24 Hours at Castel Porrona, Montalcino
What I love most about being a luxury travel blogger is the fact that you get to know many luxury hotels you wouldn't normally stay at. Neither would I have stayed at Castel Porrona, as I more prefer the seaside or the area around Florence for the total Tuscan feeling. But I have been teached the complete opposite and a totally new hotel did convince me in such a lovely way I would have never expected.
As an Italian lover I have been to nearly all parts of Italy except a few corners. Montalcino was one of them. Often referred to a favorite place of US and Asian tourists, this is not the place for the real rural Italian countryside feeling. Anyhow Castel Porrona seemed to be a good compromise as it lies a few kilometres out of town, opposite Castel Banfi - another tourist-frequented place lacking the typical feeling. I just arrived directly from one of the best hotel experiences in life (La Posta Vecchia near Rome), so the expectations were quite high towards another five-star rated medieval hotel! In fact the arrival was nothing less than super welcoming, warm and friendly! A female front desk attendant from Sardinia who I could tell all my adventures from the days before and the lovely Marketing Manager Ana were already expecting me and I was so happy to be finally arrived. I could take a seat in their super-modern front desk room right in front of the main gate to the town itself, and had a refreshing drink.
They both joined me for the tour around the not-too-vast resort and I was surprised of all the beauty and attention to the detail. Having opened in Spring 2016, you couldn't feel how fresh everything was beside the fact that all the furnitures were flawlessly perfect. In fact it is a castle hotel so it's not the sense to have a feeling of being completely fresh. Anyhow I smelled the freshness of the resort in every room and I love it. At the end of the tour, I entered my room and it was much more beautiful than I expected. The bed (probably a highlight) was so high and was completely equipped with handmade linen from Naples, plenty of pillows so that I could build a castle during the night. In addition to that, there were two comfortable armchairs, freshly prepared pastries by the chef, a flat screen tv that could have also been in a super hotel in the UAE, the best in-room coffee machine I have seen so far from Naples again (the owner is from there so it's a completely Italian luxury hotel) as well as a spacious bathroom. While I didn't found the Gessi shower to be practical, it looked quite modern and luxurious. Anybody who knows my bathroom habits, also knows that I am a lover of branded toiletries. Although I would have loved Bulgari products or something else, I was fine with their olive oil based toiletries. All in all the bathroom was filled with daylight and they promised to add make-up mirrors within this summer.
After one of the most heavenly nights - and most peaceful as well, I went to the restaurant where breakfast is served. As one of the only hotels in Italy, Castel Porrona offers a la carte breakfast - which is a reason enough to stay there! You can just sit, relax, read the newspaper and listen to the music of the countryside while being served best coffee, fresh orange juice, best salmon, egg dishes any style and a selection of high quality breakfast products, just as puff pastry, toast bread, homemade jams, butter and delicacies. Service was perfect and I am sure I was sitting there for over an hour. Just in time to have another dip into their brand new outdoor pool along with the just opened spa area which is another highlight.
The spa building itself consists of three floors. On the top floor you find the reception area, changing rooms and treatment rooms with products by Dr Vranjes - a brand from Florence from where I do also have my room diffusors ;-)! One floor below, you find a relaxation room, a super modern sauna and a vast hammam with an amazing light. Water and tea are provided there as well. Finally, on the ground floor there is a secret water zone, with two small jacuzzis and one big moroccan bath in the middle. Although it was not possible to make pictures, as it was very dark, it looked amazing and was something I have never seen before. Just around the corner, there was the door to the outdoor pool with lots of comfortable daybeds - pillows should arrive as well. I found the pool to be warm, but it seems that they will get the right feeling in the next weeks.
After a few hours at the spa, I headed back to my room and packed the last things, before I had to check out again. Everything went well and of course I wasn't ready to leave yet, so after my departure I registered that I left my iPhone charger in the room. Well, as you might guess I was already half way home and couldn't return. Although they first asked me for my credit card details, they never charged anything to my account and sent it back to me with pleasure - I have to say thanks to Luca who did an excellent job and to Castel Porrona for making my short stay a really adorable one!
I really enjoyed my short stay at the brand new Castel Porrona and honestly I did not expect the hotel to be so exclusive and great. Service was excellent on all aspects and as you can also see on tripadvisor, guest feedbacks are outrageous. Again, a sign that this hotel is doing well and once all the little things that were missing yet are done and out of the way, Castel Porrona will be one of the top hotels in Tuscany together with the other already established resorts.
I was guest of Castel Porrona Relais for one night for editorial purposes, however the review hasn't been influenced and I am looking forward to coming back soon.
