Tuscany, Italy

Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco

Price per night from$870.55

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (EUR801.00), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Style

The grape escape

Setting

Verdant Val d’Orcia

Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco’s personal ad is enticing: 900-year old Tuscan estate with 5,000-plus acres, a Brunello di Montalcino winery, two restaurants, a cooking school, a spa and a twinset of pools seeks discerning guests for sun and friendship.

Smith Extra

Get this when you book through us:

A wine-tasting tour for two

Facilities

Photos Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco facilities

Need to know

Rooms

42 suites and 11 villas.

Check–Out

Noon (10am for villas), but flexible, subject to availability and a half-day charge up to 4pm and a full-day charge from 6pm. Earliest check-in, 3pm.

Prices

Double rooms from £753.47 (€881), including tax at 10 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional local city tax of €5.00 per person per night on check-out.

More details

Rates usually include breakfast (otherwise it's €50 a guest for an American or Tuscan spread).

Also

Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco is the fifth largest producer of Brunello di Montalcino (a lush red), so have a guided tour of the winery. A tasting session is obligatory.

At the hotel

Cookery school, spa, gym, tennis courts, football and bowls pitches, winery with an enoteca (tasting room), a little church, extensive grounds, an organic orto (Italian kitchen garden), book and DVD library, free WiFi throughout and a boutique selling clothes, shoes and local delicacies. Guests can also access the private golf course between 8am and 10am (subject to availability). In rooms: flatscreen TV, CD/DVD player, iPod dock, Nespresso machine, minibar and bottled water.

Our favourite rooms

Special Rooms, Junior and Borgo Suites, all in the main house, are decorated in traditional Tuscan shades such as ochre, burgundy and cypress green; furniture is traditional, sturdy and glossy, and beds are often four-poster. With ground-floor access and pergola-shaded terraces, Terrace Suites in the former Winery and Stables buildings are nice for young families.

Poolside

There are two heated infinity pools, each set on the crest of a lavender- and bluebell-graced hill, with breathtaking views of the rolling fields and the village of Montalcino in the distance.

Spa

The spa is an earthy-hued escape in the estate's former wine cellars. There's a sauna and steam bath, and a lavender-scented garden where you can sip herbal teas and smoothies made from garden-plucked ingredients. The menu of holistic treatments using Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella potions is delightfully indulgent.

Packing tips

A sketchpad and watercolours to capture the scenery (or, failing that, a camera); a notebook for scribbling down recipes; sportswear for the sleek, glass-walled gym, which surveys the Tuscan countryside.

Pet‐friendly

Four-legged friends can come too, at no extra cost; a bed, bowl, grooming products, and a little leaving present are provided. Just let the hotel know when booking. See more pet-friendly hotels in Tuscany.

Children

The Rosewood Explorers kids club will keep little Smiths in raptures. A free cot or extra bed can be added to larger rooms for under-13s (€220 a night for older kids; €440 a night for villas). Babysitting is available on request.

Overview

Children are welcomed with a snack on arrival. Babysitting starts from €45 an hour, and there's a kids' club for 3–12-year-olds.

Best for

Kids of all ages, although the landscape and cuisine might be wasted on fussy toddlers or easily bored teens.

Recommended rooms

Special Rooms will take a baby cot but an extra bed is a squeeze. All suites are one-bedroomed, with a separate living room. CdB Suites are super-chic, but with ground-floor access and pergola-shaded terraces, Terrace Suites are best for toddlers.

Crèche

There's no crèche, but you can book a babysitter to look after your teeniest Smiths anywhere on site from €45 an hour (book ahead). The Rosewood Explorers Club provides childcare for kids aged 3–11 daily from 10am–6.30pm (there is a supplement if you'd like them to have dinner there) – you’ll need to book places when you reserve your room. Most of the weekly-changing kids club activities are free, including treasure hunts, crafting or cookery fun such as painting classes or biscuit baking, but some are charged.

Activities

With more than 5,000 acres, the estate is one huge outdoor playground, criss-crossed with hiking and biking trails that wend through olive groves, orchards and forests, and lead you past streams, waterfalls and hidden ruins. Enjoy a game of table tennis or entertain little ones at the playground, which features a swing, slide, climbing frame and sand pit. For older children, there's an extensive choice of extra activities, with private classes offered alongside pony rides and tours of the farm. Over-4s can have tennis tuition; there are oil-painting courses for art-mad over-6s (with a parent's supervision) and astronomy sessions for over-12s; and the cookery school has classes that older children can join with parental supervision. The hotel’s playroom is a weatherproof treasure, stocked with toys, board games, DVDs and computer games.

Swimming pool

The heated infinity pools are family-friendly with breathtaking views. Entrance to the pool is gated, there is a shallow end and pool attendants. Your kids can borrow inflatables and floats, plus you can book private in-villa swimming lessons.

