At Excellent Europe, we personally inspect every property we represent and present a comparative and balanced evaluation for our guests. But there is nothing like hearing our guests' feedback and travelogues!

Leslie A, California

October 2005

Our trip was just wonderful and the accommodations in Siena were delightful! 

Accommodations overall: Very clean and appropriate for our group What did you enjoy the most? The surroundings were so picturesque, I felt like I was in a dream! 

Drawbacks or problems? I was under the impression that one of the "twin" bedrooms could be arranged to be a "king" bed for a couple--not possible. No problems, we just made adjustments.

Location and the surrounding area? Breathtaking! 

Can you recommend any nearby sites, restaurants or shops? The restaurant around the corner from the villa (the villa owner referred us) was excellent. Very good food, kind hospitality, and reasonably priced. 

Any tips for future guests? Utilize all the suggestions/tips people give you, especially regarding driving. 

What can Excellent Europe do to improve its service? Nothing that I can think of; all of your suggestions/directions were excellent. Thank you for all of your kind assistance! I will definitely call you for my next trip to Italy!

Jean K, Ireland, August 2005

Tuscany - Driving instructions were excellent. The apartment [Pagliaio] was probably the best we have ever stayed in. Well equipped. People very nice, pool great, location absolutely excellent. If I could change one single thing it would be that our patio area would have been directly outside our apartment  and not 10 metres away behind a hedge, we just didn't use as as we would have had no view of our door and it would have meant locking and unlock the apartment to eat outside.

We loved the area but in some ways it was maybe a bit to similar to home (apart from the farming crops being different the rolling hills of Siena would not be far from the rolling hills of Wicklow where I live) although the style of building was beautiful.

The town of Siena is beautiful and we enjoyed our time in it. It is wonderful to ramble around, eat and enjoy. The centre of Siena is a Heritage Site and has no traffic at all (odd taxi excluded). Lots of Restaurants around the main square, very expensive, its much better to wander off into the side streets and select a restaurant, great food. Recommend Tuscan sausage and white beans.

We found a great local restaurant: Restorante La Capanna Dei Cavalieri, Strada di Montalbuccio 118, 53100 Siena. Tel: 0577.28.37.14 Food is excellent and the views are great too. Directions;- Turn left as you exit the Villa Agostoli, when you reach the first crossroads turn right. The Restaurant is about 300 yds down the road on the left. It usually has candles burning outside it.

There is a local bus service in an out of the town which stops at the gate of the villa.

The kids had friends some days. Lucy met two south african girls and Ivan two Belgian boys but in general it was mostly adults which was a little disappointing.

Eating out was good value but there were good and bad restaurants.

Something to note. I am Coeliac so cannot eat Wheat, Barley, Oats and Rye. Some people may be put off Italy because it is known for pasta, etc. I was totally amazed by the range of Gluten Free products in the supermarkets and every restaurant we went to offered to cook me Gluten Free pasta. www.coeliac.com

We really didn't venture far from Siena and the Villa, we really wanted a quiet week. Driving is stressful, they are not tolerant of tourists and don't take kindly to you slowing down.

Biggest disappointment - the people (not at the villa) in general. Very intolerant in Siena of non-Italian tourists. They are not nearly as warm and friendly as the Romans, and I missed the Spanish warmth too. I found this hardest to take. 

Overall we had a lovely holiday and all your info was most helpful.

Dani S, British Columbia, July 2005

Accommodations overall: The accomodations were excellent in both Florence and Siena.

Enjoy the most? I think the establishments were very well run, in the sense that they were clean, renovated, and comfortable (spacious). We also appreciated the care that Karima (Florence) and Umberto's family (Siena) gave us to ensure that we had everything we needed.

Any drawbacks or problems? There were no drawbacks, but we had some uncertainties about retrieving our keys at both locations.

What did you think about the location and the surrounding area? Both accomodations were perfectly situated for us. A car was definately handy during our stay near Siena.

Recommendations? In Florence, visiting the Ponte Vecchio and Otrarno were highlights, including the Boboli Gardens. In Siena, highlights were the villages in Chianti, especially Radda.

Any tips for future guests? Driving in Italy is quite scary, especially if you are not familiar with the area. Drivers are very aggressive, which can make the trip quite stressful. I would recommend taking shuttle buses, or doing tours to see surrounding areas. Otherwise, take someone with you who has the stamina to endure stressful traffic conditions!

Do you recommend any restaurants or shops? Although we enjoyed the cuisine of Italy, the fresh produce, cheeses and meat products of Tuscany are so amazing, that we ate at home quite often. You don't need much more than that, except of course a bottle of Chianti or Montepulciano.

What can Excellent Europe do to improve its service? Excellent Europe is an amazing service, and we would be glad to go through you again for future travels.

Christine B, Michigan, April 2005 

We had a wonderful time! We loved the villa! It was perfect for our needs. They had the 2 cribs and one highchair (the 2nd "booster" didn't work) but they [two babies] just took turns eating. We loved having the space for the kids to play and for us to relax. 

1. Accommodations overall: Loved them!

2. Enjoyed the most? The scenery, the rooms. 

3. Drawbacks or problems? Just the heat and hot water [the owners had to come and turn them on], but they didn't charge us for the heat because of the problems.

4. The location and the surrounding area? The area is beautiful! Siena is great. We were in a great location to visit other cities too. We went to Florence, Assisi, Montepulciano, San Gimignano, Volterra, Pisa, Lucca, Cinque Terre. We arrived in Rome (and saw the Pope!) and departed out of Bologna. We'll have to do Venice another time! 

5. Can you recommend any nearby events or sites? We loved San Gimignano, even though it rained the whole time. It's not that far and it's such a cute little town. 

6. Any tips for future guests? Ask how to run the dishwasher and washing machine. We winged it, but the instruction cards weren't very clear. 

7. Do you recommend any restaurants or shops? Every morning we would have what we called tomato pie from the little grocery store nearby. 

8. What can Excellent Europe do to improve its service? I think you helped us out a great deal. Restaurant, shopping recommendations are always helpful. We used Rick Steves book a lot. 

And back to the Pope, we arrived in Rome the day before John Paul II's funeral, and just wanted to see St. Peter's from a distance really, but as we got closer, we thought we would just try to get as close to the square as we could, not really expecting to go inside or anything. Well, when we reached the square and the mass of people waiting in line to see the late Pope, we were told by the Italian Police that we could go in the church using the side handicap line since we had a stroller! No kidding! We walked right pass the thousands of people who had been waiting for hours upon hours and walked right in to the church for a glimpse of the great Pope! It was magnificent! We had chills seeing all those people there who traveled so far and waited so long and so quietly - you could hear a pin drop in the square! It was truly a once in a lifetime experience followed by a wonderful time spent in Tuscany! The food and wine were our favorite things! And the owners provided us with some wine made from their grapes. Thank you so much and everyone I've talked to about our trip, I've told them if they ever go, they should stay at Villa Agosto. We absolutely loved it. 

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