Mr & Mrs Smith

The professionalism, the hospitality, the good food and the beautiful panoramic views!

We missed a bit the local touch: the music playing in the restaurant and outside at the pool is Buddha bar CD music and the pictures in the rooms were Greek landscapes with white island houses.

Great but hilly running tracks with beautiful scenery, right out of the door into the woods.

There is something rather special about Villa Sassolini. We pulled up at the gates at dusk in our ridiculous (though highly economical!) Smart car, having almost missed the turning for Moncioni, and I felt like we'd stepped back in time. A few friendly local children were playing outside the local (and only) shop selling salamis, cheeses and bread, next to the iron gates of the hotel. We were greeted by George, who swept down the steps without prompting and carried our bags up the steps to our room. Room 5 is stunning, with a huge four-poster bed, chaise longue, massive bathroom, and two windows – one with a view of the pool and the other across the rolling Tuscan hills. Here we stayed for four blissful nights, waking up to Italian buffet breakfasts and lunches by the pool, followed by traditional four-course dinners in the hotel's uber-romantic restaurant. They even had wheat-free pasta. Andrea, the hotel manager, is simply lovely and booked us a wine-tasting session with with wonderful Roberto at Manucci Droandi nearby, whose wine features on the hotel's wine list, as well as a table at the nearby Osteria di Starda, which serves brilliantly rustic fare if you don't mind driving on unpaved roads (fortunately our car hire company didn't notice!) Nothing was too much trouble. I really can't recommend Villa Sassolini highly enough.

Beautiful, relaxing hotel with lovely meals. The rooms are gorgeous and finished to a high standard.

Showers would be better in rooms rather than hand-held option. Not many other options for restaurants and the hotel likes to get closed. Definitely a place to relax at, not party. Maybe a little bar open late would be nice, as nothing else to do after dinner.

Siena is a must visit and Radda in Chianti.

The other reviews really do ring true about our stay at Villa Sassolini. The service was wonderful and Andrea the manager was an absolute gem when our hire car broke down. He dealt with the firm over the phone for us and lent a hand when roadside assistance showed up. In relation to the car, I would strongly recommend Sat Nav; or a detailed map of the Tuscany roads, as we did find ourselves making a few wrong turns – and it is an absolute must if you plan to explore. We went to Florence, Siena and Greve in Chianti, which were all worthwhile trips. The one night we didn't dine at the hotel we drove to Inn – Fattoria Castello Di Starda (www.castellodistarda.it), the nearest place to the hotel. The menu was basic, and handwritten in biro, but absolutely delicious; and all were truly homemade delights – including the wine and olive oil. I would definitely recommend the restaurant as a nice break from the fine dining at the Villa.

Absolutely wonderful place. We got an upgrade to Suite 1, which was beautiful and very, very large. Eating outside in the evening was a real pleasure; good food, good wines and George’s own made limoncello is absolutely worth trying.

We wholeheartedly agree with the review of this great hotel. Andrea was an excellent host and provided some great ideas for things to do and see nearby. The hotel restaurant was excellent, with great local food and wines.

One of Andrea's recommendations was a family run restaurant 20 minutes' drive away in San Sano, called La Grotta Della Rana. It was fabulous – very traditionally Italian, and certainly a locals' hangout. The service was very good – and they did their best to help us understand the menu, given our basic grasp of Italian. The food itself was worth the trip, with delicious pasta with herb dressing followed by an incredibly tender rabbit stew. We were completely full after that but on the table next to us the deserts looked equally impressive and we couldn't leave without taking home an ice-cream. Definitely one to visit.

Our stay at Villa Sassolini was very relaxing and the scenery is pretty much unrivalled, absolutely gorgeous. But as for getting out and about for the exploratory aspect of your holidays, I would definitely advise a car. We took a daytrip to Siena (only about an hour away) and there was so much to see and do there, well worth a visit. We never quite made it as far as the Prada outlet village, however, judging by reviews and a few whisperings around the hotel pool I don't think it's all its cracked up to be! One evening, we treated ourselves to a trip to Villa San Michele at 4 Via Doccia (+39 055 567 8200), near Florence. Whilst this meant saving up a few extra pennies (watch out, the food is VERY pricey) the view over the whole of Florence, not to mention the service, was absolutely stunning. We drove there ourselves and thus didn't top up the bill with alcohol, then drove back to the beautiful Villa Sassolini to finish the evening round the pool with a bottle of wine! Perfect!