Meals

Highchairs and booster seats are available at all-day eatery Osteria La Canonica, where the menu of light Italian stapes, salads, pasta and pizza lends itself to easygoing family meals, and items can be adapted to suit their tastes on request (staff will also happily heat up milk or baby food). Toddler-friendly snacks and baby purées are available to buy. Children are also welcome at all three bars, but best catered for at the pool bar, where there's also a simple menu of bar snacks and pizzas.

Babysitting

The hotel can organise a babysitter or nanny from €45 an hour (prices differ depending on age and number of children): allow at least 24 hours' notice.

No need to pack

You can buy nappies and baby wipes at the hotel, and they have plenty of basic kids' kit to borrow, including changing mats, baby monitors, stair gates, simple toys and books.

Also

The hotel’s playroom is a weatherproof treasure, stocked with toys, board games, DVDs and computer games.

Food and Drink

Photos Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco food and drink

Top Table

Soak up the sunshine alfresco over glasses of Brunello, or stargaze by night, from one of the restaurant terraces.

Dress Code

Rural chic: cashmere and corduroy, in olive, corn-gold and russet hues.

Hotel restaurant

There are two restaurants at Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco: Osteria La Canonica, set in the old priest’s house, is the relaxed option, serving light Italian staples all day from noon – pasta, pizza, salads, cheese, cured meats and the like. The Michelin-starred Ristorante Campo del Drago excels at fine dining, serving rich Tuscan classics made with ingredients from the hotel's gardens; this is also where breakfast is served.

Hotel bar

The snug Lobby Bar has an authentic Tuscan fireplace and serves little stuzzichini (appetisers), afternoon tea and award-winning Brunello di Montalcino wines.

Last orders

Breakfast is 7.30am–11am; lunch is from noon until 3pm (a light lunch is served 3pm–6pm); dinner is a relaxed affair, served between 7.30pm and 9.45pm.

Room service

Order items from the restaurant menus between 7am and 11pm.

Location

Photos Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco location
Address
Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco
Loc. Castiglion Del Bosco
Montalcino
53024
Italy

South of Siena, Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco lies surrounded by fields and forest at the heart of a 5,000-acre estate in the Val d’Orcia, near the town of Montalcino.

Planes

Florence is the nearest international airport, 120km or an hour and 40 minutes' drive away (www.aeroporto.firenze.it/en/). It's well-served from the UK and other European cities by airlines including British Airways (www.britishairways.com/en-gb/offers/mr-and-mrs-smith-hotels).

Trains

Buonconvento is 10km from the hotel, and has services connecting to Siena, Grosseto and Florence (www.trenitalia.com). Alternatively arrive at Siena (www.comune.siena.it), via international connections to Florence; Siena station is a 45-minute drive from the hotel. Direct sleeper services run to Florence from Paris (www.thello.com).

Automobiles

Bringing or hiring a car will maximise your freedom to explore this wonderful, rural region and the roads, although minor, are fairly straightforward. From the north, take the SS2 from Siena to Buonconvento, then the SP34 and SP103 (which is also the road you’d need if approaching from Montalcino). Car hire such as Avis is available at Florence airport, but not Siena train station. Siena is about a half-hour drive away, and the hotel has plenty of free parking.

Other

Fancy making an entrance? Helicopter transfers can be arranged.

Worth getting out of bed for

Learn the arts of the Tuscan cucina with a class at the cookery school, set in La Canonica. You’ll start by picking ingredients with the chefs in the kitchen garden, and finish off with a boozy lunch. Visit the estate’s charming church, San Michele Arcangelo, and rub shoulders with the area’s wealthy families, who still worship there. (Look out for the glorious 14th-century fresco by Pietro Lorenzetti, uncovered during the estate’s renovation.) Ask the concierge about hiring bikes or hiking in the grounds. Equine enthusiasts have the chance to ride a Maremma horse, steed of choice for Tuscan herdsman. Jeep your way through the Tuscan hills with a guide. You’ll explore the flora and fauna of the ‘Crete Senesi’ and finish off with lunch at the restaurant. (Staff will arrange.) Go truffle hunting, if the season permits.

Local restaurants

Try the delicious handmade pasta at Osteria La Via di Mezzo (+39 05 7780 6320), at 53 Via Soccini, in the charming little town of Buonconvento. Dishes are authentic, flavoursome, and fairly priced. Osteria Porta al Cassero (+39 05 7784 7196) at 32 Via Ricasoli in Montalcino has a meaty menu (try the stewed boar or spiced, breaded chicken) and a relaxed feel. The dining room’s stone walls are peppered with black-and-white photographs, and there’s a father-daughter team in charge. For fine dining, head to the Michelin-starred Arnolfo Ristorante (+39 05 7792 0549) at 20 Via Settembre. Expect the tiny portions and big flavours so fashionable with high-end eateries.

