A former monastery, the hotel is located on top of a hill overseeing the city of Pistoia, with very nice view, and temperature is cool also during hot august.

Very nice the swiming pool, and excellent the food. The owner produces his own olive oil, which I recommend to taste with bread and salt.

The hotel if far from the crowdm, you can enjoy what real silence is, and has a large parking place, not a commong feature in Pistoia. This is why, even if this is what I define a "romantic" hotel, is also very good for a business trip.

Finding our choice Florence hotels fully booked, we came by chance upon this delightful former convent, converted with love and no money spared into a classy 30-room hotel filled with antiques, yet providing modern amenities and comfort. Located beautifully on a hill side outside of Pistoia, up a country lane through vineyards and olive groves, the hotel has a commanding view over the countryside and the valley below. Ample free parking is available in a lot across the street or behind a gate on site for those with security concerns.

Welcomed warmly by a smiling Paolo Petrini, the proprietor, we were offered a choice of rooms and settled on a rather spacious one with a terrace. Reached via lift, our room with its antique furniture and accessories, paintings, elegant drapery, and area rugs on the stone tile floor offered an ambiance enjoyed by those with an appreciation for antiques. Room appointments included pushed together firm twin beds with king size sheets, a stocked mini-bar, plasma TV with untold many channels via Sky Sat TV, A/C, desk, overstuffed chair and was very well lit and comfortable. The modern bath with a fully glass enclosed walk-in shower, rain shower head, sink, and bidet was a little cramped but the softest of towels made up for that, and all was sparkling clean, as was the room itself.

The hotel's common areas are filled with antiques and include a nice lounge, restaurant and breakfast room, all with a nice ambiance and with the ever present proprietor Paolo seeing to it that his guests are happy and satisfied. The food served in the classy, intimate restaurant was excellent, as was the wine from vineyards near the convent. Olive oil used in cooking is pressed by Paolo from olives out of the convent's grove. Morning fare consisted of an expanded continental breakfast with a selection of baked sweets, fresh berries, and poached apples.

By its location, the Il Convento Hotel makes an excellent base from which to explore by car or train from Pistoia the towns of Florence, Lucca, and Pisa besides the Tuscan countryside. We left our car in the parking lot, taxied to the train station for 15 Euro and took the train for 6 Euro right into the heart of Florence. All considered, the Il Convento is a find and a quiet refuge for romantics. We would happily stay there again in the future.

We stayed here two nights recently on a tour. The hotel is beautiful, the location is beautiful and it has a very serene feel to it. We had a special dinner the 2nd night and it was absolutely delicious. The owner, however did put a bit of a damper on things. He was pretty grumpy in the morning and I felt that if he spoke some English his life would be much easier. Mrs owner was much more pleasant. It is such a shame as we couldnt really fault anything else.

Stayed here on buisness trip to the area. I was really looking forward to the stay, it looks so good on its website and thought it would be welcome change from the usual big chains I stay in. The hotel is nicely furnished, well maintained and generally very comfortable. The standard room I got was small, comfortable, but furnished rather austerely. The hotel does not appear to have many staff, there is usually someone on the reception, but elsewhere you will be lucky to find anyone other than the ghost of a Franciscan Monk (The hotel was originally a monastery). Breakfast is fairly basic. The food in the restaurant is very good, but note the restaurant is not open Monday night. The hotel was very quiet, perhaps no more than 3 or 4 rooms occupied the nights I stayed. I don't think I would stay here again as I found it a little too quiet . But if that's what you are looking for then it is probably a good choice.