from the start......
Off the main road up in the hills(actually, it's a mountain!) where the hotel is located - you really need to leave your sport car at home, as you will not be able to drive down this crapy road...not asphalted and full of wholes.
The hotel is very easy going, clean and kept tidy and well! It's not a hotel as you might know it from other hotels - originally this was a village with a couple of houses, which was transformed later more and more in a kind of hotel. The room was clean, bed was cozy and great to sleep on it, we had a little living room with a sofa and view of the hills, small minibar, TV(no signal, as they just had a storm which damaged the antenna!), A/C, bathroom with bath tub where you can shower. All in good condition and looked after.
Our room was on the 2nd floor, opposite was another room and we could hear everything from the neighbor (he was snorring very loudly and you could hear every spoken word). It was also noisy in the morning as our room was unfortunately above the hotel laundry!!!! In general, I must admit it was too noisy for the money paid for the room. Additionally, I must say, the room are clean well kept and blah blah.....BUT old! For me, not a four STAR at all and the price is way too high for what it offers.
Breakfast was very simple, with two juices, two kind of salami, prosciuto crudo, some cheese, two kind of cereals, jam, honey....that's it. ahh yes, the coffee, tee, cappuccino is all extra and not included!
Dinner at the hotel.....food was okish, until I saw the final total amount.....way to expensive for this quality of food!!! In fact, we had dinner in Radda di Chianti and the food was 5 of 5 stars and cheaper!!!!!

Bottom line, it was nice to relax, but there are better choices....would not go back.

Glowing reports for this tranquil idyll in the Chianti hills are thoroughly deserved. Once the dusty track has been negotiated (in our case in a somewhat under-powered Lancia), arrival into the pretty courtyard immediately sets the tone for the stay. We received a super welcome from the very competent and friendly Daniela in reception. With two small children in tow we were a little apprehensive, by Daniela was so delightful with them that, when we went to France later in the Summer, they insisted on sending her a postcard!

The family suite comprised two very generous and deliciously cool interconnecting rooms. Thick walls and well positioned doors ensured that we didn't hear any sounds from neighbours. Hopefully that was the same for them (viz comment above about having two children with us!).

Our experience of the restaurant was very good: a wide selection at breakfast (and a healthy one too), then, for dinner, delicious food, good service and all enjoyed outside under the stars waiting for the local peacock to make an appearance. A couple of excellent and more interesting wine recommendations too.

During the day we were unashamedly lazy, spending much of our time by the larger of the two pools, reading, snoozing or swimming - indeed, photos of the pools were probably the clinching factors when selecting Tenuta di Ricavo. However, with no provision for lunch or for an evening meal on Sundays, you are forced to tear yourself away from the sun loungers from time to time and that would be the one minor drawback/weakness from our perspective which prevented that 5th blob in the ratings - if I'd not had to get into that Lancia so many times I would have been more relaxed/happier, but perhaps I should have opted for something bigger & better! That said it really was a minor point to pick up on and it certainly won't stop us returning next year for sure and Castellina has several places to eat and some fantastic ice cream.

Thank you to the very friendly owners and staff - we look forward to seeing you next year.

Once again, I spent my holiday in Tenuta di Ricavo. It is a paradise on earth for me. As I just returned from this lovely place I must say that it is never easy to come back home - everything seems so common and boring...
The room with a view over the Chianti hills gives you peach of mind the whole day long - not to mention the stars in the sky and the concert the grasshoppers in the night.
I spent a lot of time by the two pools, where you can relax and rest - even when there are many people around you. You always have a feeling that in this special place people respect your holiday and give you your privacy, but still you always find people to talk with and to share your experiences from Tuscany.

The food in the restaurant is excellent. It was warm enough to eat outside and during your dinner you could enjoy the friendly athmosphere and good service.
I heart that the chef was - and still is - on a sick leave, but the staff - which is not very many - handled everything just great! I heart that there was only one person taking care of all of us with some help and it was very understandably that she could not cook for everybody at the same time - you must have some patience and understanding for the special situation in the kitchen.

Once I am on a holiday I do not mind waiting for a little bit longer for the food as in the mean time I can enjoy the lovely wines of Chianti.

Anyway - the food was very, very good and the young lady in the service is charming, taking care of everybody with a nice and polite attitude - siamo in Toscana!

I am ever so happy that there is a place like Tenuta di Ricavo - as I always say, it is a paradise!

My wife and I stayed at Tenuta di Ricavo about 15 years ago, and found it charming. It still is the most magical of places - an isolated hotel village in the heart of the Tuscan countryside.
The rooms are very comfortable, with fine views out over the valley. The pools are delightfully set in an old walled garden. The staff are wonderful.
But there is a problem in the kitchen. The two nights we were there were really problematical. The first took the chef hours to cook food. The second saw us have courses served in the wrong order. And whereas the food of 15 years ago was cutting edge - really memorable - this time it was basic Tuscan standards, cooked adequately.
Need for a culinary shake-up, we thought.