Villa Sassolini was wonderful. Everyone was so courteous and helpful, especially Andrea who did everything to ensure that our stay and activities were as stressfree as possible.
There are a number of outlets nearby, I believe that you already have mentioned the Prada one, but there is also The Mall, Leccio which is about 20 minutes away. This one is absolutely fantastic with about 30 different brands such as Pucci, Tods, Bottega Veneto, Sergio Rossi etc. It is on route from Villa Sassolini to Florence so worth stopping off if you are making that trip.
Also I have to mention the wine tasting/lunch at Poggio Molina. A beautiful setting, run by a charming Italian family. Once we had had an interesting tour of the cellars, we sat down to taste the five wines that had been selected. We were astounded by what followed. Setting anyway was amazing – a beautifully laid table for two in a huge room – and we happened to be the only ones for most of the meal. The food was incredible, simple, home-made and excellent. Salami and cheese, pesto tagliatelle, wild boar lasagne, followed by roast pork, green salad, peach tarte with amazing strawberries and all accompanied by some great wines. I believe that you can drink as much as you like but we did not realise and so were driving. I would recommend leaving car keys and going on an empty stomach! We will definitely return.

If you are driving from Florence, take the scenic route via SR 222, it will take you three times as long as taking the motorway, but it's well worth it. Andrea the manager of Villa Sassolini really looked after us. We found it quite hard to leave the hotel on a few days, purely because of the stunning views, service, weather and pool. Our bedroom was tasteful, with ample wardrobe space for all my dresses and shoes! The breakfast, lunch and dinners were superb. So good we ate the same dish for two consecutive dinners and we didn't mind at all. With a short 45-minute drive to Siena, a day trip to the mediaeval town is well worth it. Avoid Montevarchi like the plague, it's just a industrial town with a train station, nothing more. But do drive the 30-minutes to Radda in Chianti, here we recommend Al Chiasso dei Portici Restaurant at 10 Chiasso dei Portici (+39 05 7773 8774) which serves tasty Tuscan cuisine and fantastic wine. The hotel can also arrange for wine-tasting in the neighbouring town of Gaiole in Chianti.

As a surprise my boyfriend, and now fiancé, took me to Villa Sassolini for a romantic weekend away. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect weekend, from the VIP lounge at the airport to the fantastic views overlooking Tuscany from our suite in Villa Sassolini! We would both like to thank Mr and Mrs Smith for helping to make this the most magical engagement possible.

There are horse riding facilities are nearby but book well in advance in summer months. We were unable to make a reservation at short notice as the next reservation available was two weeks after we had returned home. Don't take a taxi from the hotel to one of the only two local restaurants on the day that the hotel one is closed. We were charged just short of €70 for a booked return journey which was onle a few km each way. The explanation given was that the driver has to drive all the way from the local town. It ended up costing about the same as the meal.

My girlfriend and I stayed at Villa Sassolini as part of our first trip away together. The Villa exceeded all of our expectations! Sassolini is situated in a beautiful part of Tuscany and was a great base for driving out and about in our hire car. The staff were warm and welcoming yet unintrusive. The room we stayed in was amazing and was very romantic (especially when the rain was pouring outside). The restaurant was closed on the Sunday evening we stayed there. However, rather than drive, or get a taxi to a nearby restaurant, we decided to have our own little picnic in the room. Right next to the Villa is a fantastic shop for the locals full of salamis, fresh breads and tomatoes. It made for a great evening with some fantastic local food at a very reasonable price!

It is a wonderful place in a beautiful location.

Although Villa Sassolini came highly recommended by Mr & Mrs Smith, I would like to add that the hotel is fantastic and so was our stay.

We had a great time, so relaxing and peaceful it was as if someone had turned the volume down. The hotel is just far enough away from anywhere else that you start to think you have made a wrong turn, but when you arrive you are treated to unrivalled hospitality and breathtaking views.

The room was superb, the decor fantastic and the food untraditional but excellent accompanied by a difficult choice from an extensive wine cellar.

All in all, we couldn't have asked for more.

Thanks very much.