The location is beautiful and the apartment is spacious

The check in process, hotel staff, and overall experience was lackluster at best. The hotel needs work and the staff need courses in service.

It was a pretty location.

The communication from the staff about your stay and experiences was very limited. We also had issues with eating at the resort as there always seemed to be a problem, particularly to do with staffing. Before our arrival apparently the bartender/server left and the rest of the staff didn’t really help cover that position. They website also said that this was a rural location, but didn’t really describe how rural - it was almost a mile of dirt road and then a 20+ minute drive to the nearest area for anything to eat or do. We also noticed that the room was sort of dirty still and there was a lot of bugs, which you expect in a rural area, but again the lack of communication really got to us. The staff did both contact us and was difficult to reach to ask basic questions. This is more of a limited B&B than a resort.

Our overall impression is that Cignella is not really a “resort” but more like a bed and breakfast. The staff is very welcoming, friendly and helpful. The location is rural and the housing accommodations are spacious and cozy. It would have been nice to have paper towels or kitchen towels and dish soap provided. They did provide the materials for making a fire. There was an outdoor pool, which was closed for the season. Breakfasts were amazing with many options. The yogurt was especially delicious as is their espresso coffee! They also made eggs to order and homemade bread. The three pasta making classes were fun but repetitive and this is a problem for two reasons. It’s a bit boring to make and eat essentially the same dish for three nights. The sauces may have been traditional but also were nearly the same. It would have been nice to make pizza and focaccia in one or two of the classes. They also really need to look into a larger variety in their dinner menu; dinners were basically pasta each night. Our special meal was overcooked. The best part of the meal was the pork chops, but after all the other food we couldn’t eat it. The dining room was adequate but minimally functional, for both staff and guests. There really is no “front receiving desk” on the premises, only a small office in a back room. Their front desk hours were only 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, which is not what one would expect from a “resort.” The wine tasting was really good. They did appear to be understaffed at times. Some of the staff did not speak English very well, which was somewhat of a problem seeing as all of the guests were English speaking. They did have a “happy hour” most nights but you have to pay extra for a charcuterie board. We definitely would not book this Travelzoo deal again. After reflecting back, we would also say that it is somewhat overpriced for what you get (i.e., not a typical Travelzoo deal).

Spacious villas and rooms. Romarino, bright, with light decor tiled flooring. Heated from the floors, comfortable beds, clean, except for the stains on our couch. Too in cold in October to use the pool. We had the included dinner tonight. Antipasto -tasty salamies, delightful cheeses, crostini, pate platter, a linguini with beef ragu, roasted pork topped with bacon and sweet plum sauce with roasted rosemary potatoes. So delicious! This is our first day after driving to Siena after an ample provided breakfast of eggs, an array of impressive pastries, apricot, chocolate croissants, any kind of coffees, teas, juices, meats etc, etc. A car with a navigation is a must. Prepare for narrow, unlite winding roads.

The gravel road in to the resort is a tad rough.

This property is gorgeous and the staff are helpful and accommodating. The chef is amazing and the food is remarkable. Would highly recommend to anyone and hope to visit again.

Amazingly beautiful and well worth the adventure

Staff were all really nice and were trying really hard to make things work, but seemed to lack resources. With some work the place could be beautiful The breakfast offered at the hotel was excellent

Should not be called a “cooking school “. Cooking experience was next to nothing. Staff was trying to, but all were really new. The chef had been there only 9 days and knew nothing about teaching a class. No recipes were given. Resort was difficult to find. Our car GPS could not recognize the rural address. Luckily I was able to sort it with some difficulty on my phone. Resort needs to provide some type of map??? Pool was beautiful, but was never cleaned while we were there.Grass around the pool was getting overgrown with weeds and the pool was full of leaves and bugs. The corners of the pool were starting to grow green algae! The property could be amazing- the 2 bedroom apartment was really nice - roomy and modern. Needs some upkeep and TLC

1. The staff were friendly. 2. The wine tasting included was wonderful. It exceeded my expectations (and I work for a winery, so I am very familiar with winery tours and tastings)

1. This is not a "resort". There are no amenities. 2 The 2 hour "cooking class" was a 45 minute pasta class. 3. The 3 "dinners" consisted of pasta with some type of sauce. Some "dinners" had no protein. The dinners were lacking any type vegetable. 4. The grounds are full of weeds and poorly manicured. 5. The was not enough staff to meet the needs of the guests. 1 person making coffees, eggs, and managing breakfast. 1 person serving dinner and 1 cook at dinner 6. They said the $240 for extra persons in the room was 240 euros. We had to send them the information from travelzoo that specified the charge was in US dollars.

Pretty location.

The food. The classes were basic and the food coming out of it was inedible. The breakfasts were all sweet stuff. The dinner was ok. We expected much better. They seem understaffed as well..we're actually going to cut our visit short. The beds are so hard, we all have sore backs. No supplies in the apartment whatsoever. Its not a resort.

We are enjoying our experience here at Cignella, and find it to be a comfortable home-base for exploring the Tuscany region. The resort grounds and suite we were assigned are quite charming, however there are some aspects of the resort we find lacking such as: supplies in kitchen, pool maintenance and cleaning of areas around pool. The access road is also a little on the “rough” side which wasn’t a problem for us, but may be for other less confident drivers.

We enjoyed our time here and find the location to be ideal in the central Tuscany area. Spectacular views of the surrounding countryside and beautiful sunrises and sunsets to behold!! The cooking classes were also fun and interesting. Grazia Mille to the staff and Travelzoo for providing this package!