“My fourth visit -- enough said”

Il Ciocco is an ideal spot for an Italian vacation. Its locale is incredibly scenic and beautiful, and the hotel itself is elegant and lovely as well as being very welcoming. It is a resort, with facilities such as a spa, gym, and a beautiful pool on a terrace overlooking the walled city of Barga, mountains, and villages dotting the hillsides. There are playing fields, stables, and hiking trails. The restaurant is excellent, and there is a restaurant bar serving light food and drinks. My comfortable, well-furnished room included a balcony overlooking hotel terraces and the hills and mountains beyond. I rented a car and drove to Lucca (about 45 minutes) and Florence (about an hour and a half). Pisa is a little over an hour away, and there are many outstanding restaurants within a 15-minute drive from the hotel. This was my fourth stay at Il Ciocco, and I hope to come back often!

“Nice stay”

We enjoyed are stay at this hotel and would highly recommend it. The views from are room and public areas were superb, the staff were helpful and polite. The standard of service very good and we enjoyed the food. Only drawback is the need to have transport as it is not easy to get to.

“Enjoyed it better last year.”

We went to this hotel last year and had the best time so we decided to go back again this year and were disappointed. It was hot and the A/C they claim they have wasn't working in anyone's room. We complained three times and they promised each time to look at it but never did. To add to that, we had to leave our windows open to stay cool at night and they had a wedding with loud music lasting till 3 A.M.! I'd think twice about going back.

“Unless you rent a car”

The hotel is about 50 km from Lucca. It's located on the mountan and the only way to get down to the train station( Barga-Gillicana) is a taxi that was expensive. The hotel doesn't have a free shuttle. It was hard to communicate with stuff since most of them didn't speak english. The hotel is in the beautiful place surrounded by themountans,but unless you are planning to rent a car it's not the place to stay.

“Let down by poor service”

This is a hotel with a fantastic location, there is nothing to beat the views from the front of the hotel (don't expect the same view from your room, as many rooms face back into the hillside). The hotel is really let down by the staff who could, at times, be downright rude. The breakfast selection and quality was terrible. Certainly the worst I have experienced in any hotel. I don't know how this hotel gets 5 stars, I have stayed in better 3 star hotels.

“This is a Conference Centre NOT a Hotel”

When we arrived we were told that the Swimming Pool, Sauna, gym, & spa were all closed. Also, that we could not use the Ordinary Restaurant, as it was allocated for the use of Conference Delegates only (all these facilities were shown as available on their Web Site). The only Restaurant we were allowed to use was the A La Carte restaurant. It is expensive and only has the same 5 main courses every night. There is a Pizzaria in the grounds. It is not owned by the hotel but it is very poor quality and serves nothing but Pizza in the evening (not even a salad). As the building is over 2 Km (one & half miles) from the road, up a very very steep drive, it is impossible to get out of the hotel without a car. A 10 minute taxi ride costs 20 Euros!!! The management were totally apathetic and couldn't see how any of this would affect our 'holiday'. They were only interested in the Conference Delegates. It was like being captive in a Prison Camp, until we managed to get out by hiring a car (I think it was the only one owned by the local Car Hire Firm!). Unless you have your own car, DO NOT stay at this 'hotel'.

“Terrible place”

This was the worst place I have stayed at in the last 10 years. The hotel is located in the middle of nowhere, as takes about an 1 hour drive to get to some decent restaurants. We thought Tuscany was supposed to offer nice scenery but all you see is factories that pollute the entire area - a chemical smell was present 24/7. The hotel was very dated, the bathroom was dirty, tiny and uncomfortable, the carpets dirty. Moreover, they dont have any queen or king beds in the entire place. If you stay with your partner, they just put two twin beds together. The staff is some of the rudest and most unhelpful people I have ever seen in a hotel. They refused to give us an invoice at the end because we booked through expedia, even though I needed some type of evidence for work stating I stayed at the place. The front desk staff was rude, unprofessional, discriminates against foreigners, and basically refused any request we had.

“Spectacular view, abysmal service”

This hotel obviously only wanted serve the conferences and groups on site. The front desk staff seemed annoyed that other paying customers were there. We were put in a room outside the main buildings; the AC and the phone did not work; the front desk staff was visibly agitated and downright rude when we went and asked for a space heater in the chilly night. The only people friendly were the staff at restaurant serving regular guests. We decided to check out a day earlier although the stay was paid in full. We stayed at four different hotels during this trip to Italy, this hotel is absolutely the worst by a long shot.

“Not impressed”

Beautiful location, Beautiful view but that is where it stops. Customer service was non existant. they did not cater for tourists. If you don`rt have a car don`t bother going to this hotel. No shuttle bus to Barga or to anywhere. No info on the hotel services or to any bus tours that could be taken to Pisa, Florence etc. Breakfast was horrible, a few buns, cold meat and cold scarmbled eggs. Coffee, tea and milk was left in urns which were cold and not topped up with hot water.When we complained to staff they told us to tell the waitress that we wanted hot drinks. Not our job, theirs!! We were not asked at any time if we would like a hot breakfast, no menus.2 days before we were due to stay in this hotel we were told there was no room. After getting in touch with Expedia they fixed it.Overall a very disappointing hotel.