B&B Monvicino

The quiet setting was lovely, with nature and horses all around, and the owners, both the lady and her son, were kind. The young riding instructor was warm and happily told us about the horses and the school. They also accepted our Smartbox booking for the December 8th long weekend without charging extra. The yellowish villa looks nice from outside, though a little dated, and it's well placed for visiting the lower Monferrato and Langhe, with their historic, food and wine attractions and scenery. It's remote but peaceful. Inside, though, there are dark, dusty rooms that look partly abandoned, and it wasn't clear whether we could go into them. Our ground-floor room was separated from the bathroom by a corridor with a glass door. Past that was the entrance, which had no key, so we had to leave our room and cross the corridor to use the bathroom. It was freezing when we arrived. We turned on both radiators, and eventually the room warmed up, but the bathroom stayed cold. The bed was comfortable. The window slats were all broken, letting in light. I don't mind that, but others might, and they need repair. At night, loads of hornets and similar insects flew into our faces and woke us up several times. The bathroom would be very hard to use for an older person. The bidet had been replaced by a showerhead, and one of the two showers leaked from the back of its hose, spraying water everywhere, including on the person using it. That left the tub, but standing in it felt risky, and the half-broken plastic surround was hard to close properly. There were cracks and mold throughout the bathroom, and it needs a full renovation. Breakfast was a few packaged items. The bread was the only good part, with just jam and butter available. We asked for something savory, and the next morning they brought coppa, though we'd asked for ham, because eggs weren't "possible." The breakfast room is bright and could be nice, but it has mold and cracks too, and getting there meant walking through a narrow kitchen. That's a shame, because this could be a lovely place.