Relais Fattoria Valle — Hotel in Greve in Chianti

My wife and I stayed at Relais Fattoria Valle for our honeymoon recently. It is set in the beautiful Tuscan village of Panzano.

The room: Our room was absolutely stunning. It felt very grand and had a beautiful comfy bed. The bath and shower were very good. There was plenty of storage and most importantly the view was just stunning overlooking the hills. The air conditioning was excellent.

The hotel: The pictures speak for themselves really. The hotel has a uniquely Tuscan charm with its rustic but grand decor. It doesn’t feel too big or overcrowded. The grounds are lovely to walk around and there is a beautiful terrace on which you can dine. The pool was well maintained and perfect for cooling off. On busy days you do need to get down fairly early to get a decent sun lounger.

It was a great hotel for a honeymoon. Most of the guests are couples. It was really romantic.

The service: The staff at Relais Fattoria Valle are friendly but I would say that they are a little understaffed at times. There usually only seemed to be one (sometimes two) person about and they were having to cover check-ins, the desk, the restaurant etc. consequently they were sometimes a bit hard to find, for example, when we needed some information about getting into the local town we felt a bit bad about approaching them when they were busy serving breakfast. That said they were always very courteous and accommodating when we did.

The staff helped us book some activities (highly recommend the wine tour at La Fonti). If you are looking to book the cookery class I highly recommend booking well in advance. We were told we needed to give a few days notice but when we did the chef’s availability was actually very limited and we ended up going elsewhere (Villa Bordoni - it was excellent!)

The food: There was a lovely continental breakfast each day which you could eat out on the terrace (beware the wasps!!) and the restaurant was nice for the occasional lunch and dinner. The menu was fairly small but has some lovely dishes and red wine of course! It was reasonably priced.

The area: It is a 10 minute walk into Panzano along a fairly busy road. It isn’t an issue at all and we got used to it quickly but you do have to take care, particularly when walking home at night after a few chiantis.

Panzano is simply beautiful and we couldn’t have been happier to spend a week there. We had trips out to Florence (there is a great bus that leaves from the top of the road) and Siena.

We absolutely loved our stay at Relais Fattoria Valle and hope to return one day! It was a truly special place for...

We stayed at this beautiful hotel 2 years ago and very much looked forward to a return visit, we were not disappointed. The hotel is stunning, an old farmhouse that has retained all its charm. Beautiful views from rooms over the stunning countryside and the added bonus of a delightful pool, perfect after a days sightseeing. You feel relaxed as soon as you enter the building. If you want modern contemporary furnishings then this is not for you, if you want to feel immersed in Italy then this is the perfect place. We asked for a specific room this time and they were so accommodating in ensuring that we got exactly what we asked for. ||Italy were experiencing exceptional heat whilst we were there and as there is no air conditioning it was at times uncomfortable during the night, no fault of the hotel at all. We closed the shutters and utilised the fan and managed to make it as comfortable as we could. ||Breakfast is served on the lovely shady terrace and although continental has an excellent selection to suit all tastes. ||Our intention was to only eat in the restaurant on one night as there are so many good places to eat in Panzano, the food was so good that we ended up having 3 evening meals and 1 lunch. There is a lovely small terrace, however it was just too hot so we, along with other diners, sat on the large terrace secluded by trees. Our food was excellent. Over the course of our stay for starters we ate: bruschetta with super tasty tomatoes (the bread however was a little too crusty); fantastic antipasti (large enough for 2); caprase, served with the largest piece of mozzarella and parmagieno, which for me was the best starter of all of our 12 nights in Italy. Our main courses were: pork fillet with carmalised apples and onions, it was amazing; pasta with a rich regu sauce, just excellent; pasta with truffles, a change to what was on the menu and absolutely delicious and salmon coated in brioche and citrus crumb, so good we had it twice and for me the best main course of our holiday. Washed down by fantastic local wines, all excellent. Highly recommend a visit whether a resident or not. ||The service was fantastic throughout our stay, there are only a few staff who all do an excellent job and nothing is too much trouble. ||A wonderful stay and we...

Really the most fabulous place. Set in the countryside with fantastic views. Only a 5 min walk to the village, and yet it was so nice and secluded. ||What really sets this place apart is the fantastic service you get from the staff. Lara, Elisa and Alessio are just amazing. They are warm, personal and very service-minded. Nothing is a problem for them. They took care of us so well. ||||The quality of the restaurant was a big surprise. We planned to eat dinner there only one night, but ended up eating there every night. There is something magical about this place. ||||Rooms are basic but comfortable and clean. It is an intimate place so you really feel the connection with the staff and the area.Having the pool so close by was a really good bonus. ||||Now to the only negative part of this trip. I would like to emphasise this is no way the fault of the hosts, who did everything they could to minimise the effect on the guests.||Day 2 of our stay a German brat pack of 40 year olds arrived. Two nights in a row any living being within 5 km of the fattoria was subjected to an endless stream of German folk music, 80s pop, rap.... you name it. We all lay in our beds, hour after hour, being subjected to what can only be described as an assault on humanity. I am sure that no one who came to visit this area felt that what they most needed was not tranquility and rest, but a Teutonic invasion of the senses.They also proceeded to honour their hosts by raiding the bar and kitchen.All this would have been mitigated by even a slight apology by them to the rest of the guests, who all looked like extras in the Walking Dead series the day after. But no, not a word to us. Just more of the same.We left as we were supposed to the a few days later. The hosts were shocked and extremely sorry that the guests suffered and apologised profusely. But I just felt sorry for the staff that had to clean up after them.||||But otherwise, a fantastic place. I will come again as...