Travellers Reviews
Submitted by Mary Wethey, Guildford, Surrey. GU4 7NE, United Kingdom
We had a wonderful week in residence Santa Maria apartments. The two Young Women who welcomed us and made our stay memorable were more than helpful. The gardens were beautiful thanks to their Father and all his hard work to keep them in tip top condition for their guests. We had a memorable time at Santa Maria and on our return told all of our Friends about the excerlent accommodation and welcome we received at the residence and generaly in Tuscany.
We hope to return again possibly next year or maybe even sooner.
Many thanks
Mary Wethey
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I think I have said most things above but again to just say well done Residence Santa Maria for making it a memorable holiday experience for us.
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It was good to deal with checking out on the Friday before our departure on Saturday this ment that we could concentrate on packing and the journey home
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I think all was described
May be to say that the local places to eat that were very close to the accommodation were excerlent.
Local Shop for grocerys was also good
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Wonderful accommodation tucked away in an amazing part of Tuscany. An area with a magic feeling and around every corner a beatuiful view.
We have recomended to friends since our return
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Submitted by Tina Brickhouse, Trelex, Switzerland
Tina has left no specific comment, however has rated the overall satisfaction rate with a 100% score, his arival experience with a 91% value and his check-out with a 78% rate. |
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Submitted by Zsuzsanna Horvath, Budapest, Hungary
Would be useful to infrom the guest about long queue on the highway. Would be useful to suggest to use the viaCard gates - appr. I have spent there 3-4 hours
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I offer the Residence to other Hungarians and also the Tuscany net as well, as I think all the accommodation offers were very good, and I have saved all of them.
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It was my nicest holiday Mum, thanks - Rita (19) my daughter summarized.
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Submitted by Walter McNamee, Bullcreek, Australia
The directions provided were focussd on entry from the North. We came from the South (civitavecchia)this made the directions irrelevant.
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That there is no oven in the kitchen.
Thate there are mosquitos in the summer and there are no screens on the windows, therefore insect repellant is advisable.
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Very well appointed, in a beautiful setting, very friendly staff and a good central point for touring Tuscany.
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Submitted by IAN THOMPSON, GORDON, Australia
They could not be any friendlier, we were even presented with freshly cut roses in a vase
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Stephanie could not be any more helpfull throughout the stay, she went out of her way many times to help us with directions and places to see. etc. She provided us with the Italian power adapter so we could power our Australian batteries charges, and told us to keep it so we could continue on our Europeon trip.
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You could not get better, I'm really surprised the cost is so low, it is far better than more expensive places, don't tell them though. We will return.
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Submitted by James Duff, Boucherville, Canada
Hosts are very cordial and helpful.
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Some showers did not have shower curtains and the floor of the bathroom were all wet after the shower.
There were no screens in the windows. No air conditioning and no screens means an occasional fight with mosquitoes ( Late July ).
There was minimal storage for clothes (only one wardrobe).
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Went very well.
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Cooking areas are well appointed.
The table in the largest dining room was broken and was not properly repaired after we asked to have it repaired.
Pool and surrounding areas are very well maintained. Beautiful roses and vegetation.
Some of us were eaten alive by mosquitoes around the pool ( late July ).
Residence is situated in a dip between two hills. The view is of slopes covered with vegetation and a vineyard. Not bad but not the best for this beautiful area. Situated close to a farm so rooster calls are frequent.
Hosts were very gratious when we locked ourselves out of the room and they had to come and open the door at 12:30 am.
Cell phones come in on the roof of the facility. Pay phone difficult to operate.
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Great location with good facilities. May be a little pricey ( without too much knowledge of alternatives ). Would go again with bugspray.
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Submitted by Jennifer MacKay, Toronto, Canada
We were very warmly greeted by Laura and her father.
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We were very impressed with Santa Maria. It was very well maintained, clean, attractively decorated and in a fantastic location. The owners had put together a pamphlet about the surrounding area that was also very helpful.
