Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco Resort & Spa

Spectacular hotel up in the mountains! Pros: -Staff were friendly and helpful, especially Luca -Amazing views and amenities (large gym, nice indoor pool, the outdoor pool was closed for winter) -Spacious rooms (we did get upgraded which was special) -Delicious buffet breakfast -Nice hike through the mountain to medieval town of Barga (plan on at least 50 mins to 1 hr one way with some hills) Cons -NO AC in the winter. The room was hot and stuffy, which made it difficult to sleep. They did bring a fan which helped some -We we're not a fan of food options onsite beside breakfast buffet & fried zucchini -Limited taxi's esp in Barga so plan ahead so the hotel can help coordinate -Hotel is far away from train stations, plan on taxi fees or

Pretty good hotel. The view is stunning, best view I've ever seen. The hotel itself is clean and the pools are pretty nice. There are a few things that I didn't like too much about the hotel. 1. The food isn't great. Breakfast was pretty good, not too many options though, lunch was good, dinner was ok. For example, we got the steak with the jacket potato. The jacket potato had nothing in it, not butter, salt, or anything, it was literally just a potato. 2. The indoor pool isn't very deep, I wish it was a bit deeper. Also I wish their was a jacuzzi. Otherwise, pretty good hotel.

The restaurant is just horrible. I ordered some mushroom truffle soup as first course which tasted like soup from a can. For The main course, I ordered the sea bass which was overpowered by olives and some strange cream sauce. This is supposed to be a 5 star restaurant, they need to change the chef. I would suggest just using local ingredients from the farmers in the region to create simpler dishes with more pasta dishes. The problem here is that there are no other options for food since the hotel is located way up in the mountains. By the time you head down the mountain, you have already paid about $50-$60 in taxi alone. The breakfast is good so just load up on that for day at least and order from the bar instead of the restaurant

Edit: One day AFTER writing this review and we've decided to cut our stay here in half. One star now. Maybe zero. They let large groups throw parties all through the night. I'm glad they sold most of the hotel for the weekend to a 200 person wedding party. But those of us who wanted a quiet honeymoon just had our plans ruined. Rude people. Loud noises. Ridiculous partying well past midnight. All this on top of rather clueless front desk staff and poor planning on the hotels part. This may be one of the worst nights in a hotel I have ever had. And supposed to be a 5-star property. This is just ridiculous. We plan to speak to corporate Marriott about this utter debacle. Initial Review: Super disappointed with this property. Only one restaurant operating. Indoor pool and wellness area smell musty. Staff are nice but take forever to help out sometimes needing 2-3 people to get a simple question answered. This place is remote. Way way the eff up in the mountains. Every excursion takes over 2 hours. Be prepared to just stay at this place and do nothing or subject yourself to crazy mountain road driving each and every day. It's also not cheap. Over $300 euros a night and doesn't include breakfast or fees or parking. We got a decent view from the patio in our room but we're so close to the marble staircase that we hear people plodding up and down all night. So much for restful honeymoon. We have been disappointed. We were really looking forward to the Italy week of our trip and it hasn't come close to the wonder and sights of Switzerland. Plus the hotels were nicer, the people friendlier, and much much cleaner. We decided to cut our stay short by three days at this property and roam about other parts of Italy instead. This was just a disappointment for the price and planning. Note that the main restaurant is ok. Just ok. Nothing about the property makes us want to stay, we can find picturesque views all over this country.

The Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco Resort & Spa (more commonly called "Il Ciocco") is a standout luxury resort sitting on 1,700 acres in the heart of the Serchio Valley. This hotel exceeded our expectationsand I hope this review helps everyone understand why. The resort is beautifully appointed and overlooks the scenic valley and historic Barga. But what really stands out is the resort's team. I stay in a lot hotels - both professionally and privately. The entire team here is simply exceptional -right from the front office to the housekeeping staff. From the moment we arrived, we were welcomed like family. A special shout-out to Cristina Da Costa - She is standout manager who clearly loves her job at Il Ciocco and was incredibly helpful. The property was spotlessly clean and we felt 100% safe from COVID-19 with the measures the hotel has taken. Free parking is included with your stay. Some people have mentioned the location being remote and GPS cannot locate it. We enjoyed the relaxing property and never got bored during our 5-night stay. There is plenty to do and see in the area (especially hiking), but you do need a car. We loved the location because it was quiet and the grounds were very well kept. We even hiked a beautiful trail right out the hotel's door that took us through lush forests to Barga. We enjoyed relaxing at the pool and then going into the old-town Barga or Lucca for sightseeing and dinners. Regarding GPS, all the major phone navigation apps (Apple Maps, Google and Waze) directed us without problem to the hotel. We were upgraded to a spacious suite that was perfectly set-up and had a balcony overlooking the magnificent valley. We even slept with the windows open and enjoyed the night air. The suite was very spacious, quiet and modern. Everything we needed: Luxury toiletries, mini-fridge, plenty of storage, good A/C and incredible bathroom. The bed was perfect for a great night's sleep. I was surprised someone had a negative experience with the breakfast buffet. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and I am very picky about what I choose to eat at the start of the day. The Il Ciocco breakfast buffet was one of my favorites: It was well-appointed and had a wide selection of eggs, meats, cheeses, yogurts, fruits, juices, and really good cappuccino. Plus, you sit out on the veranda that has a view to die for...talk about starting your day the right way! We definitely recommend this hotel and will be returning soon for another great visit to Tuscany.

