La Torretta Hotel

My husband and I stayed here in September 2006. Well run hotel with a few real stars among staff and family who own it. These include the chief concierge, who used to work at the Savoy in London, the French waiter who recommended choices of food and wine, and last but not least the owner, Dante Simoncini, who gave us an unsolicited lift to Florence and as an amateur archaeologist gave us an insight into nearby Etruscan remains and history of the region. All of them spoke good English. Food and accommodation were excellent, we enjoyed the pool (though unheated) and we went to two excellent evening concerts featuring young classical singers from Lucca and one teatime piano concert in a nearby 18C spa building. Montecatini Alto was charming and the funicular was nearby. It was a brisk walk into town but very charming through woods and past spa buildings. Above all the access to Florence, Pisa, Lucca and even Arezzo by train was first class. We had a great time. The hotel has a linked farmhouse available for Tuscan cookery courses and art weeks and also offers golf and spa weeks. Would definitely go again. A real home from home and really excellent value.

We have just spent a week in Montecatini and were delighted with our choice of hotel. Dante Simoncini and his family are very welcoming, even picking us up from Pisa airport (a 40 minute drive) and dropping us there at the end of our stay. Our room was spacious and had a small balcony from which we had a lovely view over the leafy park in the centre of the town. We opted for half board and the evening meals gave us a true flavour of Tuscan cuisine - we were often encouraged to try a couple of the starters, but soon realised we would be unable to move if we did this every day! The staff were courteous and helpful, and often allowed their natural sense of humour to surface - definitely service with a smile. Most of our fellow guests were German or Italian, but many of the staff seem to have a smattering of several languages, so there was a very friendly atmosphere. Montecatini is a lovely spot and has good rail connections to Lucca, Florence and the coastal resort of Viareggio, as well as to smaller virtually undiscovered towns such as Prato and Pistoia, where we encountered few tourists of any nationality. The funicular railway close to the hotel takes you to the old town of Montecatini Alto, which is very pretty. We would thoroughly recommend the hotel and hope to stay there again in the future.

This is a wonderful hotel in a charming town. The family who owns the hotel went out of their way to make our stay terrific. We arrived after the lunch hour was over and they put together a meal for us anyway. The rooms are clean and nice. The bathrooms are modern. The meals were tasty and satisfying. This is a great place to stay in this area.

My Husband and I stayed in the Hotel Torretta for a two-week sightseeing and golfing holiday in July. The management and staff were extremely helpful and friendly, providing itinerary suggestions for sightseeing, printing train timetables, booking golf, etc. The food in the restaurant was always appetising and tasty and varied throughout our stay, with a good selection of quality local wines. The room was large, well furnished with plenty of hanging space and drawers and was kept spotlessly clean. We have no hesitation in recommending the Hotel Torretta to anyone visiting this area of Italy.

We enjoyed our 5 night stay. We particularly enjoyed the free bikes that we used daily to explore Montecatini. The hotel itself is nice, although I wouldn't really describe it as 4 star. It's fairly basic, but has everything you need - nice bathroom, airconditioning, daily cleaning, balcony, etc. The pool is nice too, but the communal areas of the hotel are a little dated. The restaurant in the hotel looked fairly well lit, and not very romantic, so we didn't eat there, however it could be good for groups, and I think they do a good deal on full board. The location of the hotel is good. It is a 4 minute walk to the funicular railway up to Montecatini Alto, which is beautiful, and full of lovely restaurants; we'd highly recommend it. It takes maybe 10-15 minutes to walk into the centre of montecatini through a lovely park, and only a few minutes on the free bikes! The owners were very friendly, and very helpful. However, some of the other staff were much more typical of italians in the service industry... and not so helpful!

We spent a delightful week at this small family run hotel in Montecatini. The staff could not have been more helpful. Rooms are well appointed and clean as is the rest of this hotel. Our visit coincided with some extremely hot weather so we appreciated the air conditioned rooms. Travelling as a family of four we were given an apartment with interconnecting rooms which was ideal and even received a 30% discount for our girls although they were 16 and 18. We would all happily return to the Torreta.

My husband and I stayed at the Torretta for 6 nights in July. We used it as a base for touring northern Tuscany. We found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable hotel with excellent service that you might expect from a family-run establishment. The staff were always helpful and welcoming. The room was large and very adequately equipped with effective air conditioning. Breakfast was adequate but perhaps not the hotel's greatest asset. The public areas are spacious and comfortable and there is a decent swimming pool. We had a car for the time we were there and always managed to park in the small hotel car park. Montecatini itself was a decent base though in itself not terribly exciting. Montecatini Alto can be reached by funicular and is a nice alternative for dining. We would thoroughly recommend the Torretta and would be very happy to stay there again ourselves.

We stayed at the hotel Torretta three years ago while on a group tour. We came back this year and based ourselves there for 14 nights. We drove 1,500 miles in exploring the backwaters of Tuscany and Umbria. Torretta always felt like "home" at the end of the day. Family owned and operated, the hotel was comfortable with understated elegance. The meals in the formal dining room were some of the best we've ever had. The owner and desk staff are friendly, efficient and incredibly helpful. They gave us many "insider" tips that increased the enjoyment of our drives. They made arrangments for a Florence guide for one day and also made museum reservations for us when we returned to Florence a second day. In both our stays we've never seen Americans. The hotel is very popular for Germans and other Europeans, both in groups and traveling independantly. The two weeks cost us $1,600 for the two of us which we felt incredibly reasonable when you factor in the wonderful five course dinners served nightly. I'm a professional tour director and I can't think of higher praise than this: they treated us like welcome friends.

We stayed in this family run Hotel while attending the fantastic MyBike cycling festival. There was secure storage for the bikes and all the staff were most accomodating and really helpful. The food was tasty and very plentiful, more than enough to keep 5 hungry cyclists fuelled. The location of the hotel is at the top of the park, close to the Funicular Railway to Montecatini Alto (worth a visit) and Spas and a 5/10 min walk to the main shopping area and bars. All in all excellent value with a warm and welcoming atmosphere from Mr Dante Simoncini and his staff

La Torretta is a wonderful place to stay during your visit. This family run hotel is intimate and nurturing while providing cost conscious customers incredible value. The rooms are spacious, clean, and well tended to in your absence. The meals, if you choose to take that option, are all 3 courses and just wonderfully cooked. Save room for dessert because it is a family member who is the pastry chef. This region is a wonderful area to be pampered in and you see many wealthy clientele passing through. The service at La Torretta is tailor made for the most demanding clientele. This is where I will stay on every future visit to Montecatini.