We stayed at Lupinari for a week in May 07. Found the site through trip advisor and did lots of research. We thought that it was worth paying a bit more than the usual 'lead in' places that travel agents offer.

We were not disappointed either. One word of caution however - following the simple directions (we thought) saw us hopelessly lost in roadworks in Florence as we came from Pisa. The website directions werent quite enough and with the many roadworks, saw us 3 hours late getting to Lupinari in the dark

We recovered from this and arriving so late, asked the lovely young girl who helps there (she is doing a languages degree and was so wonderfully friendly & helpful) if we could have some bread and cheese as we had had no dinner. She came back with that and pruschetto, salami and spicy bread sticks. We were happy to pay the 20 euro it cost.

We didnt eat in the restaurant as it was a set menu and at 35 euros each (adult & children) was a bit expensive to eat at each night. Instead we went to the local camping ground and bought food - it had everything you need.

Need to be aware if you arrive late on a Saturday like we did - nothing is open shops wise except this camping ground and yes you definitely need a car to get around in as you are out in the countryside! There was a couple who arrived without any transport and were stuck until the owner sorted out a car for them after the weekend !!

Unfortunately the children (our daughter and 2 other little americans girls) were quite frightened by the manager when she very sternly told them off for being in a garden belonging to another customer- they tried to tell her they had been invited in to look for a lizard but she was very angry at them and this really dampened things for the children after this as they were very worried they would do something wrong and get into trouble.

You can use the internet in the lobby free of charge especially if you have your own laptop, that was great as we kept a travel blogpage and could go online each day.

We stayed in Il Granaio- the old granary and it was lovely- the huge doors opened onto the manicured grounds and you had no traffic past your door as we had a stone wall next to us.

The pool was fantastic, no expense has been spared!! The grounds are immaculate and the elderly owners invited a group of us to go through the ground floor of their castle- a real treat to see, it was amazing and they were very lovely people.

All in all a wonderful week, only issues we had were with paying the deposit - asked the lupinari manager and our bank then followed instructions re wiring money as you cant pay with a credit card online.
However, we didnt know that additional fees in the Italy bank saw us NZD $100 poorer. Both our bank and the owner said the other should have known. Setting up online payment as with other properties in europe would alleviate this added expense to the customer if you are caught out like we were. Once there, you can pay via credit card however.

Overall, a most beautiful place to spend your 40th birthday!

This spot was a dream. The location was excellent and the quality of the property was even better than we hoped. The staff accommodated our request sand the apartment was well equipped.
We are trying to figure out how soon we can arrange a return trip.
Fantastic! The website photos show it as it really is.

Tenuta Lupinari is a lovely place to have a quiet, scenic vacation in the middle of the Chianti area. We stayed for a week with two children (10 and 5) and my parents in Il Limonaia. The pool area is beautiful, and it was so hot that week that we really needed the it. The kids spent the whole week trying to catch lizards. We took day trips to other towns in the area, but didn't go as far as we had planned. The roads are so curvy that it took longer to get places than we had anticipated. But, we were happy with the trips we took, and always happy to get home in the late afternoon to relax at the pool. We enjoyed cooking for ourselves, and exploring the offerings in the nearby markets. We ate one night in the restaurant. We went for a walk each evening through the property, sometimes with the friendly dogs that live there.

Tenuta Lupinari was magical. Spent a week there with my wife in October. Not much to add. I agree with all other reviews. Requires a car. Easy train ride to visit Firenze for the day. Visited a different hilltown each day. Check out the hot springs in Terme Rapolano (San Giovanni Terme) for something different. Dining everywhere was great. We found Rick Steves book to be the best guide for finding things.