I recently stayed at the Renaissance when I traveled to Tuscany for a conference. The hotel served as both the lodging and venue for the conference. This resort is truly a beautiful Italian getaway! The hotel and amenities are world class and I greatly enjoyed my stay! The resort is located on the top of a tall hill that overlooks the Tuscan valley. The hotel is grand and beautifully appointed. The common areas and bar were classy and welcoming. The views from the resort were absolutely breathe-taking! You won't believe the views from the poolside until you see them! My room at the resort was very spacious. It made for a relaxing and enjoyable stay. The room was furnished with sophisticated and modern fixtures. The bathroom featured beautiful marble tiling! The food served by the hotel was very high quality. The breakfast offerings were diverse and very filling. The lunch and dinner served for the conference were excellent, the first time I can ever say that about conference food! The staff at the hotel were very professional and helpful. There was one issue I had with the booking, I wanted to move the dates I originally booked but the staff at Marriott Bonvoy told me the hotel was full. However, when I checked with the hotel directly they were able to adjust my reservation no problem. Because of this, I attribute this issue to poor management by Marriott Bonvoy rather than the hotel itself. Overall my stay was excellent, one of the best hotels I've ever stayed at! Whether you're in Tuscany for leisure or business, you should consider the Renaissance! This resort is well worth your travel!

This hotel is nestled in a beautiful little slice of Tuscany. It really is a picturesque scene like you see in the movies. We walked the grounds and did some off-grid exploring of our own, and found a little hiking path that seemed to never end. We had dinner reservations, so we didn't explore too long. This hotel offered a variety of packages for fine dining options which we took advantage of and did not regret.

Views are spectacular! We were greeted with friendly faces and smiles offering an instant upgrade to the Presidential Suite! Rooms are simple but clean, comfortable and quiet. Restaurant is a bit of a disappointment- service is spotty and food is average. Breakfast included but nothing special. Overall, the property is tired, however, considering the size and location, I would not deduct a star. Easy to find- with or without GPS. Parking is tight so be sure to rent a compact car for ease of finding a spot anywhere in the region. Definitely recommend this hotel! One additional comment- had drinks at the bar last night, not a good experience. Service was awful- that being said, I don't want to drop a star for one guy doing s crappy job.

I am updating my rating to five stars. After the initial hiccup, the staff really worked hard to make sure that our daughter was accommodated and to make sure that we had a wonderful stay. The views are absolutely fabulous and the tranquility brings peace to the soul. This hotel will go on our list of places for a future return trip.

Very nice Marriott property with a great workout and spa area. Only downside is that it is tough to get to; best way is by train. Do not trust GPS.

A retreat like no other. Tucked away in the hills of Tuscany and filled with service oriented staff. Amazing ammenties for relaxing the day away. Views of the country side that are breath taking to say the least!

I have just sold all of my Marriott time shares having used them for 25 years. The Renaissance Tuscany is one of the top 3 properties I have stayed at. Here is why: * quality team; * service is great overall especially the food staff; * phenomenal morning buffet and I wanted to place my mouth under the dispenser for the home made yogurt it was that good;* the location was amazing but you have to work at it as some rooms have a not so desirable view; ask for the southern view looking down the valley toward Barga;* spa was OK but some of the treatments were not as good as other places I have had elsewhere; * it is a convenient drive to Barga and visit best pizza place called SUD, and the husband and wife team will blow you away with their Vera Pizza Napoleatano (VPN) with their finished pies!; * for shopping, the absolutely best city in Italy is Lucca for selection, price and quality, you will save over 50% than what Milan charges; so much to see in Lucas as well; exact opposite feeling about Pisa; would go to Lucca before Pisa; * relax at the Renaissance terrific pool area and take in the air of northern Tuscany as it is so clean; * love the grounds and they have convenient parking on the grounds, just watch the first right turn when leaving roof top parking/ a bit tight. Get some great drinks at the bar and enjoy the sights and take it all in. * get up early for the amazing breakfast buffet and sit outside and take in the valley and mountain views, it will inspire you, at is so fresh and what choices; then relax or visit some sites in northern Tuscany, return and go to their great health facility and they have a cool indoor pool as well. This is a very well run property and deserves high marks!!! Will not disappoint !!! Bellisimo!

