Sorry fellow travelers - but this one seems to have lost direction... - The issues:

Pool not open (29 Coutside..) - No lounge chairs in garden at all to sit and relax ...

Gourmet restaurant closed 2 nights out of three for weddings (mind you there was alternative seating in another room )

Spa area closed

Our room was below ground - No daylight (220Euro/night booked as deluxe room...) - No minibar ...

Satelite Tv - Yes .. but CNN & Italian Channels only ...

Food in Restuarant very mediocre & expensive (we aussumed that due to large wedding taking place chefs were preocupied...)

Staff helpfull - most of the time .. - the Suttle Bus runs on fixed hours to the Station only (we assumed it would go further on - in their brocheure it says so...) but can be convinced to be more flexible with some Euros extra...

We knew it was not near the centre - but understimated travel dtime to sights using Public transport - so about 1 1/2 hours net to St.Peter ....

So in essence actually why go there ?? - Location is nice yes ... but what else ? -

Upside. The staff were friendly and helpfull. The grounds and castle itself were very nice and the Hotel food was all very posh and upmarket (except the portions were that of a very small child)

Downside was the location and the shuttle bus which came only every 2 and half hours at pre arranged times. If you were outside those times there were no buses or taxi ranks and walking was not really an option (especially at night). Expect to pay between 20 to 30 Euro's from the centre of Rome to the hotel.

Standard room was all very nice, if not a little small.

This review has been a long time coming. We got married at Castelluccia in 2004. We stumbled upon the perfect place to get married outside of Rome. It is a gem of a hotel. The perfect little 5 star castle. I couldn't believe the place when we first saw it. My family is from Rome and I happened to come across it on the Internet.
Rooms: they are lovely. We stayed or have seen most rooms. Wonderful. Some with huge bathtubs.
Food: The restaurant serves top class food. The food at our dinner was amazing. I'm still thinking about it and our guests mention it all the time.
Service: this is a 5 star and they will do everything to make your stay wonderful.
You will not be disappointed in Castelluccia whatever the event is. We even stayed at their sister hotel in Rome, the Empire, and that place was wonderful as well.
I will forever be grateful to the staff at Castelluccia for making our wedding the most special of weddings. We have been back a couple of times since and it's always wonderful.

Don't get put off by the village La Giustiniana or the way up to the hotel. Things do improve as you draw closer. A word of warning is that the hotel's shuttle bus only runs on a fixed schedule every 2 hours. As the hotel is rather isolated a more bespoke service would be valuable.

Arriving at the hotel we noticed that it looked just like in the piuctures. Our room was very nice and surprised us by containing a built in tiled whirlpool with room for at least 4 people. It took 45 minutes to fill up but it sure was a relaxing experience. Service was great both in the reception, the bar and the restaurant.

However, the restaurant is really the only dent in the protocol. It's prices match an upscale gourmet restaurant in central Rome. The food is OK but not great, just expensive. The same goes for the wines. If you find ways to get to other restaurants in the area that may be a better idea. Also the menu is exactly the same for lunch and dinner so a longer visit may end up quite boring.

Anyway, we truly enjoyed our stay. It is a perfect way to start or end your Roman holiday. Or maybe take a break from the high pulse in the capital.