Villa Michaela

What a nightmare. We left as soon as we could find somewhere else to stay. Within the check-in period, our room clearly hadn't been cleaned. Someone had slept in the bed, there was rubbish around the room and there were no clean towels. The host offered another room, but that one had been slept in too and wasn't clean either. She said no staff were available and that, since it was summer, we should have expected the rooms to have been used. She actually said it had "just been one night," as though that made it acceptable to charge us for a used room. Her only offer was fresh sheets instead of a proper clean, which was unacceptable to us. There were other problems before that. The kitchen and other downstairs shared areas were a mess, and the only fridge was packed full. We'd booked breakfast for the entire stay well in advance, and the host had accepted the reservation. Once we arrived, she said breakfast had to be ordered in person a day ahead. We asked then, but she said not for the next morning because she had no staff and couldn't do it herself. We were lucky to get a full refund through Airbnb. Take this as a warning to book through a secure method, or perhaps not to book at all.

This is my favorite place in Italy. We've come back every year and love it more each time. It's a beautiful, original Tuscan villa, restored with care and surrounded by olive groves in a charming village, just ten minutes from Lucca.

We had a fabulous time here for a three-day wedding. It's a wonderful old house in a great setting, with a laidback feel.

We brought 26 people from my startup for a corporate retreat, and the team looked after us incredibly well. The villa sits in the hills just outside Lucca, with beautiful views over the valley, spacious rooms and loads to do: a tennis court, huge swimming pool, fire pit, pizza oven and more. Each morning started with a run up the hill, tennis, yoga or a swim before the day's discussions and team-building activities. In the evenings we ate at the villa or walked to one of the lovely restaurants in the village. By the end of the week, the whole team felt refreshed and closer together. It was a perfect spot for our retreat, and I'd highly recommend it for a company stay.