L'Andana

L'Andana

Arrive through L'Andana's Winter Garden lobby, where wide windows frame the Maremma hills instead of a marble reception desk, and the intent becomes clear: this is a working Tuscan estate that happens to take guests, not a resort dressed up as one. Just 33 rooms and suites are spread across three floors, restyled under architect Ettore Mocchetti of AD Italia with warm Tuscan colours, local furniture and Florentine silk upholstery, so no two stays feel run through the same template. What separates it from other Maremma countryside retreats is La Trattoria, the estate's own starred restaurant run by chef Enrico Bartolini, so dinner never means leaving the grounds. Days can run toward the outdoor pool, the heated pool and the indoor pool, the Espa spa's sauna and steam room, or bicycles and horses out through the estate's vineyards and olive groves, with a shuttle laid on for anyone who wants the beach instead. A kids' club and family rooms mean this isn't strictly a couples' address, though anyone chasing city nightlife should book elsewhere. Business groups get a proper business centre and meeting rooms, and golfers have a course within three kilometres. Extra beds run 90 euros a night, airport transfer is a serious 495 euros each way, and a cleaning tax plus city tax are settled separately at the hotel, so it pays to read the fine print before arriving. What lingers isn't the accolades but the sense that the kitchen and the countryside were built around each other long before the hotel opened. L'Andana pairs 33 Tuscan-style rooms with its own starred restaurant under chef Enrico Bartolini, so dinner never means leaving the estate. Pools, an Espa spa and horseback rides through the vineyards fill the days, while a 495-euro airport transfer reminds guests this is a countryside retreat, not a quick stopover.