Borgo Santo Pietro

Spread across a 210-acre property that surrounds a 13th-century villa, Borgo Santo Pietro is an intimate, ultra-luxurious countryside retreat with sprawling gardens. The lobby and some of the rooms are located in the main villa, which features a classic stone facade and an elegant lobby with brown-leather sofas and a big stone fireplace. Additional seating can be found in a second lounge area, full of velvet-covered sofas and chairs, with a piano off to one side.

Borgo Santo Pietro is only open from late March through October, understandably as many of the property's features are outdoors. One of the biggest draws for many guests are the property's extensive gardens, including ponds, meandering paths, and herb and vegetable gardens where many of the ingredients used in the hotel's restaurants are grown. Even the spa is partially outside, with both indoor treatment rooms in a gorgeous stone structure or outside in treatment pavilions hemmed in by wispy curtains.

The property primarily attracts vacationing couples willing to pay a hefty sum for privacy, romance, and relaxation. While there are some features for children and babysitting is available, past guests have complained that the playground is better geared toward older kids and that child-friendly activities are not always available.

The Borgo Santo Pietro is located deep in the countryside of Tuscany, in a bucolic area surrounded by fields and farmland. There's not much to walk to in the immediate vicinity, or really much to see, beyond the roofless Abbey of Saint Galgano, a Cistercian monastery dating back to the 13th century. The abbey is around a five-minute drive or half-hour walk away. Getting to Siena takes around 45 minutes by car. Florence and its airport take just over an hour by car to get to, while it's closer to two hours to Pisa and three hours to Rome. The nearest beaches are in Follonica, about a 45-minute drive away.

Borgo Santo Pietro offers a variety of rooms and suites, each with its own individual look and feel, though all follow a typically classical, elegant look, with antique furnishings, pretty rugs, and beautiful art pieces; some also have crystal chandeliers, fireplaces, and four-poster beds. The hotel provides freshly cut flowers in the rooms, as well as welcome baskets full of fresh fruit and Prosecco. Views are of the grounds, and many rooms look out onto the Tuscan countryside beyond the property. All units have air-conditioning, free Wi-Fi, iPod docks, pre-loaded iPads, flat-screen TVs with DVD players, safes, and minibars, but no coffee-and tea-making facilities. Luxurious bathrooms vary from room to room, but many are predominantly marble and have freestanding soaking tubs plus huge walk-in showers. Amenities include terrycloth robes, slippers, and toiletries from Florentine pharmacy Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella (reputedly among the world's oldest).

The main villa houses Superior Rooms, Villa Suites, and the huge Santo Pietro Grande Suite, and there are additional Garden Suites located across the grounds. Superior Room options include the Sir Vincent Room, with hill views and a Tuscan-themed color scheme emphasizing greens and golds, while the San Galgano Room is themed after an abbey of the same name and has a medieval-style mural to match. Villa Suites include Il Vecchio Forno, a large, predominantly brick split-level suite that occupies the site of an 800-year-old brick oven. Garden Suites tend to have slightly lighter decor and include Basilico, with wood-beam ceilings, a private garden, and a deck with an outdoor fireplace, and La Mora, which has a pebble-covered courtyard area with a stone fountain and planters with citrus trees. La Casa dell'Unicorno is among the most stunning of them all, with a muted color palette of beiges and pale blues, multiple chandeliers (there's even one in the bathroom), and a garden deck with a dining table that looks out over a small lawn.

Unsurprisingly, dining at Borgo Santo Pietro is an elegant experience, particularly at the Michelin-starred Meo Modo by Andrea Mattei, which relies heavily on seasonal produce, much of which is sourced from gardens on the property. For something a bit more casual, the Treehouse Bar is an outdoor space serving wood-fired pizzas and grilled dishes throughout the day, along with cocktails and wines. There's also a wine cellar with nearly 1,500 different bottles and tastings can be arranged. Private-dining experiences are available, including candlelit dinners for up to four in a small poolside grotto area and a chef's table with view of the kitchen. All rates include a gourmet breakfast spread that receives rave reviews from past guests.

Despite the few number of rooms, Borgo Santo Pietro has a ton to keep guests busy. The gorgeous infinity pool is flanked by lounge chairs, with a beach-style entry and views of the surrounding countryside. The hotel's spa offers massages and other services and has its own line of products created on-site using herbs and sheep milk sourced from the property. On-site activities include cooking and flower-arranging lessons, as well as painting classes with a resident artist. Other features include a sandy playground, grassy tennis and sand volleyball courts, and croquet, but no fitness center. A DVD library with some 400-plus titles for guests to take back to their rooms is also on-site. Staff can provide mountain bikes and scooters for exploring the surrounding countryside, and concierge services are available around the clock.