Locanda Rossa
Arcadian agriturismo
Italian infini-trees
Rows of sentry-like olive trees shelter child-friendly boutique hotel Locanda Rossa – a striking russet-hued farmhouse and colourful presence in the Tuscan hinterland – with a resident donkey, Penelope, and an eco-friendly ethos. Bambini are warmly welcomed, with a pool and playground to themselves. Older Smiths can relax in the huge, urbane rooms hung with modern artwork, and linger over delicious dinners in the laid-back restaurant.
Facilities
Rooms
37, including four villas.
Checkout
11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm for rooms and 4pm for villas.
More Details
Rates usually include a generous breakfast buffet (breakfast is not included in the rates for villas, but can be added for €25 an adult a day or €12 a child (aged 3-11 a day).
Also
Overall, public areas are wheelchair (and pram) accessible, but a few stony paths in the grounds may prove challenging. There are a few rooms suitable for guests with limited mobility.
Hotel Closed
Annually over winter; dates vary.
Fitness Center
Free Internet Access
Pet Friendly
Pool
On-Site Restaurant
Room Service
Spa
At the Hotel
Spa and Turkish bath, lounge, playground, football pitch, gym, boutique, free WiFi throughout. Electric bikes are available to hire on request. In-rooms: an LCD TV with satellite channels, minibar, kettle with tea and coffee, bathrobes, air-conditioning and Essenzialmente Laura bath products. Some Junior suites and suites also have a microwave, and suites and apartments each have a kitchen with an oven, microwave, fridge and freezer, toaster, utensils, crockery and cutlery.
Our Favourite Rooms
The Apartments are bigger than their name might suggest: these svelte modern residences are spread over three floors, sleeping up to six guests each. A full kitchen and laundry room will come in handy whether you’re in a couple or coming with family, and the private garden has a barbecue. Book early: they’re extremely popular. For smaller families, some Junior Suites can fit a baby cot.
Poolside
The hotel has three pools: an outdoor pool for over-14s, heated by solar panels, close to the conservatory, with sunlounger-topped grassy banks and a small pavilion. A short stroll away, down a gravel path, is the open-air, unheated family pool, for under-14s (there are sunloungers to perch on, but little shade and no lifeguards). In the spa, there’s a 32-degree adults-only pool for over-16s.
Spa
The hotel’s ‘wellness path’ – a stress-melting journey through a Turkish bath, sauna, hydromassage pool, Argan oil black-soap scrub, and an chromotherapy shower – will compose even the most frazzled parents (the spa is for over-16s only, open 10am–8pm). If the babysitter’s on the clock, abscond to one of two treatment rooms set aside for holistic massages, facials, body scrubs and wraps, or mani-pedis. The small gym has treadmills, cycles and elliptical machines. Guests must pay an €20 entry fee each, which includes access to all facilities, slippers, a towel, black Argan soap and a loofah.
Packing Tips
All the normal summer holiday fare will be useful here: cossies, kaftans and flip-flops, as well as light jumpers for chilly evenings. Bring a good pair of trainers too, for walks in the surrounding hills.
Also
The hotel’s very accommodating: let them know about allergies – or request children’s extras, food or drink – in advance and they’ll do their best to tailor your stay. Hotel manager Barbara – a fount of local knowledge – is happy to step in as concierge.
Children
Children are warmly welcomed at Locanda Rossa, and there's lots for Italian-inclined little Smiths to get up to including a playground by the family pool.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
Bite into fresh-from-the-barbecue burgers in your private garden, pop another cork on the Red Bar's terrace, or share a romantic meal under the restaurant’s scarlet lights: there are no wrong choices.
Dress Code
Locanda is a relaxed place where guests can usually wear whatever they fancy.
Hotel Restaurant
Aperitivi are served in the sunny conservatory leading off from the restaurant. The hotel’s slow-food philosophy errs towards simple but delicious dishes crafted from whatever’s in season in Maremma: charcuterie platters, elegant pasta dishes and farm-reared meats alla griglia with estate vegetables. Accompany with the carefully sourced local wines: a pale, fruity Vermentino or rich red Sangiovese. Lunch and dinner are served in the beamed Larossa restaurant; in the morning, a feast of local cheese and ham, house-made ciambellone cake, pastries and breads, fresh fruit and juices, tea and coffee is laid out in the sunny breakfast room. Pick up souvenirs or ingredients for light dinners in the store where the house olive oil, honey, jams, preserves, sauces and dressings are sold.
Hotel Bar
Local wines are on display in the restaurant and bar; the list is a comprehensive sweep of the region and beyond (picks include a Montedonico Viognier, a robust Montauto and Morellino de Scansano, and bottles from famed vineyard Rocca di Frassinello). The open-air conservatory overlooks the adults’ pool, but guests are equally welcome in the lounges, and there’s no need to procure a babysitter – in homey Italian style, children are welcome at any time for a glass of fresh juice, milk or soft drink.
Last Orders
Breakfast is served 8.00am–10.30am, lunch 12.30pm–2.30pm, and dinner 7.30pm–10.30pm. Cheese and meat platters can be ordered throughout the day.
Room Service
Anything from the restaurant menu can be delivered to your door while the kitchen’s open; there’s a 15 per cent tray charge.
Planes
Fly into international hub Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino in Rome, an hour’s drive from the hotel; British Airways, Vueling, Alitalia and EasyJet all fly direct from London and major European cities; transatlantic flights usually stop in London, and flights across the Pacific connect via the Middle East. Alternatively, fly in to Ciampino (Ryanair flies direct from the UK), a 90-minute drive away. The hotel can arrange one-way transfers by private car from Fiumicino and Ciampino airport. Please request a quote as prices vary depending on the number of people.
Trains
Trains run directly from Rome Termini, Pisa Centrale and Grosseto to Capalbio station, which is 15 minutes from the hotel by car. Tickets can be bought from Trenitalia (http://www.trenitalia.com) for around €6 from Grosseto, €9 from Rome and €17 from Pisa.
Automobiles
A hire car is essential for ferrying your family through Tuscany’s glorious greenery. From Rome, follow the A91 and E80 roads before turning off on to Strada Pescia Fiorentina Chiarone to reach the resort on Strada Capalbio Pescia Fiorentina. There are car-hire booths at Fiumicino and free parking at the hotel; GPS might be the easiest way to pinpoint the hotel amid the groves (latitude 42.2646, longitude 11.2728).
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
The living is easy in this Tuscan retreat; sip wine on the shaded terrace or lounge on the lawn. Separate pools for adults and children ensure both peace and playfulness, and the super spa is ideal for ensuring R’n’R and quality time in equal measure; there are also tennis padel courts. The hotel can arrange guided walks with varying levels of difficulty throughout the region, including the Lake of Burano, the villas of Etruscan city Vulci and the 16th-century fortress at Porte Ercole. Enchanting hilltop village Capalbio is a five-minute drive away, unspoilt beaches are half an hour from the hotel, and the province is dotted with olive mills and wineries. Neighbouring Chiantishire may be crowded with celeb vineyards, but Maremma is unsung as a Tuscan holiday hotspot.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
