Villa De' Giacomi

We'd definitely come back. It's a quiet villa, tastefully decorated, with excellent amenities and everything feeling high quality. Parking and check-in and check-out were easy. A lovely find if you want something special instead of a standard hotel, especially if you enjoy art and the good life. Well worth a weekend or longer.

It's a very cute property, but my stay left me with mixed feelings. The photos made it look magical, surrounded by greenery with mountain views, like a boutique bed and breakfast. The reality felt more like renting a beautiful room in a renovated historic villa through Airbnb. There was no breakfast, concierge, or room service, and communication was often unclear. The rooms had limited air circulation and air conditioning. The spa is available, but it needs to be reserved several hours ahead so staff can prepare it, and guests have to leave the hotel to enter it, which made it less appealing. The website also didn't give much specific information about booking or policies, including spa use. I emailed the owner, who replied quickly and said the spa cost €35 per person for four hours. On arrival, we were told it was only three hours. I asked about the room, bed, view, and air conditioning, and the answers all sounded good. I first planned to book three nights, then settled on two. I chose what I understood to be the largest and best room for its mountain view, but the windows mostly faced other buildings of similar size, and the view wasn't as described. There was no place to pull up to the entrance to unload, nor a parking lot. Instead, we had to park up or down the hill in the town car park. With two suitcases weighing over 20 kg each, we then faced a very old, narrow, winding staircase up to the room. None of that had been mentioned, and I would not have booked if I had known. Anyone with mobility issues, or carrying heavy luggage after a long trip, should know this place may not suit them. My travel partner had recently had back surgery, and I couldn't safely carry the cases upstairs alone. We took them back to the car. It was 8 pm and still 39C outside. We couldn't open the windows because of the heat, and the room's air conditioner was too small to keep up. We had to keep the shutters closed to block the sun, and sleeping was difficult. The heat meant we couldn't comfortably stay in the room during daylight to enjoy it. The beautiful shared areas shown in the photos had no air conditioning or ventilation, so it was hard to breathe while moving between them and the room, let alone enjoy the seating area. I contacted the owner soon after we arrived to explain the miscommunication and problems. I suggested we stay that night, then leave early in the morning for a hotel without those mobility restrictions. I wanted to be comfortable for the last two nights before a long transatlantic flight and needed access to organize my suitcases. The owner blamed the historic building and cited a 10-day cancellation policy, even though I still hadn't received a payment receipt or reservation details. I asked him to carry the cases up and down; he was out of town and offered his sister's help instead. She was only available briefly, and I received the message while we were out because the heat made staying in the room impossible. In the end I let it go, disappointed and unwilling to argue. You can't force someone to understand what good customer service or the right thing to do means.

The property and bedrooms have been recently renovated in a contemporary style, and the staff were kind and helpful. I really enjoyed the peaceful location, surrounded by greenery and nature. I'll definitely come back to spend more time here.

The spa is incredible, and I'd highly recommend trying it during your stay. This guest house has cozy rooms in a beautifully renovated building. Easily the best place to stay in teolo.