Villa San Giorgio

I thought Villa S. Giorgio was a pleasant surprise, a historic villa tucked into nature and well away from the bustle of the nearby little towns. If a few things were improved, it could be a nice place for a quiet weekend away. The property feels dated. The bathrooms were very old, poorly maintained, and not very clean. Our room was simple, but over our four-day stay we noticed some basic things missing: a mini fridge for water or yogurt, a coat hanger, and a shower towel to cover the tub. We washed there each evening and water ended up everywhere. The showerhead was also at an absurd height, around 170 cm, so I had to bend my knees to rinse my hair. I'd suggest making breakfast part of the full service instead of charging €15 separately, especially since the stay also comes with the so-called tourist tax.

It's easy to reach Cinque Terrore, Lunigiana, Versilia, and Pisa from here. The place sits in a quiet area very close to Sarzana, and the rooms are peaceful, with lovely garden views. Breakfast is excellent, served in a nice dining room or outside in the garden. Highly recommended.

We had no one to welcome us, and nobody answered the phone, emails, or messages on Booking.com, even though we received the bill before arriving. After almost three hours waiting, we were worried about sleeping outside and had to look around like squatters to see if there was an open room. Luckily, the code on a key box hadn't been changed, so we managed to get into a room and sleep. Avoid this place. At least the person cleaning the pool acknowledged our greeting.

I booked a one-night stay while traveling, got the confirmation and the usual thank-you for booking, and arrived right on time. Everything was locked up. I knocked and called several times, but nobody answered. So I had to continue the journey at midnight and didn't get home until 3:00 AM. Completely unacceptable.