The good: Magnificent views (except not from our room) Loved the restaurant Great Breakfast We did the "day with the chef"cooking class, which was lovely. If we didn't do it though this review would probably be a 1. The bad: It is extremely remote and there is absolutely nothing to do. I asked if there was a hairdresser on the property. There isn't. It took us 2 hours and cost us €600+ to get there and back in a taxi to and from Santa Maria Novella station in Florence. We could have taken an additional 4 hours and 2 trains and then a taxi for a cost of about €200 to get there but I didn't want to have that ordeal with our cases and people who can't speak English to help us. I wish I had researched getting there first before I prepaid the reservation which was non-refundable. We asked where to go around the hotel. It cost us €20 to go into Barga, which is a small but quaint town where no one speaks English, there are millions of flies and it takes an hour to walk around. Had to call the hotel twice and wait for a taxi in the heat to take us back, which took an hour to get to us and another €20 back to the hotel. Literally may as well have thrown the €40 away, Upon arrival the hotel looks wonderful.and it is very pretty. It looked like it had several stores at first glance. They are all an art gallery. There is a vending machine in a very hot and hidden room which is where I was sent when I asked if they had a gift shop. I am a lifetime gold Marriott member. There is no club lounge but they did give us breakfast. One of the things that is very important to me is a bathtub in the room. I do not book hotel rooms with shower only. When I booked this room I checked the room details as I always do and it clearly stated marble bathroom with bathtub/ shower combination. And you really need that at this hotel because at least you can spend a little time relaxing in the bath since there is nothing to do. When I checked in, as an afterthought I confirmed the tub, and they told me I it was only a shower and only people who get their full suites got bathtubs. But as a conciliation prize apparently I had been upgraded to a beautiful room. The room was ok. It was right by a protruding wall that cut off half the view. The bathroom was tiny and not marble. I checked my reservation after waiting for the extremely slow internet to load and there it said shower/tub combination. Marble bathroom. I called down and told them this and was given the same story about the suites only having bathtubs. So I asked while they falsely advertise this and she put me on hold then came back to me and miraculously had a similar room on the same floor with a shower/ tub combination and marble bathroom. We had to give up our half view for this room. But to us it was well worth it. My question is: why did they blatantly lie to me that only the suites have bathtubs and at first refuse to give me what I was asking for, what I had booked, which was clearly important to me because I told them it was, when it was obviously available?? The bed was ok. Not the usual comfy Marriott brands beds. It was quite hard. I didn't sleep the first night at all. The moral of this story is: Don't judge a book by its cover.

First off this is a gorgeous resort -- a MAJOR pain in the butt to find as others have mentioned but the resort and the rooms are lovely. During our entire stay in Italy, I have to say the rooms, bed and amenities here were the best we experienced and we staying in some very nice places. The downside is that it's pretty remote--- it take a good hour of winding roads to get to the main highway. This is NOT the place to stay if you are here to sight-see and see other parts of Tuscany/Italy. If you're here to relax, sit by the pool and enjoy a lovely resort then this is the place to stay. If you do stay here and want to visit a local town I'd suggest Lucca over Barga, as Barga is really tiny. Lucca is lovely and has so much to see including great restaurants and shops. Truthfully, if I return to this area I'd prolly stay in Lucca -- even as lovely is this resort is. The majority of the staff was wonderful and the kitchen/restaurants staff was absolutely lovely. We did encounter a slightly snarky front desk clerk but I don't recall her name...short brown haired girl, but otherwise everyone at the desk was very helpful.

This resort is a beautiful property however the customer service has something to be desired . It is the beginning of October and the nights are chilly yet the heat has not been turned on in the hotel. When I asked for a robe which I know they have they denied the request.The restaurant food is not good. We had breakfast and dinner in the restaurant the first night and second morning and after that decided to make the drive to Barga to eat. I would not recommend this hotel as a top quality vacation spot.

