Stressed and tired we came here to get away, rest up and enjoy a few days over my (February) birthday. And we weren't disappointed. La Solaia's beautiful hill-top position provides breathtaking 360 degree views of the Tuscan countryside. The drive up to it may be daunting for Italians with their precious cars, as the road is at times a challenge. To assist less courageous guests the Solaia management offers a courtesy shuttle. We had no difficulty getting to it in our spider, sports car despite my Italian husband's amusing occasional outbursts. And it may interest some fainthearted drivers, that on one day of our sojourn, a business conference drew at least 30 cars and still more business people to Solaia's conference facility.
Thankfully, conference or not, La Solaia retained the sense of intimate privacy and calm.
Let me rave about the excellent food in a creative menu, and the wine and service that was offered in the restaurant. It was good to see that non guests came in numbers to eat here too. The Val di Chiana area is renown for its quality meat and my demanding husband confirmed that all the meat dishes were indeed outstanding. Without making me feel the weight of his extra work, the chef prepared beautiful gourmet vegetarian dishes for me. The chef's cheerful creativity, in deep meat country, was ethically and spiritually satisfying. He also made me an unforgettable birthday cake for which i'll always grateful.
The spa was a treat. Check out the cool light sequence in the turkish bath and pledge to refresh yourself with the crushed ice fountain after your sauna, it's worth it. In the winter you can run out and roll in the snow. Something we'll return to do. I also had some beauty treatments, used the hair salon and was pleased with the services.
La Solaia personnel take great pains to show they care for guests. But they couldn't get the internet to work in our room - much to my husband's relief. And after two days of very little mobile phone signal and work emails withdrawal anxiety - lets not kid ourselves it's 2010 stress - I finally got the rest I so badly needed enjoying the time to the end of our stay. Using the spa was a daily godsend! And the birdsong, lack of city noise, the nature, the peace, it all helped restore love of life and health.
A word about the location, La Solaia is a beautiful, entirely restored, stone built hamlet, surrounded by manicured Italian gardens with sculptures. Within the grounds at a stroll's distance, there's a swimming pool that i look forward to swimming in in the summer. And the pool also has a restaurant area.
On some days we drove out to explore the surrounding towns and villages and were always delighted with our experiences. As two mature professionals and well traveled guests with attitude, we'll definitely be coming back.