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It has a terrific pool and pool side area that we enjoyed!
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I would tell my friends that Santa Maria is in a terrific location for exploring the hill side towns of Tuscany and Florence. It was wonderful having a central location for day trips and it was a terrific place to call home for the week. It was very attractive and the location was very pretty!
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Submitted by Julie Peters, dublin, Ohio, United States
The villa was more than we could have expected. Stefania, Laura and their father were extremely freindly and helpful. We even had fresh flowers in a vase on our logia table every day. We will definitely stay again.
Greg Peters
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Again, I do not think the pictures or descriptions do the place justice, but I am not sure that they could. RSM is very beautiful.
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Residence Santa Maria is a beautiful and relaxing place to spend a week or base a tour of Tuscany. We were very pleased with the accommodations and staff.
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Submitted by Carolyn Mettrick, Wellington, New Zealand
Fantastic accomodation & experience & would recommend - would love to stay again
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No - web site comprehensive, covered off everything
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Quiet, clean, reasonably priced, rooms a delight, wonderful hostess
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Submitted by Hans Reidar Berge, 3612 Kongsberg, Norway
Very pleasant !
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Very pleasant and enjoyable.
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Submitted by David Roberts, Decatur, United States
The owners were incredibly welcomming and inviting. They made our stay very relaxing with a personal touch.
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The property was more beautiful in reality. Excellant grounds.
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Submitted by Dpnald Grossi, Ocean Shores, Washington, United States
We arrived late and it was raining. It was nice to see Stefania waiting for us and showed us the accomodations and how things worked.
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It is a beautiful residence near a small village but close to the big cities. The staff is great and very helpful in planning the mini trips that you can take while in the area.
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Submitted by Ruth George, Wavell Heights, Australia
The arrival greeting was very friendly & welcoming and we were shoen to our villa and given all the needed information about staying at the villa.
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A beautiful country residence in a quiet and relaxing location -- but with all the attractions you might want to visit in Tuscany just a half-day or day trip away.
You really need a car to stay here as getting supplies (food etc) would be otherwise difficult.
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Submitted by Holger Kühlthau, 63584 Gruendau, Germany
Easy surfing on pages,
Very fast response from Residence Santa Maria
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Was not necessary for us, because second time in Tuscany with individual ideas.
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See above. Individual travelling
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Road instuctions by words very good, but the map very bad. Own map was necessary.
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I never saw a perfect garden with such beautiful flowers in a private house like in Residence Santa Maria.
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You should write that the Residence is in a valley and not on a hill. Somme people want to know if they have a wide view into the country from a hill. There ist no information about this.
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Good experience this time
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Very beautiful house in a lovely, calm surrounding with very friendly, multi-lingual owners. Perfect for a week relaxing.
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Submitted by camille craig, Livingston, United Kingdom
We arrived very late so noone was there but they had kindly left a very nice note for us with full instructions about how to get in, the location of our apartment etc which was very helpful.
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I would recommend both Tuscany.net and Santa Maria to ANYONE, it was fabulous. Everyone else staying there thought the same, very impressed.
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Very quiet location, ideal for a relaxing break but not too far from local town and villages.
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Very quiet, perfect central location. Spacious lovely appartments ideal for both families, couples and groups of friends and excellent value for money.
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Submitted by aviram uri, yavne, Israel
it's important to mantion that the house is not part of montaione, it's another small village called Alberi, wich is not written in many maps, we managed to fine it thanks to our GPS.
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Stefania was really helpfull with everything, starting house facilities, through attractions around the village (resaurants, wine tasting etc.) and all the way to helping us finde our way to rome.
she has great english, and is really nice and friendly.
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1- loched parking, all the residents get the remote for the gate. very insuring that your car is safe.
2- house owner (the daughter) has great english!!
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defently the great place for a vacation at Tuscany, a nice house, not inside a big village, but everything is near by.
ultimate vacation.
we hope to come back again
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Submitted by Nicholas Bridge, Nottingham, United Kingdom
Very helpful instructions about the facilites and local area
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Barbeque was dirty and some areas around the gardens and pool needed tidying - broken furniture and tools left around.
