Relais Palazzo Viviani

We've been at Palazzo Viviani from 29 april to 1 may, in a dependance, not in the main building, mu husband asked for a quiet room on reservation and after the first night (the neighbours were shouting after midnight) the receptionist said it was not possible. the walls were so thin we could listen snoring and whispering (... and something else!!!!) from the adjacent room. The SPA is very small and should be booked only for a couple; it should be cleaned after each use We asked for a romantic dinner on the night before leaving.. but we had it in the winery, that can be amazing for someone else but not for our purpose: we never had breakfast in the winery, even less we'd have liked to have our dinner there. The good thing is the waiter for the breakfast: he tried to do his best very time for every guest, Francesco is very cute and smart! once we listened him telling a colleague of him the phrase I wrote, like a rainbow after clouds he made us smiling.

When you have navigated your way through the switchback roads and arrive at the Palazzo Viviani you think, great, what a lovely looking place, so characterful, so medieval, so labyrinthine, so easy to get lost in, you won’t want to leave. That feeling lasts about 15 minutes before the significant drawbacks to staying here start to materialise. We had one of the best rooms, Junior Suite No.8 on the top floor of the Palazzo itself. The room was large, turret shaped with an immense wooden beamed ceiling. The views from the floor level windows were lovely. But the lighting was on the darkest side of gloomy and the bathroom might have been OK when Fellini directed La Strada. That was back in 1954, by the way. The shower was in the bath but faced across the bath’s width not its length so you had only about a foot of space. There was a grotty old shower curtain, the tiles were grungy, the shower leaked and dripped, water temperature was more luke than warm. The door didn’t close properly. We never got the TV to work, the handset was broken, some power sockets didn’t work either. Nevertheless, the complimentary wifi was excellent. It was also blissfully quiet in our eerie, the bed was comfortable and we slept very well. Our room was not serviced until 4pm the next day and then only half-heartedly. Downstairs there isn’t anywhere to sit and relax comfortably. The lounges are really only places to park furniture and bits of junk. The garden is scruffy and the pool was still in winter mode - full of leaves, general muck and frogs. The restaurant is on two different floors - a vaulted bricked basement and an upstairs stucco’d set of salons. Seating is wretchedly hard and wonky. On the one busy night the place seemed stretched. On the quiet night, with only two other couples, things were fairly seamless. Food standards were quite good if a little on the bland side. Wines came from the surrounding vineyards and were tasty and cheap - about 22 Euros a bottle. On our first morning the breakfast buffet had been stripped bare within minutes but on the second morning, with only a few guests, the buffet was outstanding. We only found out by chance that the restaurant was to close on our third night so we checked out a day early and went to Bologna. They wanted to charge us for the third night but relented after a phone call to the manager. I suppose at the prices charged one can’t complain too much. Our room was 126 Euros B&B and that’s cheap in our book. But you do get a fairly low level of hospitality. It’s run on a shoestring by a charming group of people. But this place has considerable potential that just isn’t being realised. Not by a country mile. In Tuscany it would be a different story altogether. Finally, a tip or two - The hotel has many steps so it’s not for anyone with mobility issues. It is also genuinely remote. If you rent a car, as we did, you simply must have Sat Nav. We did a bit of touring around the hill villages. None of them were especially impressive and are best viewed from a distance. In fact, Montegridolfo itself seemed the prettiest of all. Urbino was well worth visiting and was about an hour’s drive away. San Marino was amusing and full of tourists. The surrounding scenery and the views from the ancient villages is consistently magnificent.

Only stayed for one night, in September,so lots of things were shut and the pool was cold. The hotel is an interesting place, in a lovely setting and I'm sure in the summer it is a lot better. The room we stayed in was pleasant but it needed decorating,(peeling wall paper) and looked tired. The bed was very comfortable, but as the rooms have wooden floors unfortunately we had people above us who wore shoes until way past midnight, and it marred the quietness and serenity of the place. The breakfast was very nice with a wide choice and friendly staff. I know that we visited this in September so lots of things were closed but it all seemed very tired and lacking in attention.

Thoroughly enjoyed our one night stop over. Beautiful bedroom, lovely breakfast and delicious evening meal. Staff were very helpful and swimming pool was very refreshing. I would certainly recommend a stay here.

Everything I've seen in charming Italian movies contemporary and from the past has materialized here: the palazzo edification, the décor, the facilities, and even lovely affectionate cats were all here waiting for me. It's really really hard to be impartial with this place because it is so gorgeous; I've never been to a place that made me feel I was starring in wonderful Italian movie full of good taste, art, antiquities and history. This is how movie stars (discerning ones) must live! It welcomes you with the medieval construction that does not fail to impress; it is so well-taken care of it will make you wonder of all the people who had taken the same foot steps you are. Staff could not be more friendly; they'll gladly suggest you places for dinner (use gps or you would not find anything) to directions for all the services with big smiles. In your room (we stayed at the most modest one but all are equally magical) no detail has been spared to preserve the charming aura; from the window shutters, to the furniture, to the linen drapes, to the impressive wood beams on the ceiling. It all is impeccably clean too. The pool is nested among large trees and it is surrounded by comandeering views that stretch to the Adriatic sea. Breezes ease the heat irradiated from the stone and brick. At night, a multitude of crickets will lull you to sleep. Walking the bourg is something so fantastic it can't be described with words; you must visit this place and empty your camera: there is not enough memory in a cellphone to capture the beauty, charm, and historic air of this place. Yes! I am drunk with visual beauty and wonder! I don't want to wake up from this dream!