Locanda al Colle

Not only are the Italians experts at living the good life, they’re also quite well versed in extracting maximum luxury from relatively humble means. Locanda al Colle is little more than a guesthouse in a village in coastal Tuscany, a short distance from Pisa and Lucca, whose nine rooms look out over forested hillsides through huge picture windows — but despite the lack of big-resort bells and whistles, you’d be hard pressed to catch guests wishing for much more than this.

There’s no television, but it’ll likely be the last thing on your mind; the heated swimming pool and the nearby beach club are much more suitable diversions. Some rooms have balconies looking out into the countryside, some have massive soaking tubs, and all are suitable for a pretty solid bout of lounging, if you’re in a mood to hide away.

Come evening you’ll want to go for a bit of a wander, however; the Locanda serves dinner on Wednesday and Saturday nights and a light dinner on Mondays, but otherwise you’ll find yourself sampling the local cuisine — needless to say, there are worse places in the world when it comes to local cuisine. It might not be ideal for the sort of luxury junkie who spends time in the seven-stars of Dubai, but for those of us who prefer intimacy to opulence, Locanda al Colle should be more than sufficient.

Please note: Locanda al Colle has a three night minimum stay policy. The hotel is a seasonal property open from the end of March to the beginning of November.

How to get there:
Locanda al Colle is within driving distance from the following cities:
Forte dei Marmi (approximately 15 minutes)
Pisa (approximately 30 minutes)
Lucca (approximately 30 minutes)
Florence (approximately one hour)