Castel Monastero RESORT

"Castelnuovo Berardenga The location: Castelnuovo Berardenga, a village that's a day trip from Florence, full of castles and Romanesque churchesTop amenities: Interlocking swimming pools Castel Monastero, a castle of a hotel 15 miles from Siena with 75 guest rooms, is well-situated for the quintessential Tuscany trip. The spacious accommodations here have “wood beams, comfortable leather sofas, terra-cotta floors, and views into the valley,” according Traveler's review of the hotel. The interlocking swimming pools have those picture-perfect valley views, as well. Oh, and how could we forget? There's also a 13th century wine cellar on the property." - Alex Erdekian

"Once a convent for nuns, Monastero today is an over-the-top estate in Tuscany that looks much like a medieval hilltop fortress." - Bailey Berg

"Castel Monastero began life as a castle and eleventh-century village. Then it became a monastery, complete with an incredible Chianti cellar. Now, it's a high-end luxury hotel, one placed close to Siena, far from most everywhere else, and absolutely worth a detour." - Mark Fedeli

"Nestled into the hills of Monastero d’Ombrone, 15 miles east of Siena, Castel Monastero is set in a storybook eleventh-century hamlet with a circular piazza and stone tower. The reconstructed outer ring of the village houses the resort’s 75 guest rooms, while a spectacularly vaulted thirteenth-century cellar serves as an enoteca and wine storage. Rooms are sizable, designed true to their Tuscan roots, with painted old-wood beams, comfortable leather sofas, terra-cotta floors, and views into the valley (the little living room as you enter, however, seems a bit of a wasted space). The resort’s interlocking pools, on the other hand, fit ingeniously into the landscape, looking out onto the area’s postcard-perfect views. But although the resort makes a good base for sightseeing in Siena and the towns of southern Tuscany and Chianti, and the helpful staff are well versed on the culinary attractions of the region, it is a shame that thus far the on-site Gordon Ramsay restaurant is such an overpriced disappointment. Instead of being the hotel’s centerpiece, the restaurant feels like a vanity project without the chef’s attention (Ramsay is there only twice a year), with dishes like risotto with green apple and dishes with imported lobster that are anything but local."