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Beautifully located and relaxing.
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Submitted by Hennie Prinsloo, St Albert, Alberta, Canada
The web site creates the impression this is near (within walking distance) a village with amenities, and that is not the case. The nearest town is Montainone, which is 15 minutes by car.
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Quiet and pleasant. A good base from where to expolre Tuscany, but not a place from where to walk, cycle or just to relax.
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Submitted by Janice Martin, Ashtead Surrey KT21 2JG, United Kingdom
As soon as we pulled up in the car then Stefania was there to greet us with a smile. You could not ask for anything better.
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The site was pretty and kept very clean and tidy. We appreciated the fact that each apartment was allocated its own corner of the pool area.
To make it even better a 'Welcome Pack' would be a good idea, milk,tea,coffee perhaps and a bar of soap in the bathroom. Also air conditioning or fans in the rooms.
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Warn people there is no air conditioning.
That shops are shut on a Monday and the local shop is shut on a Tuesday. (We were unable to get anything to eat when we first arrived)
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Good location, pretty gardens, clean and spacious apartments with friendly and helpful staff who speak excellent english.
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Submitted by BRIAN MCTEIR
Perfect
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This place is a Gem
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This place is suitable for all,families to chill-out, couples to chill-out and explore Tuscany.
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Submitted by John Wellings
John has left no specific comment, however has rated the overall satisfaction rate with a 87% score, his arival experience with a 100% value and his check-out with a 89% rate. |
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Submitted by Nick Tomes
Simple to use and the apartment/residence matched the description. In fact thew apartment exceeded our expectations.
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I was very impressed to receive a call the day before arriving, enquiring when we were due to arrive at the Residence Santa Maria. They then prepared the apartment ready for our arrival time and met us.
It was great not having to wait around for 3-4 hours until the official time to book in.
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We all had a wonderful time, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere.
There was a nice balance between having the feeling that there was someone to help / answer enquiries, without being intrusive.
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It was a pleasure not being under pressure to check out on time. The owners even offered to allow us to stay in the apartment until we needed to leave for the airport.
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Simply a great relaxing place to stay.
One small point the kitchen was adequately fitted, but it did not have an oven.
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Easy to use
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Without hesitation we would stay at the Residence Santa Maria again - you can't speak higher than that!
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Submitted by Dan Atkinson
My wife and I had an excellent stay at Santa Maria and would recommend it to any of our friends (as well as Tuscany net).
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Very nice family-run villa that is central to many of the interesting Tuscany attractions such as Siena, Volterra, etc. and is close to shopping, restaurants, etc.
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Submitted by Bryan
This is our 2nd stay at Santa Maria. We were greeted like long lost friends. It was fantastic.
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They don't tell you that there ispleant of eating places (you don't even need a car) a pizzeria right next door where the people speak good english and their food is fantastic. And a short flat walk you are at Casa Massa where we had the best Tuscan meal of our lives.
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Lovely family run accomodation. Fantastic location, with all the facilities that you require. We were warm when it was cold. They even opened the swimming pool early so that our boys could swim.
Every time we come to Tuscany, this is where we will stay.
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Submitted by Wayne
We found Stephanie to be very friendly and helpful. She is very kind and very welcoming. She made us most welcome upon arrival and is a true ambassodor for the Santa Maria.
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We thought the facility was exceptional. The only negative comment we had was the proximity of the roadway. Looking on the website, one wouldn't know the road was as close as it was, which created some traffic noises that we didn't expect we would have.
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Again, Stephanie was so organized and helpful. We can't say enough about how much we appreciated her positive attitude and beautiful smile!
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We thought the music night was very fun and if this is something that is performed regularly (ie: once a week), maybe it should be promoted. We found it to be a great way of getting all the people from different countries together and mingling and talking and just having fun together.
