Hotel Margherita

We loved how the food felt like home cooking, and they took my intolerances seriously, offering plenty of alternatives. Breakfast was generous and varied. The hotel has an old-fashioned feel, but the rooms are consistently clean. Filippo was especially warm, helpful, and attentive to everything we needed. Parking was plentiful, and both the center and the spa are only a short trip away. We’ll definitely return.

The hotel is dated, but the price is hard to beat. You can walk to the thermal baths, and breakfast is generous. There’s a fixed-price dinner on site; the food is good, inexpensive, and served with kindness and discretion. The owner is knowledgeable, attentive, and always around to help.

Dinner was the one good part: simple, quick, and home-style. Breakfast was much the same each day, but there was plenty of it. The hotel itself was in terrible condition, though, and I can’t recommend it. I hate leaving such a low rating, but after one night of our two-night booking at this supposed three-star place, I felt I had to. Mr. Filippo seemed to be doing every job there. When we arrived, he said the previous guests had broken the TV remote and that he’d bring another if he could find one that day. We could use the TV’s own controls in the meantime, which was fine. He also showed us how to keep the heating from shutting off. When it did go off, I went down to report it. He brought out a water heater from a service closet and said we should use it because he couldn’t repair the central air conditioning. I declined at first, and he said he’d try again. When we got back, it still wasn’t fixed, so I accepted the heater because I have a small child and couldn’t leave her cold. After turning it on, I heard odd noises and saw it spark now and then. I went back to ask about it, and he suddenly brought out a new one. There were at least half a dozen heaters in that closet. That made me wonder whether the heating problem had been going on for a while, or whether there was bad faith involved, but that’s only my opinion. I felt sorry for him, as he seemed to have put his heart into the place and was handling everything we saw.

Chianciano Terme’s center is nearby, which is a good location, but I’d avoid staying here for more than a night. The rooms are basic, noisy, and not very clean, with no showers. Wi-Fi didn’t work, and breakfast was lacking in both amount and quality.