Hotel Review: A long weekend at Ville sull’Arno

When I was planning my trip to Tuscany I read so many hotel recommendation lists as I really wanted to stay in a Tuscan villa with a view. When I came across the five-star Ville Sull’ Arno mentioned in a few lists, I knew it was the one. It combined that Tuscan country feel I craved with the added advantage of proximity to the city so that I could tick off all the major sights on my list.

When we arrived I could instantly smell the fresh aroma of lemon trees in the air and there were pretty flowers everywhere. The Villa has a wonderful location on the banks of the river Arno. It has beautiful gardens and a pool with plenty of sun loungers making it the perfect place to recharge and relax. I literally felt so chilled there.

There are 45 rooms, some of which are suites, each with a very different individual design. Our room was upgraded to a suite with a river view and a Jacuzzi tub and it was all I needed for a relaxing weekend in Tuscany. The decor in our room was more modern than another room we had seen and it was in a building separate to the main villa, which hosted the restaurants and bar. It was literally a 1 minute walk though.

The outside space was my favourite and I loved sitting outside in the morning with a cup of coffee before we headed for the main breakfast room or in the evenings watching the rowers on the river.

The decor in the villa is based around the 15th century with original stone doors, mahogany furniture and vintage curios. The pretty soft pastel pinstripe interiors and floral fabrics give it a charming vibe.

Alongside an outdoor pool, there is a spa with a heated Jacuzzi. I was really impressed with the Spa but had so much planned that I didn’t get any free time to actually enjoy it. It has open-plan wellness rooms and the products used at the spa are from one of Florence’s oldest pharmacies, the Farmacia Santissima Annunziata.

Back to the room though, we had a large spacious dressing area which was fantastic to spread out my toiletries and make up.

The bedroom area was also large and there was air conditioning in the room and free wifi available throughout the hotel, which was fabulous as we struggled with data in Florence. The hotel also had wifi enabled phones which you could take to use around the city if you wished.

My favourite part of the stay was breakfast – just look at that breakfast bar!

It was the cutest and best breakfast I have ever had at a hotel. It had been laid out adorned with flowers and vegetables for decoration and the choices were immense. There was everything you could want – from fresh breads and pastries, to cheese and cold meats, cooked breakfast and fresh fruits and cereals.

The cakes were my favourite as were the freshly squeezed juices. I got pretty addicted to fresh Blood Orange juice.

The absolute highlight though was the honeycomb and honey! This was served straight from the comb and just utterly divine. It was popular with all the guests.

There was also a pretty bar and lounge area in the hotel where you could relax with a glass of wine and read or play board games.

If fitness is a priority when on holiday you will be pleased to find that they have a gym in the villa too. It has the main equipment you would need.

In terms of location, it was a half an hour walk into the centre of Florence and incredibly convenient, whilst being detached from the crowds. We walked to the main sites and in the evening just got a taxi back.

The staff were incredibly warm and welcoming and so helpful in terms of advice and recommendations. We felt very well looked after and it was like a home away from home.

If you are looking for a Tuscan villa experience and want to be close to the city this is perfect. It was so reasonably priced too and just fabulous in every sense. We flew to Pisa airport and then got a bus straight to the centre of Florence and then a taxi to the villa. It was all really easy. If you are driving to the villa there is ample parking. I had a fantastic time and would definitely stay here again.

For more information visit their site here.