Relais & Chateaux Hotels in Siena

We stayed for 4 nights in September at the Borgo Santo Pietro, and although it is in the middle of nowhere, that’s part of the appeal and charm. If you want to visit wineries in Montalcino, Montepulciano or Bolgheri, you have to have a car or a driver. Most of these areas are about an hour to 90 minutes away by car. We had a car and enjoyed driving around the Tuscan countryside. But, you are captive at the Borgo - there is nothing around - nowhere else to eat - but when the food, service, atmosphere, lodging, etc. is as spectacular as this place, you don’t need or want to go elsewhere. The Trattoria was our favorite, and the food, views, service and ambiance is thankfully still stuck in my head two weeks later. We ate there 3 nights and ate at the signature restaurant Meo Modo the other night. Everything we ate was a treat. You just could not go wrong with anything. Meo Modo probably needs a filet on the menu, as it is a bit fish heavy, but it was an incredible dining experience. The outside terrace overlooking the farm is indescribable. We are not easily impressed, but this place - Wow. The grounds are gorgeous and the rooms are unique and art in and of themselves. We stayed in the Vecchio Forno room which is a separate cottage near the main entrance. It’s amazing. Pictures do not do this place justice. Just go. We will be back.

We tried to organize our wedding at Borgo San Felice this past summer, and, frankly, it was quite the ordeal. From the start, we were limited by the number of guests allowed in their small chapel, and any mention of extra guests caused panic. Then, we were told that everyone attending the wedding in the chapel had to stay at Borgo San Felice, which wasn’t ideal and definitely expensive. But we agreed and asked how many rooms were available, booking them all. A few days later, a dear friend—after I had specifically told her to look elsewhere for accommodation—was able to book a room for several days. How was I supposed to feel about that? I didn’t want her thinking we didn’t want her there. This attention to detail clearly wasn’t a priority for the events department. Next, we hit a major issue with the wedding cake. Their chef refused to make a real four-tier cake unless we had at least 100 guests, which would cost 4,000 euros. That didn’t sit right with us, so we arranged for a cake from Siena for less than 800 euros, which was excellent. However, Borgo San Felice doesn’t allow outside food or beverages, meaning it was their 4,000-euro cake or nothing. But the biggest issue? Borgo San Felice couldn’t accommodate a wedding dinner at all. There was no venue on-site that could host more than 20 guests for lunch (a wedding dinner was totally negative), despite the spacious appearance of the property in photos. When I asked for help finding a restaurant off-site for dinner and dancing. It took 10 days for a response (for 20 people), and we ended up doing most of the work ourselves. Shouldn't a relais chateau have a concirge make a phone call to book a venue? When looking for a restaurant for our dinner party we actually found a last-minute venue that was wonderful, but due to the restrictions, we couldn’t invite many of our European friends, because it was too late. To top it off, they initially refused to refund the rooms when we decided not to stay there. After insistence, they finally agreed to refund 50%, or offered a voucher for 100% of the amount to be used over the next year. A voucher. As if we would ever go. It’s a shame they didn’t immediately offer a full refund after such poor service. In a situation like this, after so many mistakes and miscommunication, have a little class— refund 100% of the cost and offer a free weekend as a gesture of goodwill. In the U.S., these guys wouldn’t survive six months. I’m leaving out many more frustrating details, but I simply don’t have the time. My advice? If you’re not ready to host weddings, just don’t. A once-in-a-lifetime event deserves better, we were leaving a good 30K on the table. Probably nothing for Borgo San Felice.