Wine Hotel Retici Balzi

We arrived in the evening with 5 pieces of luggage and our cats after a long trip taking the Bernina express from Switzerland. No one helped us bring the luggage to our room. We booked this hotel for the wellness aspect it advertised and also because it was pet friendly and had a nearby restaurant with wine tasting options so we didn’t have to go anywhere. Since we only had one night we wanted to just relax and enjoy the amenities without extra stress. Upon check-in the hotel reception asked if we wanted to upgrade our room for an extra €50. We agreed and upgraded to the suite. Thankfully we did because soon afterwards we were told that the outdoor free spa we had planed to enjoy with a glass of wine in the evening was closed because it had been raining (although it had stopped at this point). We were also informed the nearby restaurant was closed because of holidays. We were immediately disappointed as we didn’t have a car or any way to go anywhere else. The staff offered us the opportunity to use the private spa for an extra €50 euros and also offered to cook us some eggs or a sandwich and make us a salad since there was nowhere nearby to eat. We asked if we could just order some pizzas and maybe just have a salad and a bottle of wine. The staff arranged to have the owner bring some local pizza in from the local town. It was fine. We did the wine tasting which was also fine. Unfortunately they forgot the salad but we were too tired to complain. Afterwards we went back to the suite and had a bath in our room as our “wellness experience” which was also fine. The water was hot which was good. One thing to note is the room was very hot during the night and the air conditioning only came on if the window was closed. If the window was open you could hear the traffic on the road. There was no handle on the outside balcony door so the door would not shut and you could not enjoy the balcony without the door being open. The pillows were thin and bed was not so comfortable. At check out we were charged €32 for the local pizzas €60 euros for the suite upgrade but I only paid €50 after complaining. Hours after we checked-out and left we received an email from the hotel with an additional €40 euro charge for our pets which was not disclosed to us beforehand. In the end, we were disappointed that we weren’t able to enjoy any free wellness aspects from the hotel which was the main purpose. The hotel itself was clean and cute but the lack of amenities, communication and even friendliness made the experience not as enjoyable. We also asked if we could check out at 11:30am instead of the standard 10:30am check-out (which for a Sunday is early) which they denied because they had another guest who was checking into our room early. Overall you could definitely find better ways to spend your money especially if you’re looking for wellness but the breakfast was nice and was the highlight but unfortunately for us not worth €350 for only one night stay.

Very cosy atmosphere, great design, wonderful view, very friendly staff and owners. Also good to come with electric car since they have a charger…the whirlpool is very relaxing and the room is great, also for our daughter. The food / wine quality is outstanding, especially in combination with the restaurant in walking distance.