Eremito Hotelito Del Alma — Hotel in Parrano

Let me start by saying that I was hoping for Eremito to be as perfect as it sounds and looks on the pictures, I was so excited about my first solo trip. I booked here because I read it's good for solo travellers, I saw they produce their own food or use only food from the region and I loved the nature aspect and the SPA looked so nice! Unfortunately my experience was quite different and I felt as though it's all just a marketing scam. In the following points I will call it a hotel just to make things easier even though they don't describe themselves as a "hotel".||||- You have to consider that you are paying EUR 270 pp/ per night - this is by no means cheap and yes the food is included but I have stayed in beautiful 3/4 star hotels in Italy paying EUR 150 - EUR 200 a night with breakfast and you can eat well anywhere for EUR 15/20 in Italy. This price is not justified in any way, if they talk about solitude I have stayed in beautiful mountain huts with nothing around for way less. There is no TV, no WiFi, not much electricity, no drinks besides water from the well (you can't even make yourself a tea), basic amenities (a little soap to wash your hands that has been used by everyone since pre-COVID probably) which is completely fine and I also didn't come here for TV or amenities but to be alone but it's just to say that the hotel doesn't have very many extra costs yet makes you pay a premium price for basically close to nothing. Funny thing though, they pretty much have no amenities but have a corner where you can buy their goodies (e.g. the Eremito Cookbook, Eremito Ceramics etc).||||- Something that I realised right away is that the hotel is full of young girls some of whom "volunteer" at the hotel. There is also a sign that says to approach them if you are interested in volunteering. These girls serve food at lunch and dinner, clean the rooms, teach yoga, work in reception etc and since they are volunteers get free accommodation and food. This part felt a little bit like a sect also because in the evening when Marcello the owner goes downstairs to sleep they all follow him and go away together. The vibe was just very strange.||||- The rooms are very basic (which was also totally ok for me but the price tag of them made me a bit mad when I entered my small room). There is a very uncomfortable bed with IKEA pillows, a desk made of stone and a bathroom that is divided by the room with a curtain. This makes the entire room smell a bit of bathroom. The bathroom itself was also quite dirty, the shower on the bottom was yellowish and the toilet had some dirty stains on it from the guests before me I'm guessing. Honestly, a hotel room like this in a touristy Italian city like Siena or San Gimignano would cost you EUR 50.||||- The food, which they claim is all made by them was also quite disappointing for me. At Eremito they like to sell you a story and a dream, they tell you that their vegetable garden gives them produce and the rest comes from the region. If you have ever had a vegetable garden at home and see Eremito's garden you will quickly realise that the most you'll get are a couple of salads and some herbs. Definitely no kiwis and definitely not enough to make lunch and dinner for 12 guests every day over weeks/months. While I was there I also heard the cook saying that the groceries had come that morning and he was missing something. Again, it's not a big deal at all if you buy your produce at Lidl but then don't sell this romantic story of how you make your own pasta and then serve your guests Barilla and bean soup. The food in general was ok and the portions were quite big.||||-The SPA wasn't working while I was there which was also great||||- You are told when to eat and what to eat (lunch is at 13:00 and dinner at 19:00) you are called with a bell, you sit down and eat whatever comes. Then after dinner you can read a bit and go to bed. It felt a bit like a fancier version of a prison.||||All in all I wish I had...

Very disappointing experience, especially at this price! Felt like a marketing scam fishing for people who are desperate to find some rest and ready to pay too much for what they get... Eremito praises the benefits of silence in their remote place but we had everything but silence. Charging such amount for the remoteness and quietness of a place would at least require to be the garant of such peace. The place is not isolated at all, you can hear everything, including your neighbouring room flushing their toilets. We were unlucky to be there at the same time as a yoga retreat of 10+ women who paid no attention to other hotel guests and did not mind making noise until midnight. It felt like going back to a bad summer camp in high school, with groups being hostile and childish with one another. I am all for remote hotels, and I have been lucky to visit many beautiful remote hotels, but you either charge a lower amount or you provide the service that comes with the price... We didn't even get drinking water in the rooms although it says they would provide it, the public bathrooms on our floor were not cleaned nor looked after, it says no plastic hotel but then you have blue plastic bags used for bathroom bins and lounge chairs made of plastic materials, it says from farm to table but even the herbal teas are processed ones and no effort is made to add a little fresh touch that makes the difference... And the food is, as another person already mentioned in one of the reviews, unimaginative. The silent dinners didn't seem to serve any purpose but marketing ones... Also, the "wall of fame" with all the rewards that the hotel received from magazines and all felt a bit inappropriate in a place that puts forward...

I have mixed feelings having returned from Eremito. It is undoubtedly a place of exquisite beauty, but there is much to be improved on.||||The Positives - beautiful location set on the edge of a forest. Its incredibly peaceful, there are numerous great books in the library and you really can disconnect from the world and immerse yourself in pure relaxation.||||The Negatives - I traveled on my own as I assumed this was the norm for the hotel, but was the only single person amongst a large group of guests. This naturally made seating and table setting awkward - a place was not set for me at lunch, and at dinner time I was crammed onto a long table with the window behind me. ||The food was average and unimaginative, and despite indicating that I was allergic to eggplant, I was served a salad containing eggplant at lunch. Service is very inconsistent - I stayed for two nights, but never had water replenished or my bed 'refreshed'. If you are a social person, you will likely enjoy the post dinner entertainment on the terrace, but it is unfortunate if you have a bedroom overlooking said terrace. The walls are thin, and you can hear almost every sound (including toilets flushing and doors being opened and closed). If you are a light sleeper like myself, ear plugs are a must.||||All things considered, its a place with great potential, but will need to make some improvements in service and food to justify...