Fontelunga Hotel & villas — Hotel in Foiano della Chiana

BED AND BREAKFAST pretending to be an HOTEL, and charging as if it was!

Fontelunga Hotel and Villas in Tuscany has plenty of charm. The property is beautifully designed, with a clear love for aesthetics and detail. The views of the Tuscan countryside are stunning, and the ambiance is serene, making it seem like an idyllic retreat.

However, the flaws became apparent almost immediately upon arrival, casting a long shadow over these positive aspects. The name "Fontelunga Hotel and Villas" is, quite frankly, misleading. This is not a hotel, and it should not be marketed or priced as one. It’s a lovely place, but it’s more akin to a bed and breakfast, lacking many of the amenities one would expect from a hotel, such as a reception desk, safes, fridges, and a gym. Add to that the lack of any restaurant offering lunch or dinner, and the picture becomes clear: this is no hotel. The communal areas feel more like the living room of a privately-owned house, complete with personal pictures of the owner and his beloved (but sometimes aggressive) dogs, rather than the welcoming public spaces one would expect in a true hotel.

The pièce de résistance was the air conditioning—or, more accurately, the lack thereof. Despite claims from the owner, Paolo, that this is the hottest summer in 200 years (which, for the record, it is not), the ancient air conditioning units struggled valiantly but ultimately failed to cool the rooms. Paolo’s brilliant solution was to provide fans, which were about as effective as using a teaspoon to bail out a sinking ship. We weren’t the only ones being slowly roasted; other guests quietly admitted they were also wilting in the heat, seemingly resigned to their fate. And just to add insult to injury, every other place we stayed in Tuscany had perfectly functioning air conditioning, making Fontelunga’s situation all the more baffling.

When I expressed my concerns about the misleading marketing and the hotel designation, Paolo immediately shut down any possibility of a refund or a shortened stay with a curt “no refunds, no short stays,” showing a commendable commitment to preserving his revenue at all costs. His suggestion that I should have scrutinized their website more carefully was particularly amusing, considering the website’s selective presentation of the property. Key details, like the lack of proper hotel amenities and the true nature of the communal spaces, are conveniently left out.

At €400 per night, even with the “pay for three nights, get the fourth free” deal, the price is more reflective of what you’d expect from a proper four-star hotel experience, not a glorified bed and breakfast. I had specifically chosen to stay in the ‘hotel’ rather than the villas to enjoy hotel services, which I clearly communicated when booking. Alas, this preference was apparently irrelevant. In hindsight, the advance payment policy requiring full payment upfront should have set off alarm bells.

Paolo’s suggestion that I "change my mindset" instead of addressing genuine concerns was particularly enlightening. It seems his pride in his property is so overwhelming that it completely eclipses the essence of hospitality—actually providing the services that guests are paying for. Rather than offering solutions or acknowledging any shortcomings, Paolo’s approach is more about maintaining his image than ensuring a pleasant guest experience.

To be fair, the staff at Fontelunga were consistently helpful and pleasant, which provided some consolation during an otherwise disappointing stay. However, no amount of friendly service can compensate for a sleepless, sweat-soaked night in what is marketed as a luxury hotel.

In the end, it’s clear that Paolo’s approach to guest feedback is less about taking responsibility and more about defending his version of perfection. For those seeking genuine hospitality and transparency, this experience serves as a reminder that while appearances can be charming, they often conceal the...

We stayed three nights at Fontelunga in August 2024 in the room Turchese and overall we had a nice time. The pool is beautiful, and we especially enjoyed being able to wander a few steps up to the villa to sip a glass or two of wine from the honesty bar on the terrace — just perfect (although prices are slightly on the higher side). Breakfast was also very good, with special mention to the excellent scrambled eggs and pastries, which we enjoyed each morning on the sunny terrace, always finding a comfortable shady spot when we wanted one.

We didn’t join the group dinners or activities, but appreciated the friendly, open atmosphere they helped create. You’d hear cheerful “good mornings,” clinking glasses and happy little pockets of conversation throughout the day, which added to the charm of the place.

