I stayed here with friends for 5 days in late September. We travelled by train from Pisa, changed at Empoli to Poggibonsi and then bus to Colle di Val d’Elsa. The apartment is pristine and the owner, Antonella, is lovely. She picked us up from the bus stop in Colle on the night we arrived and refused to take money for her trouble. We arrived on Saturday evening, so there were no shops open the following day. However, Antonella had provided cakes, biscuits, French toasts, jams, Nutella, milk in the fridge, coffee (instant and Lavazza ground coffee) and various flavours of tea. She also very kindly provided a complimentary bottle of wine – and we could choose red or white! We had everything we needed to settle in over the weekend.
There are two bedrooms which are both ensuite. Both the bedrooms and bathrooms are spacious. The bed linen was fresh and clean, as were the bathroom towels. The beds were king size, perhaps bigger, but definitely much larger than a double bed.
The bathrooms were clean and well serviced. There were plenty of towels provided, bath sheets, hand towels (2 sizes) and a foot towel for stepping out of the shower. Antonella had also provided toiletries, small shower gels and shower cap – though we had brought our own. Again, the bathrooms were spotlessly clean.
The kitchen/living area is very well resourced and absolutely clean. There was nothing we needed missing from the kitchen. It is a kitchen living area. There is a dining table, which easily seats 4 and a sofa which will seat three people. We spent very little time in the apartment, only breakfast really. If you want to spend a lot of time around the apartment it may be a little cramped for four, but if it’s somewhere to eat breakfast and come back to at the end of the day, it’s perfect. There is a small balcony with four chairs and table – again this is quite small, but the Tuscan views are amazing. The only other thing to mention is that we visited in late September when the weather is cooling down. Every room has a fan, which we didn’t need, but I don’t believe there is air conditioning, which in the very hot weather may be a problem for some.
The medieval old town, where Antonella’s flat is located on top of the hill, is absolutely stunning. The views are beautiful. The town has restaurants, a bakery, and a great café to eat breakfast, a small general store, a shop where you can buy salami and cheese, etc. – there are tourist souvenir shops too. There are sights to see and activities – cathedral, glass blowing exhibitions and museum, etc. Everyone was helpful and very friendly. You don’t have to worry about the climb back up to the old town because there is a lift to get you up, and down. Colle di Val d’Elsa is brilliantly located for visiting Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, amongst others. We used local transport and easily visited the aforementioned places. It’s around a 45 minute bus ride into Florence and half an hour to Siena. We visited Siena and San Gimignano in the same day using local transport.
In summary, I would have no hesitation in recommending this accommodation to TripAdvisor users. Thank you for your kindness, Antonella! Grazie mille!