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The Residence Santa Maria was amazing. Our villa was everything we imagined an Italian villa to be. From the tiled flooring, to the beautiful grounds, to the warm swimming pool, we knew we had come to paradise when we arrived.
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Submitted by Stephanie
The appartment & facilities were all excellent & better than the pictures on the website - The staff were extremely friendly & couldnt do enough to help & were always available which was surprising considering it was an appartment complex & not a hotel reception - Cant rate the holiday highly enough - will definitely return
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Quiet, peaceful accomodation in beautiful countryside with good facilities onsite & close to local shops & restaurants.
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Submitted by Peter
Beautiful residence.
Very nice people, very helpful.
Very nice rooms.
Overall very good experience.
Would stay there again.
Peter Kaju.
Toronto, Canada.
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Overall very good.
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Overall very good.
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All very good.
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Very nice residence.
Large spacious accomodation.
Beautiful setting.
Close to everything.
Very good residence.
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Submitted by Jim
Very friendly greeting and provided valuable information about the Tuscany area.
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We were very pleasanty surprised that the room was nicer than we expected. The staff was exceptionally helpful and friendly and made the stay very memorable for our daughter (babysitting provided and a guitar 'concert').
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Web site was very accurate in describing the Residence.
The only problem with our stay was a barking dog during the night at a nearby farmhouse.
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Very friendly and helpful staff. Lovely building and grounds, excellent location for visiting various places (Firenze, Pisa, Sienna etc.). Very nice swimming pool.
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Submitted by Elizabeth
I lovely warm welcome from the Stefania and Laura who went out of their way to ensure our arrival and check-in went as smooth as possible.
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The apartment was very clean and spacious and the pool area and gardens were maintained beautifully. A thoroughly beautiful and authentic Tuscan residence.
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Checking out was very straightforward and once again Stefania made the process very easy for us.
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A beautiful family run residence in the heart of the Tuscan countryside. Apartments are spacious, clean and all have balconys or loggias. The pool area and gardens are a delight and at all times are kept clean and safe. Stefania, Laura and their lovely father looked after our every need and I was sad to say goodbye to such a wonderfull family. I will definitely return and have no problem in strongly recommending the Apartments Santa Maria to anyone wishing to discover this beautiful region.
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Submitted by Stefan
Very warm and friendly reception, absolutely great start for our vacations !
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Very clean appartments, typical tuscan style inside and outside, very well maintained garden, barbecue and swimming pool area. Personal was VERY helpful in every aspect.
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The website describes the property well.
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Go there and enjoy !
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Submitted by Aimee
We enjoyed our accommodations at Santa Maria. While there was not a hillside view from this property the rooms were well appointed and VERY clean. The staff was very helpful and friendly.
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It was a very nice place but the location was a little further north in Tuscany than we anticipated and it was quite remote which has it's advantages and disadvantages.
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Submitted by Sarah
Used a GPS
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An easy upgrade of linens, bathmat etc, and replacing the couch cover in the kitchen would really elevate the atmosphere of the apartment.
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Note: Not for the website but for your knowledge. We booked the truffle tour and never knew there was a cost. Nothing is mentioned on their brochure. After the walk, they charged us 18 Euro each and when we told them we were surprised the man said 'Oh, Stefania didn't tell you?'. This wasn't Stefania's job, but I recommend preparing other guests as this last minute cost in addition to oup purchases put a bad taste in our mouth.
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I recommend an upgrade of the linens and couch, but one we settled in it was great. The grounds are beautiful and I didn't want to leave. Great family run apartment!
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Submitted by Grant
The only comment about the directions is it says the property is on the left side of the road, but it is on the right as approached by the directions.
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The property and location were beautiful. The rooms were nice and the staff friendly. It is conveniently located to many excellent restaurants and is just a 5 minute or less drive to Montaione which has large grocery and store. It was also a great location for day trips through out all of Tuscany. I would recommend it to friends with out reservation.
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Submitted by Julie
Excellent apartments. Very friendly and helpful owners - Stephania's recommendations for places to eat were very good.
