Name: Rentvillas.com
Address: 1697 NW Precision Ln, Bend
Rating: 4.38

“Overall: It was lovely. For the location and the price it exceeded our expectations. Enjoyed Most: The View of the Eiffel Tower was spectacular. The location was great for sightseeing and dining. Enjoyed Least: The layout of the living area was uncomfortable. Surrounding Area: Rue Cler District for dining and food shopping. Nearby Events or Locales: NA Tips or Restaurants: De La March and Cafe Central were great value and succulent food. Within 15 minute walking distance of the apartment. Check In Out: No problems.”

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(Tour Eiffel 4) - Posted 16 years ago

“Overall: The property more than met our expectations, and is very well managed. . Many thanks. We will certainly use your services again in the future when we go to Italy. Enjoyed Least: Our only complaint is that the bed was uncomfortable, and we put the mattress on the floor. I spoke with the property manager about that. Otherwise it was a perfect place to stay.”

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(Toscanini) - Posted 19 years ago

“Overall: The restoration is very good quality. Most of the furnishings are Ikea so they are functional and attractive. Antiques and paintings add to the atmosphere of the property. Enjoyed Most: Location in the old area of Figline Valdarno is lovely. Enjoyed Least: The stairs make it a property suitable only for the physically able. The lack of headroom on the mezzanine floor bedroom above the main lounge makes it most suitable for children. The headroom in the loft bedroom is also limited, but better than the other area. There is a lack of any storage in the mezzanine floor. There are no fire control appliances such as smoke detectors, and no second exit or fire escape. We would have liked to have had an outside area. Surrounding Area: Good location in the Chianti region. Nice drives to wineries and historic locations. Tips or Restaurants: Property is well-provided with most essential items. A good supermarket is a 10-minute walk, with small stores much closer. Restaurants are within a 2 to 5 minutes walk--did not hit a bad one. Directions: We were met at the railway station by the owner, who provided directions to the property. All very easy. Check In Out: We paid 15 Euros/day for air conditioning.”

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(Torre Figline) - Posted 11 years ago

“Overall: We enjoyed it a lot. Enjoyed Most: The views. Enjoyed Least: Seating in the living room was a little uncomfortable. Surrounding Area: The area was just beautiful around every turn in the road. Tips or Restaurants: Stop at all the small towns--they all have something to offer, and the people are very nice. Directions: I did use GPS, though we really didn't have much trouble finding the property.”

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(Toni 4) - Posted 12 years ago

“Overall: This was a very enjoyable trip. The accommodations were excellent and the location peaceful and beautiful. The owner was gracious and helpful. Enjoyed Most: The quiet and beautiful location. Enjoyed Least: Bathroom and bedroom was small but this is when compared to US style living. Internet connection very slow. Surrounding Area: We appreciated the beauty of the countryside. Nearby Events or Locales: Nearest small town was Figline and not within walking distance. Tips or Restaurants: We used a GPS to help us navigate our way around, was most useful. Directions: We used a GPS to get around. I would suggest using a GPS device and would be interesting to find out which one works best. We took with us a Tomtom and a Garmin. It was a high end Tomtom and was better than the low end Garmin GPS.”

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(Toni 2) - Posted 16 years ago

“Overall: It was a wonderful villa set in the middle of the vineyard with olive trees surrounding the pool. The wine produced on the estate was also very good and you could purchase it from the stocked cabinet. Enjoyed Most: The setting. We would sit out on the deck and just absorb the overall beauty. It was very peaceful at night and there was not a sound until day break when the rooster would welcome the new day. Surrounding Area: The villa has a great location. One of the small, nearby towns is Greve in Chianti and others were only 15 minutes away by car. Then, within an hour, we visited the towns of Siena, San Gimignano, and Florence. Two hours away is the city of Bologna which is worth the trip! Nearby Events or Locales: Leonardo, the caretaker of the villa, made reservations for us our first night when we arrived in a general store. We were seated down in the the basement and we weren't quite sure what to expect but the local meal they prepared was great! Tips or Restaurants: GPS, GPS, GPS. Directions: Thank God we had the GPS. We had to enter the property's coordinates to find it and the turn is a sharp one off the road, but its worth the trip! Check In Out: That was fine; we left a day early and Leonardo was very accommodating.”

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(Toni 1) - Posted 9 years ago

“Overall: If you like lavender you will love the property as the driveway, walkways and pool area are surrounded by lavender. The scenic property is surrounded by the vineyard and olive orchard which made for some beautiful early morning pictures with the sun shining on the dew-covered grapes. Enjoyed Most: There was nothing about the property not to love. Enjoyed Least: Nothing Surrounding Area: The beautiful countryside, scenery and friendly people. Nearby Events or Locales: Costafabbri was about a kilometer and a half away. It was an excellent exercising walk. Tips or Restaurants: We found most everything we required was supplied. Groceries could be bought in the little store in Costafabbri or there were a couple of larger supermarkets a couple of kilometers away. Check In Out: Luisa and Umberto were very hospitable and offered us wine, juice or water to quench our thirst when we arrived. Everything was simple and efficient.”

