Villa San Filippo

Years of neglected infrastructure have caught up with this property. Things simply don’t work to the point that they are endangering the welfare of guests. My first big concern came when I tried to contact the front desk because of an issue with our bathroom plug and discovered there was no room phone. The only way I could contact them was to dial the outside number. There are instructions throughout the property to dial a three-digit code in an emergency but there are no house phones. The front desk informed us they had been “taken out because there were problems.” As to the bathroom plug, we were told it could not power my curling iron or phone because of “safety issues.” (All other hotels on our Italy itinerary did not have these issues.) We were provided with an extension cord, which we had to jerry-rig to extend from the bedroom into the bathroom so I could use a mirror. Our issues were minor, however, compared with what other members of our tour group had to put up with: flooding floors, roofs that dripped on to beds in the middle of the night and toilets that didn’t have a foot between the wall and edge of the seat. The uneven space provided (we had a whole living room while others in our group had barely enough room around the bed) was not a morale booster. The surrounding landscape is lovely, but you can’t enjoy it in November, and so you’re left with what’s inside and that’s not great.

The setting was wonderful and the rooms were as described. However we had been expecting a fully functioning kitchen who was. Or the case. Also accessibility of staff was minimal , the bar was never open when we got back from our trips and the lack of any on site food was a big drawback, resulting in a driver limited in their wine tasting options. Breakfast was continental and if you were late getting down there was little left. All that said the pools were great and the views from the terrace lovely, even if you had to sit in the dark after sunset.

The Villa itself is just beautiful. The rooms are well kept as well (mind you…a little TLC would not hurt) The grounds well maintained and well kept. But there are so many missed opportunities to make this a must go. Here are a few tips. Make sure AC works well. It cools. But does not represent AC. Leverage the restaurant at the hotel for snacks at pool or during day. Leverage coffee bar and wine bar. Invite local wine makers/wild boar hunters for cocktails and charge 5$ per person to taste wine and snacks. Make water available at the pool. Buy new chairs and umbrellas. Have tours of the vicinity for folks should they want - charge and include wine ? Leverage the old church and the view from the back of it. We did everything on our own and loved it. But just felt like there’s so much more this hotel could easily offer and make our stays ‘over the top’

Given some of the past reviews, we were apprehensive about this villa. Our stay was excellent. The room was clean and had a great view, and the staff was helpful. My guess is that the Villa is suffering from a lack of staff promulgated by the downturn in travel during Covid. The A/C could use some maintenance but was not necessary when we visited. While their restaurant is closed, they bring in a caterer for groups. Beautiful property in a great location close to Barberino val D' Elsa.

Very nice. Everything was great! I recommend this resort and would stay there again. Attentive management. Food and beverages were great. Family management of a nice place to stay. Rural resorts in the Florence area are wonderful.