Relais San Vigilio Al Castello

New kid on the now quite crowded San Vigilio restaurant scene, owned by the team behind the nearby pizzeria. The relais is housed in a former military barracks, very tastefully restored in cutting edge style. There is a garden upstairs and an enclosed part at lower level. We chose the enclosed part where we were alone but well looked after. The garden was where the action was on a warm evening, but we anticipated being on the mosquitos’ menu. We had the best meal we have had this year, accompanied by an elegant white Sauvignon from Friuli. The food is of international standard. Prices are normal, about €100 per head for a full meal with wine. The place also does breakfast and lunch. Our neighbour recommends the breakfast The relais also has rooms, and is in a well known beauty spot.

This is a beautiful and quiet property at Bergamo's highest level, so be aware that you will be using the funicular and walking down early in the morning when the funicular does not run. We stayed in the suite on one level, I believe it was Room 8--lovely beams and wood flooring. Kind staff, nice breakfast and apertivo on the terrace. It was nice to return to the calm after time spent in Città Alta and Bassa.

When looking at the hotel website and the idyllic setting, it is reasonable to expect that a luxurious experience will be enjoyed as a guest. Instead, we got a circus, and it was massively disappointing. Without prior notice to us, the hotel had booked out the entire first day of our 2-day stay with a birthday party for a giant group of screaming 6-year-olds, babies and their families. The green lawn, terrace, and balcony you see in the website photos was completely taken over by them, and the screaming and yelling went on all day and into the early evening. There was no possibility to sit on the terrace and enjoy a glass of wine or the view, or hold a conversation. When they finally served a limited-menu dinner, some of the same screaming, out of control kids staying at the hotel were allowed by their parents to run back and forth around our table. Never in a million years would we have expected the entire place would be rented out to host a kiddie birthday party and had we known we would have canceled-- obviously why they did not notify us in advance. The room and food were also a disaster. The very small Superior room had one window and no ventilation whatsoever-- after being instructed by the person who showed us to our room how to operate the A/C system and fan, it did not work. After a very stuffy and uncomfortable sleepless night on the hard-as-a-rock mattress, we asked the front desk what was wrong with the HVAC system. We were told a different story this time - that "the Italian government declares it to be illegal to use the system in May and June" (not even the circulating fan is allowed) and so it was disabled and the second night was just as bad as the first. When we opened the window to get some air into the hot room, the ENTIRE WINDOW CASEMENT gave away from the wall and nearly fell on us -- it could have been a terrible outcome had we not caught the window and frame as it fell and pushed it back into position-- and hoping it wouldn't crash later in the night on us in bed. The "cooked to order" breakfast mentioned by another reviewer is a half-hearted Hampton Inn-style affair, cooked at a particular time and left on the table. If you are not there at the exact moment to eat it, it just sits there on the table till stone cold. there is no wait staff or service. The very expensive evening meal was so poorly executed we left midway through it and went elsewhere for dinner. When we asked the waiter for some olive oil and balsamic for our bread, he said no, "just use the sauce in the bottom of your bowl". This is Italy, and no olive oil is allowed?? We paid full price for both the room and the meals, with no price accommodation offered by the hotel. I would never, ever recommend this extremely expensive and poorly managed hotel to anyone -- except perhaps to six-year olds. PS. Don't even get me started on the "cuckoo bird" that incessantly coo-coos non-stop at 5:45am every day right outside the window!

It is hard to imagine a more perfect small hotel. Simple but beautiful rooms with a gorgeous view; lovely garden; perfect fairy-tale location perched above the old city; warm, personal service; breakfast cooked to order; excellent restaurant down the street. Peaceful and comforting. Stay here; you won't be sorry.