Mr & Mrs Smith

Top tip: enjoy the facilities and relax. This is an idyllic country retreat and you will have all your needs catered for. Wonderful breakfasts, light lunches and superb dinners. If you feel you have to move about, there are plenty of places to see, but we would recommend going to the local vineyard, Vecchie Terre Di Montefili, where you will be treated to a delightful and informative tour with a comprehensive tasting of the quality wines.

We arrived at Villa Bordoni on a Monday afternoon, which unfortunately, is the one day of the week that the Villa's restaurant is closed. After checking in the helpful reception staff recommended a nearby restaurant and booked us a table for later on that evening. The restaurant, Ristoro Di Lamole in Lamole, Chianti was approximately 25 minutes by car through picturesque Italian road. We arrived just in time for the sun set and the view was to die for. The glorious sun setting behind the Chianti hills was worth the drive. The view in itself is worth the trip. However, the food was also amazing and they had an extensive wine list. A perfect find.

We took the "Chianti Way " (S22) from the hotel to Siena, a fantastic car journey through the vineyards… beautiful scenery. We then spent a lovely day sightseeing in Siena. We ate in a pizzeria in the Piazza del Campo which was excellent (especially the pasta and house red wine), much better than expected for the main tourist square. If you stand in front of the fountain, the restaurant is to your right in the far corner of the square.

Can I also say the Villa Bordoni was the perfect place for an escape-from-it all break? Owners charming , food fantastic; lovely, lovely small hotel.

We were looking for somewhere to eat in down-town Florence when we passed a wonderful looking place called Il Santo Bevitore on Via Santo Spirito. Regrettably, the place was fully booked, and we didn't get the chance to eat there, but from the outside it looked absolutely amazing, and the fact that it was fully booked suggests that the food doesn't disappoint. Now we'll just have to go back and see if we can secure a table next time!