Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco Resort & Spa — Hotel in Unione dei comuni Media Valle del Serchio

We enjoyed an incredible few days at this very scenic hotel during the off-season (early April) but would recommend taking into consideration a lot of context before deciding whether this is the place to spend money on an Italian holiday.

Location: Pros — the scenery is stunning! The pool wasn’t open when we stayed but the views from the pool deck are unmatched. There are many vineyards/wineries and some olive oil farms to visit nearby. Cons — it’s pretty difficult to get to by either train or car because it’s quite a distance from all major cities and the drive is either through windy mountains or taking a long detour to stay on the interstate (which I’d highly recommend considering we found ourselves driving through a blizzard 30 minutes after it was 60 and sunny).

The last ~10 mins of the drive up to the hotel are windy and hilly but very manageable. We and other guests had a VERY hard time understanding where we were intended to park and finding reception. I imagine this may be different in the high tourist season, but there were very few employees around when we drove up, so we parked alongside the road and pulled our bags out of the car. We spent 10-15 minutes looking for reception, which was easily a 150 meter walk from the road/parking. There are a few signs at the outset for reception, but then they stop and it’s confusing — orient toward the revolving door with a large doormat that says “Renaissance” at the far end of the courtyard.

Staff/service: All staff was generally kind and they were helpful with making bookings for the spa, local wineries, and such. However, they were never particularly attentive. For example, several times the front desk was left unattended and it was tough to find an employee and the staff in the restaurant at breakfast was often absent, making it difficult to get seated or order if not doing the buffet (except for Angela who is very lovely).

Restaurant: The breakfast buffet was expansive and very good! The dinner food was pretty poor. There aren’t a lot of restaurants nearby (especially during the spring, when a lot is closed), so I’m not sure if you will find much better nearby, but we tried to avoid eating at the hotel because it was 2/5 or 3/5 food.

Rooms: The rooms are very nice, especially the bathrooms and closets. An important note is that the views are great if you are looking toward the mountains but the windows are only french doors and they aren’t very wide, so the rooms don’t have much sunlight and you don’t get an expansive view unless you step out onto the patio.

We enjoyed our stay, but I would be mindful about recommending whether others spend a lot for a...

The Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco Resort & Spa (more commonly called “Il Ciocco”) is a standout luxury resort sitting on 1,700 acres in the heart of the Serchio Valley. This hotel exceeded our expectations and I hope this review helps everyone understand why.

The resort is beautifully appointed and overlooks the scenic valley and historic Barga. But what really stands out is the resort’s team. I stay in a lot hotels - both professionally and privately. The entire team here is simply exceptional -right from the front office to the housekeeping staff. From the moment we arrived, we were welcomed like family. A special shout-out to Cristina Da Costa – She is standout manager who clearly loves her job at Il Ciocco and was incredibly helpful. The property was spotlessly clean and we felt 100% safe from COVID-19 with the measures the hotel has taken. Free parking is included with your stay.

Some people have mentioned the location being remote and GPS cannot locate it. We enjoyed the relaxing property and never got bored during our 5-night stay. There is plenty to do and see in the area (especially hiking), but you do need a car. We loved the location because it was quiet and the grounds were very well kept. We even hiked a beautiful trail right out the hotel’s door that took us through lush forests to Barga. We enjoyed relaxing at the pool and then going into the old-town Barga or Lucca for sightseeing and dinners. Regarding GPS, all the major phone navigation apps (Apple Maps, Google and Waze) directed us without problem to the hotel.

We were upgraded to a spacious suite that was perfectly set-up and had a balcony overlooking the magnificent valley. We even slept with the windows open and enjoyed the night air. The suite was very spacious, quiet and modern. Everything we needed: Luxury toiletries, mini-fridge, plenty of storage, good A/C and incredible bathroom. The bed was perfect for a great night’s sleep.

I was surprised someone had a negative experience with the breakfast buffet. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and I am very picky about what I choose to eat at the start of the day. The Il Ciocco breakfast buffet was one of my favorites: It was well-appointed and had a wide selection of eggs, meats, cheeses, yogurts, fruits, juices, and really good cappuccino. Plus, you sit out on the veranda that has a view to die for…talk about starting your day the right way!

We definitely recommend this hotel and will be returning soon for another great...

My wife and I spent our anniversary and stayed 10 days at Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco Resort & Spa (from Jan. 25, 2015 to Feb. 3, 2015). It was a wonderful experience and we can definitely state it is one of the best hotels we have stayed so far.

Starting from checking-in, we have been continuously feeling the warmth welcome from the hotel staff. The bell service was very prompt and helpful. They helped us to pick up our luggage at the entrance and delivered it to the room while we were doing the paperwork at the front-desk. During check out, they went the extra mile to load our luggage to our car in the parking lot. Super services!!!!

We loved to meet with the Reception staff [lovely, warm and beautiful Italian ladies] ... They are extremely helpful and friendly. They loved to answer our questions about where to dine and what are favorite places to visit near-by. Their recommendation is great and helpful. They also taught us a lot of good Italian vocabulary and we had a fun time chatting with the staff in their wonderful language. We would love to express our great thanks to the front-desk staff (especially ANTIONIA, Maria, Elena and CHRISTINA) for their big help and hospitality during our stay. It makes us feeling like home or staying with our friends and family.

Super nice room (our room was #401) with great view to the Barga Valley. We loved to sit at the patio and enjoying the spectacular scenery of the valley – it is just like the fairly tell of medieval time. Different time of day presents different chapter of a story.

The resort has a lot of great facilities that will suit the hotel guests. The heated pool was great and with Jacuzzi that sooth your muscle after your return from daily sightseeing. It also equipped with Sauna and Steam room for relaxing. The Gym has enough machines for your work-out to burn off extra calories that you gathered during the stay. The resort has other fun facilities like tennis courts and horse-riding that we have not used yet. The restaurant has excellent breakfast buffet but dinner is average. Want to thank you to our hosts in the restaurant as well. Great place to just relax and do nothing!!!

Overall, this hotel is at a great location with beautiful scenery, good amenities, helpful/friendly/warm staff under excellent management, We just love it and will return during the summer. We stated it is the Best hotel "Under the Tuscany Sun". Definitely deserve the highest rating and compliment(10...