Podere Mencoini

I went in March, before the season, and found a lovely, quiet place surrounded by forest. We saw wild animals in the morning. The staff were friendly, and it's a great starting point for exploring Tuscany.

Podere Mencoini has a lovely Tuscan style and plenty of spots to retreat to. Our group of 11 adults and 5 children stayed for ten days in July and August. It can sleep up to 16, and the towns of Siena, Arezzo, Montepulciano, and Pienza are roughly 30-35 minutes away, handy for outings. The rooms and shared spaces are practical, but there isn't enough storage for clothes and personal things, and some of us found the beds uncomfortable. The house has a lot of potential, but cleanliness and upkeep really let us down. The kitchen needed such a thorough clean that we spent a whole vacation day doing it ourselves. Many of the outdoor seats were covered in animal droppings, so we couldn't use them unless we cleaned them ourselves. We also had no water for a day. The owners did look into it, but it was still inconvenient for a group our size. We had to clean the pool ourselves every day with the vacuum robot left by the pool. Nobody explained this, and the owners didn't take care of it. It's in a remote wooded area, which is beautiful, but there are lots of animal visitors, including spiders, lizards, ants, grasshoppers, and hornets. The 1.2 km access road is extremely bumpy and a real challenge in a regular car. With better cleaning and maintenance, we would certainly have felt more comfortable.

The apartments were comfortable, well looked after, and had everything we needed. We had a wonderful weekend with family at Podere l'Erbolario. The farm has a fairytale feel, and getting there from the highway was easy. Recommended 👍👍

Beautifully and tastefully furnished, this is an ideal holiday home for anyone wanting complete privacy.