)

Castello di Velona (we've stayed here too and loved it. Just looking for someplace different)

Relais Villa Arceno
Il Falconiere
Borgo San Felice

I know there are new places that pop up all the time so I'm hoping someone might have an idea for a place I haven't found or thought of. It's not a honeymoon but I'll call it a second or third honeymoon.

Any thoughts?

Hi S,

Villa San Michele in Fiesole.

You won't have to go into Florence if you don't want to.

Squeak,

We stayed at Palazzo Terranova in Umbria this past October and I am still dreaming about it. We have stayed at Locanda several times and eaten at Falconiere...Palazzo was more special.

Ira--thanks and I completely agree. Actually we have stayed at Villa San Michele. It's one of my favorite hotels in the world. The thing is, I'd just prefer to be south of Florence. Chianti, Val D'Orcia, Umbria, etc. I would truly love to stay there again at sometime in the future. It was simply magical.

Actually, I considered Palazzo Terranova but I heard it was very hard to get to and rather secluded. Is that true? I have always wanted to stay there so that might be a very good choice. Please keep 'em coming!

Squeak,

Palazzo is very secluded and the road to reach it is unpaved, and filled with ruts...that said, I would go back in a heartbeat, and hope to do so this fall. It is truly beautiful and a very special experience.

It is all about location to me.
That said, look at La Saracina and a new spa hotel named Adler Thermae near Bagno Vignoni.

Villa San Michele would also be my choice, but if you want to stay in Chianti, Villa San Michele owns a vineyard/farmhouse called Capannelle that looks absolutely gorgeous. You can view it on the Villa San Michele website:
http://www.villasanmichele.orient-ex...c7e_vinery.jsp

Foresteria di Fontarronco in my opinion is right what you are looking for! Small and exclusive and not as expansive as resorts like Villa San Michele or Falconiere. Me and my partner love Tuscany and travelled there several times! Small properties with warm hoster are the best way to be accommodate and feel yourself like at home.... check www.foresteria.it or www.villafontelunga.com - both accommodation are in my opinion the best you may find in Tuscany, the second one is much more expansive, owner are british!

Thanks for so many great ideas! I did look more into Palazzo Terranova. It truly looks lovely but I just question whether it's just too remote. For instance, what do you do for dinner? Do you eat at the hotel every night? I would just imagine that your options are limited unless you drive maybe an hour or so. Since I've never stayed in this area I wanted to be sure before making another mistake. On the map it appears to be a remote town that's fairly isolated so correct me if I'm wrong.

Last time we were in Tuscany we stayed at Castello di Velona, which we LOVED. The property is lovely and the location is supurb--it's hard to beat the view when you walk out your door in the morning! We spent our first 5 nights there and our second 5 nights at Villa Sassolini in Moncioni. The property was fine, a bit of a disappointment after staying at Castello di Velona but the location was just horrible. It wasn't near anything and we found ourselves driving an hour every night for dinner. So as nice as a property may be, and this was in no way a 5 star property, it doesn't matter how nice it is if it's in the middle of no where!

I understand and agree with what Bob is saying, it's definitely a mix of location, service and ambiance. It's hard to beat the Val d'Orcia as far as perfect location goes so I was just looking for new ideas. Thank you for the pointer to Capannelle. I had never heard of this property so you answered my question as to "what's new?" I'll definitely look into it.

Hi Squeak,

I consider the Palazzo more of a destination hotel....two nights would be perfect because coming and going wouldn't be easy. However, other guests did do a day trip to Gubbio while we were there. Dinner is served in their dining room...lunch is served outside on the veranda, and breakfast is either inside by the fire or in your room.

If you are looking for a place with easy day trips, this wouldn't be it. We added our time there as an extra because we had heard so much about it. It didn't disappoint! But, it might not be what you are looking for on this trip....

There is Alain Ducasse's property just outside of Castiglione della Pescaia on the coast... Hotel L'Andana-Tenuto La Badiola
http://www.andana.it

I've had dinner in the restaurant (we were staying at a friend's home just down the road, so didn't stay at the hotel).

PB

Hi PB--

Actually this property is what started my mission. I was planning to stay here and found a great package thru Luxury Link but then I did some research & found that it's very remote and not near anything per se. As Traviata put it, it's more of a destination hotel where you'd stay put opposed to a place you'd base yourself and make daytrips from. It looks amazing though!

We stayed at and thoroughly enjoyed the Castello Oscano (set in a beautifully forested area just outside Perugia.) Service was impeccable, food was a regional adventure and the castle itself was marvelously evocative of days gone by. Radically untouristy,it is a favourite among Italian business people who require privacy (!) but this is an endorsement, IMHO.

Check out their glam webiste at www.oscano.com

Hi Squeak ~

Yes... Ducasse's place is not near much of interest. Luckily we were just there to spend a week with friends and relax.
And frankly, we had better meals elsewhere !

Patricia

In the quaint town of Radda, Relais Vignale is a special place. I've never experienced such fine dining, night after night, in such a small town. Perfect central location for easy daytrips to Montalcino in the south, Florence to the north and San Gimignano to the west, and everything in between. I'm surte there are more expensive places, but no need.

How does Villa La Massa compare with Villa San Michele?

Perhaps a little off the beaten path, but I'd certainly put Il Pellicano, outside Porto Ercole, in the running.

Hi squeak:
Well if you want something new . . . Banfi is opening new luxury rooms this April called Il Borgo.

http://www.castellobanfi.com/tour/borgo.html

p.s. friends love Certosa di Maggiano outside Siena.

Bat--thanks so much for the info on Castello Banfi. I thought I had heard of them opening up an inn of sorts but when I checked maybe a month or two ago, there was nothing posted on their website. I now see they have it posted and it looks fabulous so I've written to them for rate info. If I stay I will definitely post back to let you know how it is.