Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco — Hotel in Montalcino

This was our fourth stay at Castiglion del Bosco, and it's really such a special place. First we went for 1 night... then 2... and now 4... I would say that it's troubling, but it's so relaxing that there is nothing to be troubled about. This is place to go, stay, and enjoy. ||You'll probably need a car to get to the Rosewood or you need to arrange transportation in advance. Castiglion del Bosco is approximately 20 minutes from the true hill town of Montalcino and is impossible to reach via public transportation. It is an easy drive from Florence or Rome though. (We've done both.)||No matter which room you book, you are sure to be happy with it. If you can't be happy at Castiglion del Bosco, you can't be happy anywhere. The junior suite is the base room, and it's romantic, cozy, and huge. We had a small table in our room and chairs on the terrace. The bed was so comfortable. It's probably one of my favorite hotel beds anywhere, and in the winter, what really stood out was the weighted duvet cover. I can’t remember the last time I slept this well. The bathroom has a walk-in shower and a separate soaking tub. Bath products are Angeli di Firenze from the famous Santa Maria Novella pharmacy in Florence. (I also really love that they provide bath salts in the room. It's such an overlooked touch of luxury.) The bathroom has every amenity you could possibly need, including loofahs, toothbrushes, lip balm and a shaving kit. If they don't have it, you don't need it. Some suites include Dyson hair dryers.||We've stayed in three other suites, and they were all larger than our first apartment. They are beyond comfortable with beautiful decor and a comfortable Tuscan aesthetic. We love having a terrace (even in the winter), and we spent many a leisurely afternoon sipping wine and enjoying the silence. ||I've had a few treatments at their spa. (Leti and the Santa Maria Novella pharmacy facial is incredible.) You also can book the sauna and steam room for a private experience. The pool is covered and heated in the winter, so you can enjoy whenever the resort is working. ||We've taken advantage of cooking classes and wine tastings on property, and they've never disappointed us. (We're also now members of the CdB wine club, and it's been such an incredible community to be a part of, even when we're not traveling!) The restaurant staff and sommeliers are truly outstanding. We've never had a disappointing meal, and we're always excited to see what's on the chef's specials each evening. ||Prior to arrival, the Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco team will send you information about the additional experiences you can book during your stay at the resort. They offer a variety acitivites beyond spa treatments, cooking classes, and wine tastings, including truffle-hunting experiences, star gazing, art classes, and visits to local producers. If you want to leave the resort, they provide guided tours of Siena, Florence, San Gimignano and more. You don't have to book activities that cost extra. Make sure you ask for the schedule of resort experiences while you are there. Many things are included in your stay and don't cost extra.||There really is something for everyone here. No small luxury is overlooked and the staff is truly committed to ensuring that your stay is both memorable and magical. This is one of my favorite finds, my favorite traditions, and somewhere we'll certainly...

Below is our detailed review of Rosewood CDB.

We visited the RCDB July 2024 and stayed for 4 days / 3 nights

Rooms: Absolutely stunning - exactly what you would expect from a Rosewood property. Clean, well appointed, welcoming and large. The amenities in the room are wonderful from the coffee machine to the Dyson hairdryer.

Room Service: The room service dining at RCDB is great - exactly what you need a want from a room service meal. Very quick, fresh, great options.

Dining: We loved all the dining options at the hotel and there was always something worth looking forward to. The wild boar ragu was especially delicious.

Pool: There are two pools on property, both exactly the same. Beautiful pools with an even better view! Can’t be missed - note that the pools are in full sun until about 5pm in the summer months. There is also full dining and drink service at the pool which is always nice.

Kids Club: The kids club is definitely smaller than what we expected from the online photos but still beautiful and plenty of activities!

Spa: I had a 9min massage / 60min facial and a manicure and pedicure at the spa. The spa is a beautiful, tranquil space and the services are fabulous. I would NOT get the facial again as it was more just a facial massage with what felt like 8 different lotion based products. No steam, machines used etc— if you are looking for a true cleansing facial, pass on the treatment, but if you are looking for just a relaxing facial massage, you will love it. The manicure and pedicure was great.

Winery Tour: this was lovely, we did the wine and cheese pairing, worth going and the guide was fabulous!

Pizza Class: we did a private pizza class in the villa on our departure day - it was wonderful! Our son (6 years old) loved it and the meal was really great - of course it was pizza and the dessert you make. Worth it, especially with children.

Golf: We played a round of golf while at the resort, beautiful course, great clubs for rent and of course golf carts permitted on course.

Star Tour: We LOVED the star / astronomy tour - the guide is amazing and so knowledgeable. This is a great activity for children and adults alike. If I can make some suggestions to the hotel: get some red light flashlights for guests (very important when you are trying to keep your eyes adjusted), figure out a safer/ easier way to get down the hill to the telescope (it is very steep, although only 25 feet or so in the pitch black it’s scary, especially without light or stairs), get some true zero gravity chairs (these can be bought off Amazon and are so convenient and comfortable when you want to truly lay back and see the stars). In all I would absolutely book this again, especially if we were vacationing during a new moon.

The Rosewood CDB a truly special place that we will be returning to. Just this year alone we have been to the Rosewood London, Baha Mar and San Miguel de Allende - all are fabulous as expected but Castiglion del Bosco is very, very special and in a league of its own.

Thank you for a wonderful stay! We...

It is a beautiful property and the people working there are friendly and always saying the right things (Can I help you, is there anything else I can do, etc). The problem comes in service delivery and training of the staff. Many things go wrong - not intentionally, but because the staff has not been sufficiently trained, especially on follow through. I think many of the staff’s lack of sufficient English language skills plays a roll.

I’ll just give a few examples. I asked for an iced coffee with milk at breakfast. One day I got a glass of cold coffee and warm milk, the next day I got a full glass of coffee with ice cubes and another glass of milk with ice cubes, I asked for scrambled eggs mixed with sheers onions and bacon. It came with no bacon; I then asked for a separate order of bacon - it never came; I asked for ice cubes with a glass of water - no ice cubes. They had made a number of errors on or first day there and brought a gift of Tuscan liquor to our room, but before we had a chance to drink it, housekeeping had removed it. When I mentioned it to housekeeping, they apologized and said they’ll bring another right away - but it never arrived. We ordered a tour of the area and the meeting point of the tour was going to be a restaurant in a nearby town. The following day we saw that they had made a lunch reservation there - which was never discussed. Then when we said we wanted the lunch reservation cancelled, they started talking about a cancellation fee. This was never charged after we said we never asked for a reservation. The manager however said she remembered talking to our travel agent about the lunch. It never happened as we only placed dinner reservations. This is not all the problems, but gives you a sample of their service issues. The staff throughout our stay always was friendly and would frequently ask if they can do more for you. With more training and possible hiring of people with more language skills, I think they’ll be fine. One more thing: as we were checking out, they said they’ll immediately have a copy of the bill sent via email. It never happened. It’s now been 21 hours since we checked out and the email has not arrived (that includes checking my spam folder). While the facility is beautiful and the staff is friendly and “seemingly helpful”, I’d wait a year or so before visiting the property till the staff is is fully trained if you want to avoid a frustrating experience. While the grounds are gorgeous, the experience does not compare to a Belmond property (from where we...