Relais Sant'Elena

What a wonderful stay at this serene and beautiful villa. The grounds are absolutely breathtaking, with beautiful on-site landscaping surrounded by rolling hills. They have built landings for bird nests in the hallways, so the birds are integrated into the resort, giving it a fairytale feel. After coming from the hustle and bustle of city sightseeing, this hotel was the perfect place to truly unwind and relax. The resort is in the countryside, but there are plenty of activities (or you could spend your entire stay relaxing at the resort!). We did a day trip to Siena (1.5 hr drive), but it is also driving-distance to other cities including Pisa, Lucca, Volterra, etc. Another day, we spent our morning sitting poolside and afternoon exploring local wineries. The pool has ample seating, so no need to worry about reserving pool chairs. When you arrive, the hotel gives a list of local winery recommendations which are all within a 15-20 min drive. The food was phenomenal and a highlight of our stay. There is no reason to go off-site for any meals. The breakfast buffet was the best hotel breakfast that we have ever had. It is so extensive and the food is so fresh and creative. We did a cooking class with Stefy, which was super fun! We felt like we were in a local Italian's kitchen and helped cook the food that was being served that night for dinner. Relais Sant Elena offered a truly picturesque and magical stay that provided ultimate serenity and relaxation.

We did not like: Their mountain bikes were poorly maintained. (Gears did not work at all smoothly, or reliably. Brakes were weak.) We are cyclists. We requested a short route. They suggested a 1 hour trail and we returned in 3 1/2. The trail was NOT for bicycles. NOT bikeable. Very unsafe. Large gravel, rocks strewn everywhere along the path, no stability or traction, therefore requiring getting off the bikes and walking. Ridiculous. Ruined our morning and our subsequent afternoon plans. We were glad we did not have an accident. The bed mattress needed to be replaced. We 'slid' to the centre. The maitre d's attitude at dinner was one of indifference. We were craning our necks for service. However, he seemed to be pleasant to some tables. We got his indifference. We did like: The location. The quiet. The breakfast was excellent.

My husband and I stayed three nights at this beautiful hotel. It lived up to all of our expectations - the setting is picture perfect, the food was amazing and the staff couldn't have been more helpful, even down to sending a taxi with our forgotten passports to meet us at the airport! I would thoroughly recommend...we will definitely be back!

Beautiful hotel, however, polishing to the service, check out and pool area would have made this hotel stay exceptional. We provided the same feedback to the hotel. 1. It would have been nice to be offered ‘more’. We were never asked if we would like another glass of wine, bottle of water, coffee at breakfast. This is fine but it didn’t feel welcomed. 2. Add starters to the menu for dinner as the main portion sizes were on the smaller side, no sides were available and there are only 3 main courses served per day. You could have a lunch option as a starter which were €16-22. (E.g Pasta lunch dish had x5 pieces of pasta in the bowl for €18. Amazing food but we were always hungry!). 3. There were no snacks throughout the day and we felt hungry a lot. Take some snacks. 4. We thought the bar service at the pool could have been better- most people we saw went to find the gentleman to get water etc. He did not come to anyone at the pool and do a water rotation ensuring everyone had water and it was very hot. 5. The sunbeds were very uncomfortable. 6. Check out- it would have been nice to have been given our invoice the night before check out so we had time to check it properly. It would have been nice to have been asked what time we would like our luggage to be taken to reception to assist us with our bags at check out. 7. The air con in our room was not great. We set it to 15 in the morning and kept the windows, curtains and shutters closed all day. The room was still hot - The fan was very welcome. 8. Housekeeping typically attended in the afternoon, not the morning. It would have been nice to have had the room refreshed whilst we were at brekkie and before lunch.

My wife and two teenagers really loved this hotel. The peaceful atmosphere, gorgeous surroundings, delicious meals, and friendly, responsive staff combined to make our stay pretty near perfect. Such a lovely place.

an article in the Financial Times brought us to Sant'Elena. This will certainly not be the last time! What a place to visit for your holidays. Location and service is fantastic, high quality food. So good that in fact you don't have to leave the grounds to visit other restaurants in the area.

The highlight of our Tuscan trip was at Relais Sant'Elena. The gardens and grounds of this property were simply stunning and immaculately maintained. We chose to have dinner at the property on our first night as we arrived a little late in the day, the menu was not very extensive but the food was outstanding. The breakfast was also outstanding.

A quiet escape in the beautiful Tuscan countryside. Excellent service & with a delicious but limited menu. The garden has a lovely veggie plot where an abundance of food is grown. Relaxation & comfort in gorgeous surroundings. I would go back. Thankyou Xx

Relais Sant’Elena is the perfect spot for a relaxing visit to the Tuscan countryside. The location and grounds are beautiful and meticulously maintained. The rooms are comfortable and well appointed. The staff is, well, amazing- warm and welcoming, helpful and friendly, always available. The food is delicious and always changing. You can taste the freshness & quality of the locally sourced ingredients. Looking forward to returning someday.