Bellavista Impruneta

I first booked the BellaVista hotel stay through an online travel agency website. The reviews were great so it was an easy choice.
When we arrived to Florence and asked a cab to take us to the hotel, we assumed it was a simple cab ride. Were we in for a surprise! It was about 45 minutes away from the city! I was mortified when I looked at the cab’s running total (over 30 euros). I was already trying to think of what excuse I could have for the hotel on why I didn’t wanna stay there– I mean, I couldn’t afford the cab rides every day for 4 days into the city. And the city the hotel is in is tiny– so not much to do there.
Boy, did my mind change once I was greeted by the staff…
As soon as we arrived, we weren’t guests, we were family.
The staff is in fact all family! Everyone speaks perfect English and is beyond accommodating.
I mentioned my hesitation with being able to afford to go into the city — after all, I came to see Florence, not the hills of Tuscany.
Then they showed us the simple bus route that costs 2 euros to take you into the city. I felt like I could breathe.
The next couple of days were so comfortable and relaxing.
Their complimentary breakfast is great (watch out for their bundt cake– thing is addicting!!). They have access to help you do reservations for Florence attractions and they even sell you the bus tickets to go into the city.
Now, locally, the hotel is known as a restaurant. A great one at that. So on our last night we decided to have dinner in our hotel.
Boy oh boy, the ravioli with mushroom sauce will knock your pants off. The spinach stuffing in that pasta is unbelievable. The grandpa made it (and showed it to us earlier that morning).
All in all, a great experience. You get to enjoy the relaxing hills of Tuscany (btw, the view from the hotels terrace is unlike anything else) while being in the comfort of your own home and a quick bus ride down to town to see the exciting sights of Florence.
I highly highly recommend this hotel!

This place was such a lovely place to stay! Loved the family vibe and the people who own the place were wonderful. Also, tremendous food! Kept very clean and is right in town, u can walk to shops, church, etc