Villa Casentino

The quiet setting and lovely views were the best part of our five-night wedding stay. But the villa was too expensive for what we got, and needs renovation to be more comfortable. The dining room chairs were broken and hard to sit on. After I asked, the housekeeper brought wood glue, and my dad quickly fixed them before the wedding. There was no hot water in the small house next to the villa. We would have had to heat it with a separate boiler, which we didn’t want to do because of the extra electricity cost, so we had to wash in another room in the villa instead. The toilet flush in that room was very weak and took a long time to refill, which was uncomfortable. There were also a lot of extra costs: electricity and a €300 cleaning charge, plus a fee if we wanted to do laundry. There wasn’t enough toilet paper, which I consider a basic necessity, and no towels were provided for the sun loungers by the pool. The poolside furniture was unusable too, it fell apart as soon as anyone tried to sit down. At the end of the stay, we had to carry our own rubbish to the end of the road because there were no bins at the house. We were organizing a wedding there, so there was a lot of trash, and for that price I think it should have been taken care of.

We had a fantastic week and would love to return. The villa matched the website description and photos, and the hostess was very friendly and easy to reach throughout our stay. The grounds were well kept, everything was spotless, and getting there by car was easy. The kitchen was well equipped, including two dishwashers, and the oven worked perfectly. We cooked for 16 people every day. The kitchen, dining room, and living room are in a separate, bright communal building, so people could sleep without being disturbed. Entry to the grounds and that building is by PIN. In the evenings, the grounds were nicely lit, and it was easy and safe to find our rooms. The pool shower wasn’t working, though we visited in April, so it might have been because it was early in the season. It didn’t bother us. The rooms are a bit dark, as you’d expect in an old house, but that may help in summer. There are mosquito nets on the windows, though we still had spiders inside, which seems normal in a rustic place. The beds were very soft and the frames squeaked a lot, so in some rooms we put the mattresses on the floor. That small change made them much more comfortable. We weren’t sure what to expect for electricity costs. In April, our group of 16 didn’t need heating or air conditioning. We used the washing machine several times, ran the dishwasher every day, and cooked each evening. The bill was under €50.