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Great place for relaxing, but also very central for touring the Tuscany region. There is a good restaurant within walking distance and several others within a short drive. The owners are very friendly and welcoming and really helpful with enqiries.
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Submitted by Keelan
The receptionist was away but her boyfriend, his friend and the owner were there to greet us.
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It was exactly what we needed.
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The kitchen does not have an oven (not sure if it is on the website or not...)
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Beautiful converted farmhouse. Apartments were spacious and very, very clean. The area is quiet and has some very good restaurants, some within walking distance. The owners/managers are very friendly and will do everything to ensure that you are made to feel welcome.
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Submitted by Daniel
Daniel has left no specific comment, however has rated the overall satisfaction rate with a 100% score, his arival experience with a 74% value and his check-out with a 89% rate. |
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Submitted by Ian
easy to find from airport central location
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beds a bit hard and could do with a kettle but generally very good accomodation
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easy to find, quiet,spacious, central location for all the places to visit, friendly hosts, would recommend a stay
ian
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Submitted by Alex
Alex has left no specific comment, however has rated the overall satisfaction rate with a 70% score, his arival experience with a 100% value and his check-out with a 89% rate. |
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Submitted by Gerald
They were not at the farmhouse when we arrived but had left a note to let us know that they would be back at a specific time. This was no problem as there is a small grocers and pizzeria 200m from the farm house where we got to sample to local wine ;)
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Our stay was excellent. They were extremely helpful and made many very good recommendations in regards to restaurants, days to visit local towns and maps for driving directions etc. The grounds were lovely and were very well looked after.
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As we had a late flight they allowed us to keep our bags in receptioon while we got the train to Florence for the day.
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Beautifully kept farmhouse in very quiet surroundings. Stunning countryside. Perfect!
Would definitely recommend Santa Maria to anyone.
Thanks for a lovely stay.
Gel & Ash!
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Submitted by larry
Very comfortable apartment comfortable rooms and beds and very quiet to sleep
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Very nice - clean, quiet,beautiful small garden and pool - good place to stay and visit other places from or a great place just to relax for a few days
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Submitted by Nir
No.
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I would recommend the place and direct to the web site for more information.
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Submitted by Karen
More kitchen facilities such as microwave and oven.
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Lovely location and accommodation was good. Would stay there again
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Oven and microwave
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Very nice and would recommend
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Submitted by John Bradley
There was no one there to greet us upon arrival, as we arrived around 10pm, but we spoke on the phone, and everything was left for us at the gate, including placed to eat and we also had their cell phone numbers. They were very helpful.
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The only suggested improvement, would be to have screens installed on the windows to prevent insect/mosquitos from entering.
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We had a very positive experience. We were even given cherries freshly picked from their tree for our drive to Venice.
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No screens on the windows
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Homey, close to all amenities, quiet, clean, well maintained, friendly...
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Submitted by Ruth
We arrived too late at night for a personal greeting.
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Very clean.
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Submitted by Michael
Fine. Stefania had popped out to find some clients who could not find the property but a message etc was left on the gate
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The voucher stated that we had booked an upstairs apartment while the one we were given was ground floor and a little dark. It did not matter as we were out most of the time but some explanation/apology would have ben kind. We did not raise the matter with them however.
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Convenient, clean if a little dark. Bathroom starting to be in need of updating
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Submitted by Frderick
but a little bit disappointed by the lack of view and the road very near
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the cost for end cleaning is very (too) expensive (60€).....
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no surrounding/panoramic view
road very near (noisy)from appartment
owner (the father)only speak italian
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i will not recommand the place to a friend
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Submitted by Karl
Karl has left no specific comment, however has rated the overall satisfaction rate with a 62% score, his arival experience with a 83% value and his check-out with a 50% rate. |
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Submitted by Anonymous
The guest has left no specific comment, however has rated the overall satisfaction rate with a 100% score, his arival experience with a 83% value and his check-out with a 78% rate. |
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