I have been browsing this site for a while and think I finally know what to ask
I am looking for a villa that will sleep the 8 of us next May (surprise birthday) it will need to have a pool to keep the little ones occupied and things to do around and about that they might enjoy too, ages are 9 and 5.
As most of the adults enjoy wine I was thinking Umbria/Tuscany as we might be able to explore some vineyards from a base there (please let me know if my geography is totally off!) I don't think there is much else I can tell you, the vinery idea just occurred to me so hopefully there will be some where you can suggest near a wine region that will also have places for kiddies and other towns etc to explore!
Welcome to SlowTrav, Alison! Have you been over to the main site to look through the many, many reviews of rental properties from members? there are many four bedroom houses to consider. And either the Chianti, southern Tuscany, or Umbria should fit the bill. Check out our Travel Notes and Planning pages for local information. Links to your right!
Once you've gathered some possibilities, feel free to post them here, so folks can offer feedback on location.
I have been browsing this site for a while and think I finally know what to ask
I am looking for a villa that will sleep the 8 of us next May (surprise birthday) it will need to have a pool to keep the little ones occupied and things to do around and about that they might enjoy too, ages are 9 and 5.
As most of the adults enjoy wine I was thinking Umbria/Tuscany as we might be able to explore some vineyards from a base there (please let me know if my geography is totally off!) I don't think there is much else I can tell you, the vinery idea just occurred to me so hopefully there will be some where you can suggest near a wine region that will also have places for kiddies and other towns etc to explore!
With thanks in advance for help.
Alison
Are you specifically looking for a villa or would a casa rustica fits the bill? Villas and tuscan famhouses tend to have different distinctive look-and-feel about them - from the finish on the plasterwork, to the flooring through to the type of shuttering, etc. More to the point, depending on your budget, villas tend to be considerably more expensive. A relation of my wife's was married in a villa outside Florence a few years back. Memory tells me the rental cost per night was around $6000. Roughly sixteen people slept there (not us). I am guessing that the bedromms numberd between 7 and 12. I presume there are cheaper and probably more expensive villas. Again a guess based on my limited experience.
Posts: 126 | Location: Tuscany | Registered: 08 April 2008
Yes, I agree with J, you need to consider your budget, then narrow down the geography as you're talking about a large area (two regions).
Tuscany is going to typically be higher in prices than either Umbria or Lazio, but the other two regions have wines that are just as good as Tuscany (IMO). And with the children, you might consider looking for a place in Northern Lazio (very near Umbria, too) near Bomarzo, a kid friendly sculpture estate.
You've got time to go thru archives here and explore your options. Have fun with it, Alison.... ciao, Cheryl
I would recommend that you look into LeMandorelle,a villa just outside of Todi, Umbria. I think it would be a perfect place for 6 adults and 2 children.
We stayed at LeMandorelle in Sept. 2005 and can tell you that it exceeded our expectations. It is beautifully decorated and offers all the amenities you could possibly want.
When we stayed there, only the main villa was available. Last year, an additon was completed which added more bedrooms, baths and living space. If you rented both the main villa and the addition (which is just steps away from the kitchen door) ... you would have a living space that would provide you with 5 gorgeous bedrooms each with their own full baths ... also two fabulous general living areas with state of the art kitchens, exercise room, your own herb garden and much, much more. (As a side note, if you are 3 couples ...and the 2 children could sleep in the bedroom with parents... the main villa would more than accommodate you... and you would not even have to rent the extra addition.)
The setting is breathtaking...in the middle of vineyards, groves of fruit trees and farmland...high up in the hills of Umbria overlooking Todi in the distance.
If you are looking for a beautiful villa in an absolutely stunning setting ... offering every amenity ... where you can relax, swim, make some fabulous meals, drink great wine and enjoy each others company...then you should consider LeMandorelle.
Day trips to Todi, Orvieto, Assisi, Spello, Montefalco & Duruta ... are close...not any farther than an hour away. We even day tripped to Siena, Cortona & Florence from there... much longer drives, but doable if you do not mind very long days.
You will definitely need a car if you would decide to stay there, as it is at least a 15 minute drive down the hill to find a store of any kind. If you are looking for a villa within walking distance to shops, restaurants, grocery stores, etc... then you would not be happy at LeMandorelle.