During our stay, temperatures were in the mid-thirties (as is often the case in Tuscany in August, we travel to Tuscany most summers), and we found the air conditioning in our room to be completely insufficient. As a result, we had to keep the wooden shutters closed all day to try and keep things cool, which meant the room had to remain dark the entire time. We communicated this to the staff, and of course we understand the explanation of the challenges that old buildings pose when it comes to renovations and modern amenities. However, as air conditioning was advertised — and was a key filter in our hotel search — we felt misled, especially when waking up in the night feeling hot and uncomfortable.

The description of “informal luxury” felt more or less accurate for the communal areas of the hotel, especially with the laid-back, bohemian vibe. But when it came to our room — particularly the bathroom — it didn’t meet that expectation at all. Styled in a Baroque-ish, shabby chic manner, there was definitely a concept at play, but the decor showed clear signs of age and wear and the images we could find of the room on the website is incredibly forgiving. The bathroom, painted in a sort of mushroom brown, felt neither modern nor luxurious, and, notably, wasn’t pictured on the hotel’s website or booking.com. One had to assume things were clean, rather than having that feeling be obvious (something I find essential in a hotel) — patterned surfaces and older finishes made it even harder to tell, and the small dressing table and makeup mirror were visibly dusty. While the white linens and towels were crisp and clean, other details left something to be desired: the water glasses weren’t cleaned or replaced during our stay (I wear lip balm overnight and smudges from this are incredibly obvious), our bin wasn’t emptied despite being full of water bottles, and the only drinking water provided was a tepid bottle of tap water left in the room each day.

I mentioned these points at checkout (which I hope was more useful for the owners) but this is the kind of review I would’ve appreciated reading before booking, especially with regard to the room Turchese. Furthermore, right after Fontelunga we went on to stay 3 nights at the nearby Poggio Piglia (EUR 280 per night, compared to the EUR 272 we paid at Fontelunga), the contrast between the two hotels based on the almost identical pricing — particularly in terms of amenities and the lack of a sparkling clean feeling at Fontelunga — was striking. Style is subjective, of course, but the overall difference in standards was clear.

If you’re after a B&B or guesthouse with a homegrown feeling, and you’re not overly concerned with the kinds of details mentioned above, which some may argue are nitpicky, you’ll likely really enjoy Fontelunga. But, if the feeling of a hotel is important to you — and especially effective air conditioning as advertised — you might want to explore...

This review is specifically for the Villa Galletto at Fontelunga which we rented for our honeymoon and turned out to be a terrible experience. On September 18th, 2021 my jewelry was stolen from our room while we were out. I had hidden it in one of my suitcases before leaving for the day and locking all of the doors. We left at 10:30 am (before the cleaners arrived) and returned at 5 pm. When we returned to the villa everything looked normal, the cleaners had come while we were out, made our bed, and tidied up. Nothing was amiss and all the doors were locked. As I was getting ready for dinner I opened my suitcase to get my jewelry, opening it to find an empty case! I was in shock. Immediately we went to the hotel owner Paolo to report it and he couldn't believe it either.

What we wanted from Paolo was a sympathetic ear and understanding, however, what we got was defensiveness and what felt like skepticism and someone more interested in protecting their hotel than being empathetic. Paolo did call the police and he took us to the police station to help file a report because neither my husband nor I spoke Italian, but that report we later found out through google translate didn't include key details that might have raised questions about the hotel. The Police Chief actually came to our villa and disapproved Paolo's claim that there was a break-in, which we didn't know he had made. It felt like a breach of trust.

To make matters worse, when we decided to cut our stay short by two days because we didn't feel good about staying longer, Paolo at first offered us another room and then agreed to refund us for those nights when I declined the room. Later when our credit card company reached out to him he lied claiming he gave us a credit and refused to approve the waiver to refund us. He has still not fulfilled his promise.

After losing your jewelry, pieces with sentimental value, being put in a position where you must depend on someone to speak for you and later finding out they did so in a false manner feels very violating. In the end, he made us feel like he was the real victim - that it was our fault our jewelry was stolen since I didn't put it in the safe, that we must have left a door open (we didn't), that he spent 2 hours of his day dealing with the whole thing and that the last 2 years of Covid had been so hard on him he couldn't offer us any refund and we were rude to ask.

My advice - splurge on a reputable place instead of booking here.

Update: Since I'm now being called a liar I have included a photo of the police report for full...