Reviews

Photos Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco reviews
Matteo Torre

Anonymous review

By Matteo Torre, Connoisseur of cars

As an Italian man living in London, Italy is never far from my thoughts. So strong are the memories in my head of summer holidays spent on the Ligurian coast that, when I land, I can tell I’m in Italy even with my eyes closed – maybe because of the background noise, our disorganised way of joining queues, or the yelled invitations from the illegal taxi drivers as soon as you step out of Arrivals.

Surrounded by green in all its colour-chart graduations, our two-hour drive from Florence airport takes us to the emerald lawns of Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco through a slideshow of what Italy is today: rural farmhouses, vineyards, warehouses at the side of the motorway, railway crossings – and the magnificent and eternal hills of Tuscany. Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco appears at the end of a dirt track; not just a hotel, but an ancient village. An entire borgo has been transformed into a luxury resort and golf course.

‘So, who’s the owner?’ I ask. I’m answered in a hushed voice, their way of respecting someone who doesn’t want to show off: ‘Il Signor Ferragamo.’ They’re referring to Massimo – the son of Salvatore Ferragamo. Soon I see how obvious this is, from the injection of luxurious leather throughout: on the furniture, finely moulded onto edges of plasma screens, on the phone in reception, inserted into the wardrobe’s panels – precise, sophisticated, tailor-made by the same hands that had created bespoke shoes for stars from all over the world. Every detail, such as the impossibly soft bedlinen, or
the beautiful stone in the bathrooms, is an expression of respect of traditional crafts and lifestyles, but also a refinement of modern luxury – as the Italians do best. I can’t help but be patriotic sometimes.

We start our tour of the estate, and as they speak to me in their central-Italian accent, it’s as though I have Roberto Benigni at my side; every ‘k’ endearingly becomes an ‘h’, and kindness is never a formality. There are nearly 4,500 verdant acres to explore; we tackle just one tiny corner, passing by a small 12th-century church with spectacular Lorenzetti frescoes reminiscent of the works of Giotto. As for the infinity pool, it has a view of the Tuscan hills overlooking Montalcino that’s worthy of a masterpiece. I cannot resist taking a picture. The lifeguard coaxes me to dive right in: ‘You must try it! It’s heated at 28 degrees.’ We add swimming and horse-riding in these hills to a fast-lengthening to-do list with ‘spa time’ right at the top.

The spa is located in a dedicated building and after a short walk from our room, we are left in the hands of its superb and professional staff. A magically peaceful place, the spa offers unique therapies based on organic and exotic ingredients. We start with a steam sauna before treating ourselves to a ‘luxury couples massage’, during which a melted mixture of natural oils is drizzled on the skin and combined with a relaxing and unwinding full body rub. I don’t think there is anyone in the world who wouldn’t love this spa.

And now to our suite, which is in a centuries-old building, formerly the stables. It is furnished and decorated in perfect harmony with the style of the rest of the property: ochre-yellow walls blend perfectly with pale, rich fabrics, and the vermilion-red leather mirrors the majolica tiles in the bathroom. The interiors throughout are shot with mouthwatering seasonal hues: cream, khaki, apricot, tomato and grass green. Though this hotel is beautiful enough to justify doing absolutely niente during a stay here, there are plenty of lures to get even the laziest sybarites out of bed and espresso- or Brunello-sipping. Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco is also a members’ club; to keep its VIPs happy, the estate comes with a cookery school, spa, golf course and dedicated concierge service, which can arrange activities from Jeep jaunts to bike rides.

This hotel is not just a feast for the eyes, though, and our minds soon drift to dinnertime… for this, there are two restaurants awaiting. For high gastronomy, there’s Ristorante del Drago, but we’re in a more relaxed mood. Ambling through the butter-toned buildings into a tiny piazza we seek out what was once a priest’s house and is now Osteria la Canonica. We start – of course – with a Brunello di Montalcino, produced by their own vineyard; the estate is one of the five biggest producers of this stand-out Italian red. Deliciously rounded by the barriques, our powerful tipple is the perfect match for simple but superb pici con ragù di manzo and vegetables plucked from the hotel’s own organic garden.

On our last afternoon we visit the mediaeval village of Montalcino, just 10km away. Here, I stare at the faces of the inhabitants, their Etruscan noses, the deep wrinkles etched in by cold winters and torrid summers. Another glass of Brunello warms our souls. A herd of fawns crosses our path. Are they real? Or is that Brunello playing a trick on me?

At the airport, awaiting our flight back, I turn to Mrs Smith and say. ‘Let’s buy it.’ She raises an eyebrow. ‘Let’s buy what?’ she asks. My answer: ‘A return ticket, so we can come back again. Soon.’ Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco is not only a hotel to recommend, it is a quantum leap, and an experience for all your senses...
 

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Price per night from $870.55