A great resort if you can find it. We drove from Rome and arrived after dark. The GPS in our rental car was 'roughly accurate' and the resort was not exactly located in it. It was truly a gnarly drive through the small towns and finally up a steep dark and winding road. Once we found it the hotel was pretty empty. I think the receptionist mentioned only about 30 guests were currently here. I guess that made sense considering the location and time of the year we were visiting in November. Barga is a nice town near by, but not much really happening in the area. A beautiful property, but don't come here if you want to use it as a base to make day trips. It takes like a hour just to drive to the nearest large highway (autostrada). The a/c thermostat was locked as others have mentioned, but I was able to open the doors to my balcony to get fresh air anyway. The wifi in the room was decent. I give four stars just because of the white knuckle drive getting here at night. The staff was friendly and the resort is very clean.

Our 2nd time around... I suppose my note to the hotel is don't assume that we are on holidays. In this case, we were exhausted and needed some rest. Hotels are "generally" set up to serve you. We paid good money as those rooms cost over $500 dollars, which we do love and the views are breathtaking. I would suggest getting rid of the lazy employees. We don't work around them... Staying at the Sheraton in Roma now for a few days. The bellboy heard my partner hacking and could see she was exhausted. Suggested she drink some milk with honey. We went off to our room...and to have a knock on the door about 5 minutes later. Nobody told him to do that...but he obviously took the initiative. Wouldn't accept our tip either. Solid dude! We have come to this hotel multiple times and it's clear why...at a fifth of the cost of the Renaissance, I might add. Renaissance you have all the goods, get rid of the bad ones...in this case the lazy ones. It's driving business away...

I spent five days here for a conference and loved my experience. It is remote so if you come here for leisure it is because you plan to relax. You can check out the nearby town of Barga and there are excursions to go off-site but chances are you will spend most of your time here. You should definitely check some of them out when you need a break from the resort. I went on a tour of a winery which was awesome. The rooms are small but elegant. The real star of this resort is the outdoor pool which overlooks the countryside and is a great spot to unwind and take a dip. It isn't heated so it can be cold. There is an indoor heated one if weather doesn't permit and they are right next to the mood showers. These are mix of hot and cold showers designed to relax you and are worth the visit! The elevators are slow and the layout a bit confusing but those are my only real complaints. Apart from that the staff here are incredibly friendly and attentive and definitely add to the experience. I would totally come back here again for leisure purposes to really enjoy all the resort has to offer.

Very secluded location. Good for relaxation, not the best for sightseeing. I came here for a FASEB conference in August. The conference room is great for a small conference, and there is a fantastic patio right outside of the conference room used for coffee breaks with an impeccable of the rolling Tuscan hills. The closest city, Barga is about a 5 minute drive, and costs about 15€ from the Barga train station to the hotel. The rooms are clean, and the bathrooms are a good size. Typically european bathrooms are very small, but these ones don't feel cramped. As another review stated, the temperature in the rooms felt warm. Unfortunately, the thermostat was locked and I couldn't turn the temperature down, so at night I often was uncomfortable. The fitness center is right above the indoor pool, so it is humid in there and smells faintly of chlorine. I exercised early in the morning as to not get bothered by the heat and humidity. The best feature of the fitness center is a beautiful French door which opens to overlook the landscape and I would open to let the cool morning air in and do some yoga facing the view. The hotel has both an indoor and outdoor pool. The outdoor pool is only open during the warmer months. There are plenty of comfortable lounge chairs. I would recommend bringing your own towel, either from home or from the hotel room, because even though they offer a towel service near the pool, they are always out of towels. I believe guests get a towel from the pool and then keep it with them for their entire stay, resulting in no available towels for the other guests. I gave the hotel 4 stars because WiFi is only available in the lobby and the conference room for free. It is 11€ for 24hr if in-room wifi, which is a steep price for a hotel that hosts several conferences, and know that their clientele will be working professionals.

The resort has seen better days and very much needs a facelift. This is far from a 4 or 5-star resort. They are down to only one restaurant which has the same menu for lunch and dinner and is the same every day. It's at the top of a huge mountain which makes going anywhere very difficult. The spa is difficult to get into and isn't good about returning calls to book appointments. Skip this place and find something worth the price.

After a wild drive from Milan we arrived to this hidden (we had a time finding the entrance) mountainside hotel. Right away we were impressed with the rustic charm, very warm and inviting. The staff was very gracious and even upgraded our room to one with an amazing view of the valley. The room was nice, clean, comfortable, great blackout shades for optimal sleeping. We ordered a ton of room service after our long car ride and enjoyed every bite. walking the grounds was very nice, beautiful views, gorgeous pool and lounge area. We even saw one of the hotel guest arrive via helicopter. It really feel like an escape, great hotel.

