Top 10: the best luxury hotels in Tuscany
An expert guide to the best luxury hotels in Tuscany, including the top places to stay for incredible infinity pools, sumptuous spas, vineyards, romantic restaurants, lavish interiors, sun-soaked surroundings, jaw-dropping views and private beaches in locations including Lucca, Montalcino, the coast and countryside.
Il Borro
San Giustino Valdarno, Tuscany, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
Luxury and style coexist happily with an authentic historic character at this beautifully restored medieval village. The theme throughout is country-chic with natural materials, wooden furniture and solid ceiling beams. The impressive range of facilities includes a well-equipped 24-hour gym, a small spa with steam room and whirlpool tub, and two open-air pools. Bikes can be hired to explore the estate's trails, there's horse-riding (including horseback yoga) and a three-hole golf course and driving range near the private airfield. The village's craft studios offer hands-on experiences including shoe and jewellery making, while the Vino&Arte gallery has engravings by artists such as Picasso, Rembrandt and Andy Warhol. Tours include tastings of the excellent estate wines. Read expert review From ￡199per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Castello di Vicarello
Cingiano, Grosseto, Italy
8Telegraph expert rating
Owned by the same family since the 1970s, this castle from the 12th century and the surrounding buildings have been painstakingly restored to preserve the architectural bones, while beloved furniture from the family’s travels, destinations from Bali to Malaysia, make the interiors lighter and more interesting than the more typical Tuscan style. The grounds are gorgeous, including the amazing rose and kitchen gardens, and include two pools with jaw-dropping views. A spa showcasing the property’s herbs and flowers; a spectacular kitchen where one can take cooking lessons; horseback riding through the surroundings landscapes; picnics and barbecues at the property’s coastal estate; and wine tastings from the castle’s vineyards are among the activities offered. Read expert review From ￡377per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Borgo Pignano
Volterra, Tuscany, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
The grounds of this estate are exquisite: a central 18th-century villa sits as the centerpiece, surrounded by gardens and flanked with farmhouses and outer buildings available for rental. The organic farm is a central aspect to the property, which harvests its own honey, grain, fruit and veg, and flowers, some turned into delicious herbal teas. A full flight of activities on-site can keep one occupied for days, including a riding stable from where you can take a guided horseback tour of the estate, art studio, yoga studio offering daily classes, billiard room, and visits to the beehives close by. Travellers seeking traditional Tuscan character will be charmed. The rooms and suites are full of family heirlooms, painted frescos, and pretty old world textiles. Read expert review From ￡316per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Baglioni Hotel Cala del Porto
Punta Ala, Tuscany, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
The hotel is located along the Tuscan coast in Punta Ala, a headland facing the islands of Elba, Giglio and Montecristo. Set on a slope reaching out to the sea, the hotel commands lovely views of the bay and the marina below. There’s a large outdoor swimming pool (for adults only) with views of the marina, and a gazebo housing a handful of exercise machines. Staff can organise plenty of activities including horse riding, sailing, swimming lessons, water-skiing, and winery tours. Sea and garden view rooms feature wood panelling and pastel coloured wall fabrics in shades of red, green and blue. Rooms looking onto the pool area have balconies; garden view rooms have ceramic tiled flooring and some have balconies. Read expert review From ￡241per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco
Castiglione del Bosco, Tuscany, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
It’s a working wine estate, but it’s also an impeccably manicured luxury resort. From the chef’s kitchen garden to the grape-must treatments available in the Daniela Steiner Spa, this place really puts its heart into living the Tuscan dolce vita. And the interiors are quite simply fabulous in their country opulence and comfort. In the Borgo, the restored farm hamlet at the centre of the estate, there are 23 suites, and nine huge villas – each one a restored farmhouse – are dotted around the grounds. The style throughout is what you might call coffee-table-luxe interior design: if you enjoy leafing through books of contemporary country Tuscan interiors, you’ve probably seen them. But the attention to detail is ravishing. Read expert review From ￡494per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Locanda al Colle
