Relais Sant'Elena

What a wonderful stay at this serene and beautiful villa. The grounds are absolutely breathtaking, with beautiful on-site landscaping surrounded by rolling hills. They have built landings for bird nests in the hallways, so the birds are integrated into the resort, giving it a fairytale feel. After coming from the hustle and bustle of city sightseeing, this hotel was the perfect place to truly unwind and relax. The resort is in the countryside, but there are plenty of activities (or you could spend your entire stay relaxing at the resort!). We did a day trip to Siena (1.5 hr drive), but it is also driving-distance to other cities including Pisa, Lucca, Volterra, etc. Another day, we spent our morning sitting poolside and afternoon exploring local wineries. The pool has ample seating, so no need to worry about reserving pool chairs. When you arrive, the hotel gives a list of local winery recommendations which are all within a 15-20 min drive. The food was phenomenal and a highlight of our stay. There is no reason to go off-site for any meals. The breakfast buffet was the best hotel breakfast that we have ever had. It is so extensive and the food is so fresh and creative. We did a cooking class with Stefy, which was super fun! We felt like we were in a local Italian's kitchen and helped cook the food that was being served that night for dinner. Relais Sant Elena offered a truly picturesque and magical stay that provided ultimate serenity and relaxation.

My husband and I stayed three nights at this beautiful hotel. It lived up to all of our expectations - the setting is picture perfect, the food was amazing and the staff couldn't have been more helpful, even down to sending a taxi with our forgotten passports to meet us at the airport! I would thoroughly recommend...we will definitely be back!