Apartment Rental in Chianti, Easy Walk To Town

Overall:
It was not our first visit to the area, but it was our first stay at San Barberino 2. It was beyond what we had hoped for. Excellent place to stay, and just added to our Tuscany experience. Thank you.
Enjoyed Most:
The view, the privacy. And definately, the kitchen! Also, great bathrooms.
Enjoyed Least:
Well, it took us a bit of time to get used to using a key to get OUT of the gate. Only other thing lacking was an electric dryer. But I've used one of those racks before.
Surrounding Area:
Well, as I said, we'd been to stay in Barberino before. We love the country aspect. It's location can't be beat, half way between Florence and Siena, and near to many of the places we wanted to reach. But it is a quiet and uncrowded village, and very charming. The people are friendly and helpful.
Nearby Events or Locales:
We didn't really have time to walk to any other villages, but we did go into Tavarnelle one or two times.
Tips or Restaurants:
The apartment was very well equipped and I can't think of anything needed. Maybe pool towels, if it's warm enopugh for swimming. Our favorite restaurants were the two alongside the church. The one on the north side of church was our absolute favorite. They hugged us on our last night!
Directions:
I was familiar with the village from staying there for two weeks in 2005, so I had a pretty good idea of where it was. We had no trouble finding it, just getting in the gate.
Check In Out:
No, it went smoothly. We did phone when we were about an hour away, and this did help to alert Sonia that we were near.

Mary Jo, October

Overall:
We loved the area and close proximity to other towns and cities. Very relaxing and beautiful! We hired a chef to cook for us one night and that was fantastic--we had lots of leftovers for the next 2 days.
Enjoyed Most:
Location and view. Cecile was very gracious and helpful with directions, and she also arranged our chef at villa night.
Enjoyed Least:
Agree with earlier comments about road noise and mosquitos. A dryer would have been nice since we had do quite a bit of laundry. Also, we found the beds to be too firm. Want to note that people should be aware of the stairs in th villa leading up to the bedroom. Thankfully San Barberino 2 has a downstairs bedroom and bath which was great for my Mom. The only other problem encountered in the area was very limited WiFi service; there was one free Internet cafe/bar but it was only open in the evenings.
Surrounding Area:
The beautiful rolling Tuscan hills, and Val d' Elsa was charming!
Nearby Events or Locales:
Val d' Elsa was a pleasant walk, uphill but not too strenuous for us, ages 50-75. Had a cafe, grocery store, library, and 2 great restaurants.
Tips or Restaurants:
Bring pool towels if you have room because they are not provided. Our favorite restaurant was recommended by Cecile, Osteria Piazza, on the way to Castellina in Chianti. Beautiful patio, excellent food and service!
Directions:
Did not have GPS but found it OK without.
Check In Out:
Cecile was efficient and really great all around.

Mary, October

Overall:
Fantastic!
Enjoyed Most:
It exceeded our expectations. It was well furnished and very clean when we arrived. Cecile, the property manager on site, was helpful with any questions we had. GREAT DEAL for a very nice property and we are fussy.
Enjoyed Least:
The property, like most properties in the area, is on a main road. This is not a big deal but if we had to say what we liked the least this would be it. Don't get us wrong, we would stay there again in a heartbeat!
Surrounding Area:
Great location, easy, beautiful drives to Siena and Firenze. We enjoyed the small town of San Barberino 50 yards from the Villa. Also nice drives to Bologna and Volterra - great town, worth the one hour drive.
Nearby Events or Locales:
Barberino, had a couple of restaurants, internet cafe, market, church, post office within 5 minutes walk.
Tips or Restaurants:
You don't need to take a thing. It is all there, ready for occupancy. For us, it was an amazing week. We cried when we had to leave. We had no idea what we were getting into. We took a chance and it paid off quite well. This is a much better deal than the hotels we stayed at in Rome and Palermo. It was nice to be able to make simple breakfasts and lunches. We had dinner out most evenings. The local restaurants are reasonably priced. We used Trip Advisor for restaurants advice and didn't have a bad meal the entire time.
Directions:
Used my Iphone but it wasn't necessary as the directions were straight forward.
Check In Out:
Cecile made it easy, about 5 minutes on both ends. She was onsite so no big deal with the few questions we had. She was cheerful and anxious to please. We met the owner at one point but between his English and my Italian it was a brief conversation. Very nice man also anxious to please us.

David , April