Réva Resort & Spa — Hotel in Dogliani

Overall Very Disappointing I booked directly with hotel only to be charged 30% more than through online booking sites...(discovered after the fact. At the hotel they know, and they offer you a little rounding-out discount if you make your booking unrefundable). It was a drab day but the grey colour of the relatively new structure is certainly not welcoming, and it's position half way down a sort of basin without views doesn't add to its appeal. No TV (the walls are paper thin...seriously) and hardly any cell signal either due to this location. Our room was small with a tiny but clean bathroom, (the shower was so small I could turn around in it), and the soundproofing is non existent, you get to share every noise with the rooms above, below, and adjacent, the persons walking in the corridor are like inside your own room, creepy! The heating and A/C where functioning well. Staff was on the whole professional and welcoming. The "spa" is an accident waiting to happen. No hand railing to get in and out of the jacuzzi, the floor is slippery if you're barefoot, and I burned myself (second degree burn on my ankle) with the steam outlet which is badly designed and spews out a lethal steam jet whilst you're trying to work-out the hand shower. When I mentioned it, the person at reception told me with nonchalance, -ah, but it's never happened before... (no excuse, or how can we help, or medical help, or we need to get this fixed asap) I told ther the idea is to try and fix problems before they become accidents, but they didn't seem to grasp the concept, or care or read the comments sheet I handed over when we left. Even though we had booked our visit, the sauna and hammam were cold, and the sauna was missing a water bucket and ladle. There are no towels in the pool nor the spa areas. The bubble jets in the pool and jacuzzi switch off after a very short period, one has to constantly press the button to re-activate them.

The breakfast was good and plentiful, even though the coffee was not up to Italian quality standards.

Don't take any children there, the spa and pool areas entries are not secured.

We had really come for the restaurant which we found good value, but our verdict is mixed. The setting is very bare wanting to be minimalist, but comes out as cheap. The seat covers are plastic, which makes them very sticky after a while. (in a starred restaurant?) Staff was welcoming and friendly, especially the extremely knowledgeable and passionate young sommelier with the improbable name of Salvatore delle Donne, (Saviour of Women, no joke) who recommended some delicious wines in particular a very good value Barbera from Elio Grassi. He is also interesting, well travelled and very courteous.

The food was mixed, we found it of high quality but there is an overdone search for a new mix of flavours, they call avant garde. This is not an Italian restaurant but Italian dishes "revus et corrigés" by a French chef with a modern take on an approach à la Escoffier. My wife and I did not enjoy it that much, and we found it missing. The flavours where too imbalanced and not complimentary. Does it have to do with the missing famous French chef Yannick Alléno who is looking after another one of his numerous restaurants?

The pastry chef, was the redeeming factor, he did a great job. Particularly his chocolate bar with pollen is outstanding, but might not be sufficient to make the whole visit worth while.

What is not acceptable is the loo being dirty, and the bin overflowing with ageing sanitary products, what's more in mid-morning. In a Michelin star restaurant? How is that possible?

I think that like in the military, this Avant Garde (as they describe themselves on their website) is at great peril of taking too many risks and might get squashed on the altar of trying to be too innovative... A visit at the restaurant, without the hotel stay, might just be acceptable for the more adventurous. It might have been...

The facilities are extremely nice - and new - built upon the site of farm buildings which were torn down. However, it sits in a gully. "Views" are not the glorious vistas of the rest of the region, but you are in the bottom of a bowl of vineyards. Still okay, but not "veiws." It sits outside the UNESCO world heritage area. No walkable paths to nearby villages - must have car. Owned by a Czek national which is fine, it just isn't Italian. It has a corporate feel. The all under 35-year-old workforce have a "we are in charge and you aren't" attitude that seasoned mentors could (and should) adjust! Food okay, but not close to Peidmonte standards. Edgy yes, but first time in my life I have had a desert that I simply didn't want to eat. What was that!?!? Air conditioning in the room never quite cools. If you complain, you are told it is working and done. Pools are freezing even in July - the outdoor pool need heater and a heat blanket covering them at night so that warmth is retained and are swimable in the day. Don't understand how the indoor pool is freezing, but it is. No one went in the pools the three days we were there. We did try. The live American Country music with an Italian accent was not what we went to Italy for and unfortunately we could hear it even in our room at night. Extremely inflexible service. For instance, they will make you a picnic lunch for 48 euros, but only one way in their picnic basket. If you need something different, it will take a long discussion and they can't quite get their minds around it and they aren't sure they are allowed to do it. And they will still charge you even if you only want 1/2 and don't want their picnic basket and don't want the wine. Expensive. Very disappointing. It was the low point of our trip to Italy. They need to hire seasoned Italian professionals to run this place if they want to succeed with tourist wanting to explore Barolo are and drop the under 35...

Réva is a beautiful property located in the vineyard-covered hills above Monforte. There's plenty of parking, but you definitely need a car to get around as the resort is secluded. The property has an onsite winery that produces their own 5 or 6 labels, featuring the face of a local animal on each bottle. FRE restaurant is amazing with friendly, attentive staff, and a DIVINE white truffle menu. It's tiny with only about 7 tables, but also doubles as the breakfast room. Breakfast had a lovely spread of meat, cheese, pastries, yogurt, juices, and coffee with eggs to order for an additional charge. The bedroom was comfortable and large with a screened window and very high ceilings. The shower stall (no bath) was much smaller than American standards, but hot water was plentiful. Minifridge was stocked with local products for sale. Slippers, flipflops and robes were provided for use. The pool was too cold for use, but offered a lovely view on a small lower terrace. My only complaints are small things that IMO shouldn't have been overlooked at a place with this price or star rating: Only one non-decaf packet was provided for coffee in our room, so we both couldn't have a cup. Despite a mini fridge, no milk or creamer, or even powdered creamer was available. Also the toiletries did not include Conditioner. "Conditioning Shampoo" is NOT the same! Front desk staff locked up by 10pm, so had we had an issue with anything (we didn't), we had no way to contact help....