Hotel Hambros Il Parco

The staff were friendly, and the pool area was fantastic, sunny from 9:30 to 5:30 in September. The lady who runs it was lovely. The rooms were small, though, with hardly any room to unpack, and nothing like the bedroom photos on booking.com. Ours wasn't particularly clean, the lamp was broken, the hairdryer was the usual terrible hotel kind, and there was no ironing board. The jacuzzi was out of order too. Breakfast was very basic, and one morning most of it was gone by 9:30. For £530 for three nights, we expected more, including a couple of cooked breakfast options. The breakfast room was noisy, with extra noise coming from the kitchen. The lovely outdoor dining area shown online belongs to the restaurant next door and isn't used for breakfast or anything else. We wanted a little luxury for our last three nights in Italy and were happy to pay for it, but at £530 we'd hoped for much more. At £300-£350, I'd have rated it five stars and praised the pool and breakfast. As it was, it felt like poor value.

The garden and pool create a relaxed atmosphere throughout the day, and the staff are really friendly. The hotel is surprisingly nice despite being in the middle of nowhere. You follow the sign to the entrance, pass through a pleasant green tunnel, then reach the parking area in a pretty inner garden. It's quiet too, with no noise pollution or signs of stress. I couldn't give it five stars because the room was small and the air conditioning loud. Breakfast was okay, but the lack of variety meant we'd tried everything after two days. Scrambled or fried eggs weren't available.

In porcaria, the hotel is a drive away from Lucca. The room was clean and came with toiletries and other travel essentials, plus tea and coffee. Breakfast had a good range of tasty continental options. There's also a bar, an outdoor area and a gym for anyone wanting to keep fit. Next door, the former restaurant serves good food and gives guests a big, welcoming smile.

We had a lovely large room and attentive service in this beautiful hotel, set in a historic Italian villa. Lucca is only a short drive away. Highly recommend.