The hotel is beautiful in a gorgeous setting. Rooms are luxe though small. No complaints. However, the restaurants are incredibly poor examples of fine dining to say the least. We tried the main one last night when they had the barbecue. They do special things every so often apparently. Again, setting is beautiful so not saying anything more about that. I got the barbecue as I watched the chef set up earlier in the day from the pool (it's outdoor on the veranda). It was all kinds of meats grilled, tiny baked potatoes, and various lettuces and cut tomatoes and carrots for self serve salad. Beef was tougher than I'm used to but sausage, chicken, and lamb were good. Very basic for 32 euros. My daughter got gnocchi with langostines. Bland, over cooked and taste free. They didn't offer a wine list so we asked and by the time we got the wine we'd finished dinner. Very poor. Desserts were simple and good. This place should offer simple local dishes but I think they try to be haute cuisine or some nonsense and it fails. Nice servers but super slow and leave you sitting.

Just spent 5 days here. The views, facility, and overall staff were great, but.... The food was mediocre at best. During our stay it was not a "resort", but a conference center! If you're going to call yourself a resort, there really needs to be something to do besides great scenery, a spa, walking around the grounds, etc.. First meal in the dining room and ordered a smoked trout appetizer. When it came out, it was clearly salmon. I commented to our waiter, more as an observation than a complaint. Relatively soon someone else appeared, who I assume was a manager of some sort. I told him of my observation and he informed that I was wrong. The person dining beside me had the same observation, and the manager said he would check with the kitchen. I never heard from him again. Even though I repeatedly saw the manager around the property over the remaining days, he never made contact with me again. The main dining room had the same menu for lunch and dinner each day. The menu was not really appetizing enough to keep repeating eating from this menu. Maybe at least one special each meal of some local taste would have helped. The bar food was unfortunately the best food that they had to offer, but it too seemed relatively generic, mass produced and of minimal quality. Some pharmaceutical conference was going on while we were there. When the conference attendees were in their meetings, the public areas were peaceful and enjoyable. When they were out, the noise was so cacophonous, meals could not be enjoyed, conversations could not be heard, and staffing was woeful unprepared and under staffed to handle both guests and conference attendees. We ended up looking for any excuse to leave "the resort" to eat. Luckily the reception staff was prepared to make excellent recommendations in nearby area restaurants. Of course, the remote location of "the resort" and waiting for a ride, made any such trek to the restaurant of choice a somewhat less enjoyable experience for a good meal. And doing this a couple times a day certainly added up the extra costs. Great scents came out of the kitchen vents, but we could never find the food that matched these tasty smelling wafts. Perhaps this was the food that they were feeding the conference attendees, or staff. We were told that these conferences occur regularly from around January through June. So, if you are going during this time period to do something other than attend a conference, find a way to make sure that a conference isn't there at the same time!

WOW. This place is off-the-chart excellent. It's a Marriott Renaissance, so you'd expect something nice, but this property way exceeded my expectations. First, the setting is unbelievable: beautiful mountain views, wonderful fresh air, mist shrouded villages poised on mountain tops in the distance; this place should start their brochure with "once upon a time..." Inside, the place is immaculate and very tastefully designed; a well-done eclectic mix of modern (glass and steel lobby) and classical (antique rifle collection above the massive stone fireplace in the seating room). Two beautiful pools, spas, exercise equipment room and sauna--perfect for general relaxation and de-stressing. Rooms are ultra-comfortable; outside balconies overlooking the valley below. The breakfast buffet offers a huge selection; much broader than most continental offerings--obviously catering to the American guests who were by far the most well represented. Is it pricey? Damn right! But in this case you get what you pay for!

A bit dated and out of shape. Great location and unbelievable views of Tuscany. Go to Barga for a day trip. Full of artists. Loved it.

OK. I am indeed a fan of the hotel, it is a great place to stay with a Spa that is glorious. Comfy beds and property is so pretty and very clean. Front desk staff are friendly and the concierge is truly helpful. Beautiful pool with a view that is literally to die for. We are BIG fans of the establishment.....HOWEVER!!!! NOT the restaurant; VERY slow service (think they just need more wait staff?) and "OK" food (dinner) choices. No pizza? Our waiter took over 15 minutes to simply greet us...and actually came and asked us if we wanted dessert....and we had not received our main course!? When I stated this he asked basically "Oh, do you still want it?" so we said no, thank you, received our check and were on our way. Yikes! A place like this, this calibre and a not so great place to "stay" for dinner after a long day of sight-seeing? The Manager is missing the boat, big time. And PS, don't let them recommend driving the winding road in to Barga for dinner...skip it!!! Of you want a lovely place to eat? Set your GPS on this little gem about 2 miles away: Osteria AL Ritrovo del Platano di Bertolini Mauro ~ The pasta is seriously incredible!!!! TRY IT!!!!