Hotel Villa Volpi

The location and views of the Villa Volpi are breath-taking. If you are looking for a quiet place to recharge this is the one. The pool was well maintained and the kids loved it. The room was very spacious and clean, but some upkeep is needed. The shower is wood panelled and the wood was all mouldy in the corners. Most light bulbs in the property were not working and would need changing. This was particularly annoying in the bathroom, where only 1 of 4 lights was operational. The big downfall of this property however is the host and the restaurant, and please bear in mind this is a 4-star hotel. The host is a bit of a hit and miss. One day they were chatty and friendly, the other day they barely noticed or greeted you. The waitresses in the restaurant were lovely and tried very hard, but an obvious lack of training made communication and service at times chaotic. What really spoiled our experience however was the restaurant. As the hotel is somewhat remotely located (20 minutes car drive to Lucca), you are likely to eat in the hotel. The menu did not change in 4 days, and as there is only a limited amount of choice, it very quickly becomes repetitive. The food was OK, but not 4-star worthy. I had the impression that many dishes were heated in the microwave and given how soggy the potatoes and pasta was, I seriously doubt they were freshly prepared on the day. In addition the prices are astronomical to the degree that it is comical for what plates you are served.

4 star hotel is a huge exaggeration to put it mildly. The pool area and the view is what saves the place from being an utter tragedy. Everything, with regards to the service, restaurant, management, staffing was below acceptable. There is no staff, besides the gardener and poor ladies+ manager wife cleaning and none of them were trusted to help with catering for the guests- except when it came down looking for the one man band “running” the place/the manager. That is what all of us were doing when wanting service, food,drinks.. looking for the manager. Basically we payed waaay too much money to stay at a place which felt like “Fawlty Towers” (Pang i Bygget) with the character Manuel was running it. I would understand the pricing on food, drinks, coffee had it been an exclusive venue, there at least I get to see in the menu that a Coke is 8 Euros or a coffee 5 Euros. Hell, I would even understand it! I fail to do so in this case, I feel genuinely cheated.

In a beautiful peaceful setting just outside Lucca.