Lucca, Tuscany, Italy
8Telegraph expert rating
This historic farmhouse was reinvented as a boutique hotel but without the sharp or uncomfortable edges of some of its contemporary counterparts. Here, softness and a sense of quiet is the dominant quality: a terraced area surrounded by lavender and rosemary plants overlooks the coast, a salted heated swimming pool makes the ideal location for a perfect sunset aperitivo, wisteria-covered pergolas provide a quiet spot to read in seclusion, and inside the public areas, as well as large bedrooms, there are plenty of places to hide away. The heated salt-water pool, romantic restaurant, amenities like massages on request, and honesty bar, are just a few of the draws to make it feel like home. There's also a private beach club nearby. Read expert review From ￡125per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Borgo Santo Pietro
Chiusdino, Tuscany, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
Economies of scale, or economies of any kind, were never an issue here and as a result the place feels more like the house of a collector with exquisite taste than a hotel. It’s not style over function though: you can see that the layout of the hotel and grounds has been carefully thought through to create a sort of weekend house-party vibe while guaranteeing privacy. The Borgo’s lovely spa is basically a whole Tuscan farmhouse in the garden, with exposed stone walls and an exclusive, intimate feel, helped along by the fire which burns in the grate of the warmly elegant reception area on cooler days. Each room is unique, and all are spacious (the first-floor Santo Pietro Grand Suite needs to be seen to be believed). But though the décor is unapologetically antique, the technology is not. Read expert review From ￡514per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Castello Banfi
Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
On the southern side of the valley near a smaller town called Sant’ Angelo in Colle, this small resort with only 14 rooms and suites feels extremely peaceful and off the grid but is only about 45 minutes from the Tuscan coast. A 12th-century castle serves as the resort's centrepiece and rooms in the outer buildings are part of the original village dating back to the 17th century. The setting and atmosphere at this resort is a version of a grown-up fairytale, with ramparts and imposing gates as the backdrop to postcard-perfect views of the vineyards and valley. Foodies will enjoy La Taverna, a casual spot open at lunch, and Sala dei Grappoli, a more formal affair with excellent tasting menus accompanied by six Banfi vintages including the Brunello. Read expert review From ￡352per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Monteverdi Tuscany
Sarteano, Tuscany, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
This sprawling hotel's design brings a sense of light and modernity without sacrificing the building’s authenticity. Furnishings, like wrought-iron lanterns and local-stone floors, have set a new standard for chic in the valley. The terraced gardens are just as charming: a lap pool is bordered by lavender bushes, fig and olive trees provide the ideal spots and shade for reading, and tables and chairs are dotted about to take in the views while enjoying a local vintage. In addition to the amenities there are also many special events planned seasonally – a lecture by Wes Anderson before a screening of one of his films, say. Itineraries can also include wine tastings at local vineyards, guided tours of Etruscan ruins, and even a day in Florence at the Uffizi. The spa is small but delightful. Read expert review From ￡506per night Check availability Rates provided by Mr & Mrs Smith
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L'Andana Tenuta La Badiola
Castiglione della Pescaia, Tuscany, Italy
8Telegraph expert rating
With its Bolgheri wines and Argentario yacht scene, the Maremma (the southern Tuscan coastal strip) has a glam side that belies L’Andana’s rural isolation – and the resort taps right into this. It’s the sort of refined country resort that appeals to well-off international style bunnies – but it really delivers in terms of services and spa treatments, and is welcoming to families and children. The elegantly playful interior design style might be defined as French refinement meets Tuscan cowhide. Rooms and suites in the Fattoria wing tend to be larger (you can practically do lengths in a couple of the huge bathtubs), while in the Casa Badiola Golf house, which overlooks the golf practice area, they are lighter and brighter, with sunny pastels and extensive views. Read expert review From ￡211per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com