Agriturismo Il Boschetto

The room was spacious, but there was no kettle or coffee machine, and the fridge was tiny. Check-in was a long wait with just one person at reception, in a hot, humid area without air conditioning. The pool was missing parts of its bottom structure, and there was no horse riding or restaurant available. Breakfast was a letdown: the room was stifling and dark, the pastries didn't seem fresh, the eggs looked as though they'd been eaten and put back, and the cakes were ordinary store-bought ones. The person working there didn't turn on the lights and never managed a smile.

The breakfast room was lovely, though the breakfast itself was very poor. Our room was good but sparsely furnished, and the limited reception hours were a major downside. It's a nice place otherwise.

The beds were really comfortable, the shower was good, and our room was huge, big enough for a horse. We also liked the pool, the restaurant staff were nice, and breakfast had plenty of choice. Dinner tasted good, though it felt too expensive for what we got. The place is really a stable and equestrian show complex with some hotel facilities, not an agriturismo. It lacks the personal feel of an authentic Italian farm stay, and many appealing photos show the equestrian areas rather than guest facilities. The property is vast and poorly signed, so it wasn't clear where guests were meant to go, and we felt as if we were in the horses' space. Our room had no decoration at all, so it had no charm. It was also very dark because all four Velux windows had electric blinds stuck closed. The place looks fancy at first, but the refurbishment seemed rushed and short on attention to detail. We found loose shower door handles, a worn shower hose, ceiling panels coming out of place, and too little room in the bathroom for toiletries. There was also a wasted area between the bathroom and bedroom that would have worked better as part of a larger bathroom. The huge room space wasn't used practically, with just two chairs and a table lost in it. One light had no switch, so we had to screw the bulbs in and out to operate it. The restaurant is upstairs with no lift for strollers, so we carried ours up and down two flights. At the pool, there weren't enough sunbeds or parasols for the number of guests. People saved them with towels and left for long stretches, one group for over four hours.

We had a great stay, and getting to Monza for the GP was an easy drive. The rooms were roomy and comfortable, each looking out over the show jumping ring in the middle. The place is tucked away in a beautiful spot. Service at the restaurant was a little slow at first, but by our second night it was great. If you order the orecchio di elefanti, it's enormous, so skip the starter.