What a gem! Loved it and would return in a second...

100   Recommended
Room 11 , Junior Suite
October 8, 2018 by EXPERT

 Map | 1 Review | 100% Recommended
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LA BANDITA TOWNHOUSE
 Map | 1 Review | 100% Recommended

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Room 11

Junior Suite

Liked:
Location
Service
Food
Amenities
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Room
Junior Suite

My mother and I stayed 3 nights at La Bandita Townhouse following our stay at the St Regis Florence with my husband. 

We absolutely loved it. 

I previously had been to this part of Tuscany in 2005, when my husband and I had stayed in nearby Sinalunga at the wonderful Locanda dell'Amorosa. I knew I wanted to spend more time visiting Montalcino, Montepulciano, and Pienza on this trip, so imagine my surprise when I realized there was an SPG (now Marriott) Design Hotel in Pienza!

I booked my mother's standard entry level room using 20K SPG points/night. I wasn't able to book a second room for me using points, but that wasn't surprising with the hotel only having 12 total rooms! So I booked my superior room for 395 euros/night. 

After exchanging emails with the owner, John, I later was able to upgrade my room to the junior suite for 495 euros/night--a discount off the previous 595 euro rate. While in a room by myself, I read reviews that the junior suite had windows that opened with great breezes and views, so I thought that would better ensure my need to be cool. It was worth every euro.

The property is a former convent in the medieval village of Pienza, 500 years old but now converted into a modern design hotel. It opened 6 years ago. It is stunning.

The scene just outside the front door...

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Entry hall/lobby/reception on the ground floor (floor 0):

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Elevator:

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Stairway:

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Ristorante (La Bandita Caffe) on the ground floor:

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Outdoor restaurant terrace and garden:

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Looking back onto the La Bandita Townhouse:

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First floor lounge with honor bar:

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It truly is a unique and special property. I loved it the moment I entered. 

Check In

Check in was quick and easy; they were expecting us. Not hard when there are only 12 rooms. The lovely receptionist took my credit card, had us sign in and made copies of our passports, gave us our key cards, and then walked us to our rooms.

The property is 4 stories. My room was on the 4th floor (floor 3), and my mother's was on the 3rd floor (floor 2). There is an elevator, though I almost always used the stairs. My mother loved that elevator. 

Room

MY JUNIOR SUITE (Room 11, 4th floor):

I had one of the two junior suites. It was incredible.

Panel sensor for key card outside door to enter:

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The bed was firm but fine. Plenty of plugs and dimming lighting controls nearby, too!

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Those 4 buttons above controlled different light groups in the room. Very convenient above the bed. 

I also had closet hanging space and drawers on either side behind the bed:

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Under the Illy coffee maker cabinet was a mini bar (complimentary, replaced by housekeeping daily) and safe:

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The bath:

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I was not a big fan of the bath products. Fortunately, I brought some of the Remede products from the St Regis Florence. 

Did I mention the views?

From the main bedroom...

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From the bath...

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The air con worked wonders--keeping the room easily as cold as 17 C.

Of course, the first night I actually tried to cool the room with the windows open, and it was also 18 C and not a hint of noise until 7:30 am or so.
You had to remember to insert your card in a panel by the door whenever you arrived--or the lights would turn off. Very green. 

The only thing I hated about the room and the hotel: terribly slow wifi. It was never better than 1 Mbps anywhere in the hotel, and usually was between 0.7 and 0.8 Mbps. Tragic. The owner, John, told me it was an issue with internet service to Pienza, and I was inclined to believe him. But damn it was slow.

Of course, I'd still rather have excellent air con and poor wifi than the other way around. 

All in all, I still loved my room. I still can't believe a wonderful boutique hotel like this exists in a place like Pienza!


MY MOTHER'S STANDARD ROOM (Room 9, 3rd floor)

My mother's room actually turned out to be directly beneath me. She did say she occasionally could hear my walking around my room, FWIW. (I am a bit of a stomper.) But it was a very spacious and comfortable room for entry level in both our opinions.

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Service

Service was surprisingly very good, particularly when you consider we had just come from the amazing St Regis Florence!

First, the hotel team had worked in advance with me to set up private wine tasting tours with private cars and drivers in Montalcino and Montepulciano. The hotel was VERY communicative, including hearing from the owner, John. The team and John made many suggestions and recommendations, and they were very accommodating in trying to arrange everything that I requested. While not cheap, the private tours were fantastic and worth every euro. 

Second, the hotel worked in advance to help me secure restaurant reservations, including at the nearby Osteria Porta and 1* Osteria Perilla. (Wow, was Perilla amazing! More like 2* to me, in fact. I highly recommend dinner there whenever you visit.)

Third, the whole team was just wonderful. From the gal at reception to the ladies in the restaurant, to the gals who helped me arrange all my tours and restaurant bookings, everyone was incredibly friendly, enthusiastic, and eager to assist. They didn't get everything 100% correct, but they really worked hard to fix and remedy anything that I mentioned. They really are a credit to the Townhouse and to John. 

Finally, John, the owner, was almost always present or around. We ran into him a lot, and he always tried to check in with us. He also had been a great resource when planning our excursions in advance. Very nice and friendly guy. 

Service was a real strength for LBT!

Dining

Dining was a surprisingly good highlight for us, both for breakfast and especially our one treat of a dinner.

Breakfast is more or less a simple affair with a small buffet and a small menu for eggs or oatmeal cooked to order. 

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Both of us usually had hard boiled eggs and some breads/cheeses/meats from the buffet. Simple but tasty. On our last morning, my mother ordered scrambled eggs and sausage from the cooked menu; they were delicious. 

For dinner our first night, the hotel had 2 visiting chefs from Rome and Bangkok who were doing a one-off tasting menu. This was a surprise! It was more than we wanted, but it also was absolutely delicious.

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We were very pleased with food/beverage. We never had the chance to partake of more dinners since we had other planned meals in the vicinity. We never had the chance to enjoy the honor bar/lounge because we always were so full from our dinners!

Location

The location is spectacular, right in the middle of the small medieval village of Pienza. It was only a 1.5 hr drive to the Florence airport, and only a 15-20 min drive to Montalcino or Montepulciano. It was just a 20 min drive to dinner at Osteria Porto and a 20-25 min drive to dinner at Perillo.

At the risk of again including too many photos, here are some shots of the nearby area:

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Overall

We absolutely loved La Bandita Townhouse. John has outdone himself in creating a truly authentic but modern expression of a Tuscan boutique hotel with all the trappings. The hard product is outstanding (minus the wifi), the soft product is impressive, and the location just can't be beat. Just go!

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