Rifugio La Foresta Hotel

The people were very unkind. After a long walk on the Francis way, I asked for a drink and couldn't even get a glass of water. They said, "We're a hotel, we don't have a bar." Ridiculous. What would Francis say!

The staff were really welcoming, and our room felt so cozy. We had a lovely stay.

The food was a real highlight: we had pasta and a superb beef tagliata. The staff were very kind too, especially the woman at reception who helped arrange our transfer. The place is tucked among the beautiful trees of the Tuscan forest.

We came away disappointed, especially with the meals and service. Across two lunches and one dinner, the food felt like a poor school canteen. Large dishes were left in the middle of the table for everyone to serve themselves. The focaccia seemed reheated and of questionable quality and origin; the paccheri arrived cold and overcooked, with tomato sauce that tasted sour and still seemed undercooked. The cured meats were okay, but the pumpkin rice was cold as a brick. The roast seemed clearly prepackaged, as did the torta della nonna. The house wine was poor and left many of us feeling unwell, nothing like the wine we tried at the afternoon Chianti tasting led by people from outside the hotel. At another lunch, the pappa al pomodoro was perhaps the best thing we ate in two days, while the lasagna was poor too. Service added to the frustration. Some waiters seemed unsuited to the job, with few smiles or kind words and little skill clearing plates. They were always rushing to take dishes away. When we asked for bread to go with the food, we were told, “In theory, I can’t give you that.” The substitutes for lasagna were especially disappointing for a lactose-intolerant guest and a vegetarian, both of whom had informed the hotel well in advance: they got a salad and a leek in tomato sauce. What kind of recipe is that? It looked as if someone had found a leek in the kitchen and put it in the pappa al pomodoro sauce just to give those two something to eat. The hotel itself is nicely set in nature, but the small rooms were a little dusty, with cobwebs and unidentified animals. Maybe that comes with being surrounded by nature. Breakfast was decent, though less complete than the photos suggested. There seemed to be poor organization in the kitchen, perhaps because it was October and they were out of season without the right resources. But they had accepted a group of 50 people who booked months ahead. Being out of season is no excuse when guests still pay for the service.