LeMandorelle is owned by Rob & Janina Cushman who are from the U.S. Rob was wonderful to deal with and was always very willing to provide help and info. When we rented from them, we negotiated the price in U.S. dollars ...not sure you can do that now.
Good luck in your search... no matter what you decide... you will love it!
Karen
Posts: 225 | Location: New Jersey | Registered: 26 January 2005
Both www.agriturismo.com and www.agriturismo.it have advanced search capability where you can specify a number of criteria (Region, province, terrain, number of beds, amenities, etc.) Both have English pages... Click on the British Flag.
Both put you in direct contact with the property owner.
Wow, Karen, that seems a bit pricey to me, especially in this economy. I know there are places for far less that are just as lovely....guess I'll have to go into my files and look.
Of course, we all want to stay in places that are comfortable, clean, elegant but since most of the days are spent outside or touring the area we may want to focus on places to stay that are more reasonable.
Alison, if you want to stay in Umbria, near Orvieto, I know of a few places that are half that price, with pools and great views.....let me know. ciao, Cheryl
We rented a house outside Todi four years ago from Home in Italy, www.homeinitaly.com, and were very pleased with the property and the agency. Umbrian Garden is another company that has a number of rentals in Umbria.
I don't know if May will be swimming weather yet. Perhaps others can weigh in on this.
A lot depends on what you are used to. My daughter and I went to a thermal park in Feb at ischia in 2007. http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/showgallery.php?cat=4094&page=3 The pools were heated by the hot springs. We sat in the sun in our bathing suits and we would have gone in the sea, but they told us that we could not becasue the beach was closed.
I am going to Capri and Ischia may 15. I'll let you know how the water is. Our hotels have pools.
Posts: 3853 | Location: St Paul, MN | Registered: 10 February 2006
The villa itself may have a pool season. One of ours had a season that ended in September, but they extended it by a wseek because our boys were still swimming.
John "There are two types of problems: those that solve themselves, and those which you can do nothing about" Isabel Allende's grandmother
Posts: 1607 | Location: Mullumbimby, NSW, Australia | Registered: 26 March 2003
Would any of you be willing to share specific properties that you stayed at? It sure would be helpful to many of us.
I guess I did not realize that LeMandorelle was so expensive compared to other rentals of the same quality ... nothing to compare it to... since we have only done this one time (btw, in 2005 we paid much less than current prices... but then am sure that most rental prices have increased over the past 3 years.)
I know that we can go to the rental review section on Slow Travel... but the truth is, many reviews are older ...and many people who frequent this site do not write reviews ... so I think it might be more helpful if actual properties were mentioned ...
Cheryl, is there a reason that you prefer a private message instead of listing here? And the others... is there a reason you give a link to rental websites and not the names and locations of actual properties?
Caodog... I was also wondering about swimming in May... I guess it just depends on the weather... but bet the water will be pretty cold.
Karen
Posts: 225 | Location: New Jersey | Registered: 26 January 2005
Hi Karen, Be happy to share with you and the reason I suggest a pm is just that I know some of the owners and don't want to commercialize the site too much. It ends up just being a promotional instead of information sharing. I'm a bit of a purest, I guess, but that's how things were on this site long ago.....just folks sharing.
Also, it's my understanding that wineries aren't open to the public in the same way as those in the Napa Valley.
wineries in tuscany are open for tours/tastings in may.
also, cheryl, i'm interested in what the moderators would have to say about sharing rental information in private... in the past, when i've suggested the same thing, my post was deleted!
Posts: 958 | Location: smack dab midwest | Registered: 06 September 2004
My understanding was that private message meant just that. And if the recipients didn't welcome it they could delete or not respond. Not sure, maybe we should ask to clarify this policy. I can't understand why that would be prohibited....Especially since there are a lot of commercial events going on now, which didn't happen in years past.....Now I'm very curious why you were cut off.
You're more than welcome to private message members on the forums, but we have always asked businesses not to tell potential customers to private message them. The onus should be on the business to contact the potential customer off the forum, and not conduct business on the board by saying things like, "E-mail me if you want more information" or "PT me if you want more information."