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(Terra Di Siena 3) - Posted 19 years ago

“Overall: Large enough to be quite comfortable for two couples or a family of four. Enjoyed Most: Location in a vineyard, near Siena. Peace and quiet - beautiful Tuscany views. Enjoyed Least: Odd kitchen setup. Incomprehensible washing machine! Could use more information about the local area for shopping. Surrounding Area: Beatiful views, quiet, the delightful town of Siena Nearby Events or Locales: Costafabbri was about 3 km away down a steep hill and narrrow road not really walkable. Tips or Restaurants: Buy a map of Siena from a bookstore first thing. When you go to Siena, park in the Il Campo lot on the south end of town. Restaurants we liked are Locanda, about a block off of Il Campo, and the restaurant on the far western side of the Campo.”

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(Terra Di Siena 10) - Posted 19 years ago

“Overall: Overall the property and atmosphere were great. The location was convenient to Siena and we found this to be very enjoyable, much more so than Florence. Enjoyed Most: The peaceful gardens and the bed/bath arrangements. Enjoyed Least: We had some issues with seemingly small things. The Internet code kept expiring, and we would have preferred a less sensitive access, but the staff were helpful in sorting out the problem. Also it would have been nice to have some dishwashing fluid and sponge. The exit onto the road was tricky. We were always worried about oncoming traffic. Surrounding Area: The view over Siena. Nearby Events or Locales: Contafabrio was the nearest town, but other than one osteria, there was not much here. It was a long walk and the road was narrow. Tips or Restaurants: The large Conad supermarket was a great blessing. The pizzeria in nearby Montebuccio was great and we had a tasty, reasonably priced dinner with a view of a gorgeous sunset.”

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(Terra Di Siena 1) - Posted 13 years ago

“Overall: Great experience. The place is a little hard to get to, but once you're there, it couldn't be more relaxing. Offering dinner on Saturday night is great because you're tired from the trip so you don't have to go out. Enjoyed Most: It's in a great location. Close to all the things you want to do and see in Tuscany. The owner/operator is very helpful. Enjoyed Least: The furniture in the living room seems a little worn, but you get over it quickly. Surrounding Area: Everything. It's in a perfect location. Nearby Events or Locales: San Paolo, but you could not walk. Directions: We followed the written directions.”

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(Tenuta Santa Caterina - Vescovo) - Posted 13 years ago

“Overall: Enjoyable and relaxing. Enjoyed Most: It had grounds for the kids to play on and a swimming pool. Dinner in the restaurant was wonderful on Saturday and Sunday. Enjoyed Least: It was a very narrow, winding road up to the property. Kind of hard to find. Surrounding Area: Beautiful views peaceful. Nearby Events or Locales: San Polo.... you have to have a car to get there. Tips or Restaurants: Bring towels for the swimming pool.”

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(Tenuta Santa Caterina - Beate) - Posted 14 years ago

“Overall: The villa was lovely. It's rural setting afforded lots of peace and quiet. Enjoyed Most: The house was well laid out out, especially the bedrooms. The lemon trees and vineyard outside gave it so much character. It was perfect for 3 couples, each couple having the same equivalent of bedroom w/ensuite. The house is very roomy as well. Enjoyed Least: We enjoyed the fireplace in the "foyer" but found it difficult to sit around it since the seating arrangement was not conducive to more intimate gatherings. Surrounding Area: Really enjoyed the rural aspect of it. The smaller towns in the area were also fun to visit and explore. Randazzo had a wonderful Sunday market. Castiglione De Sicilia was fun to walk thru and explore with its pastry shops and cafes that we could stop at. Luciano was able to set up a BBQ for us in the town nearby at a butcher shop. Lots of fun and nice to talk to some of the locals. Nearby Events or Locales: Moio Alcantara. probably walking distance but we didn't attempt it. Tips or Restaurants: Would highly recommend Ristorante da Antonio and Veneziano in Randazzo. Excellent food.If coming in the cooler months, have the place start heating it prior to your arrival that day as it takes a full day to heat the house and you will be shivering for the first 12 hours. I believe the house is made of concrete or stone so once it heats up, it is very comfortable.Come prepared with at least a day's worth of groceries, preferably from a larger town. The grocery stores in the area were very limited in their selections. Directions: The directions given to us were good up to a point. We only found the place after hours of driving and luckily running into a local who spoke English. He could only guess that it was the villa we wanted and gave us fairly good directions. We felt very lucky that we found him. Check In Out: It went smoothly so no comments.”

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(Tenuta De Nereides) - Posted 10 years ago

“Overall: Good location. It's close to the metro and Colliseum, as well as nearby dining and shops. Enjoyed Most: Spacious; there are two bathrooms. Enjoyed Least: No internet. Editor's Note: The WiFi connection has been changed and a new modem has been installed. Feb 2013. Surrounding Area: Safe and centrally located. Check In Out: The check in went smoothly. The property manager was there within minutes of our arrival and spoke very good English.”

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(Spirito) - Posted 12 years ago

“Overall: We had a really pleasant break - Sole 2 was so comfortable and peaceful - and had excellent outdoor flow with outside dining facilities and a great uncrowded swimming pool. The surroundings were so lovely. Enjoyed Most: Probably the bedrooms and outdoor dining table - and also the outstanding views and lovely countryside! Enjoyed Least: Possibly the driveway entrance which is sometimes a little difficult to negotiate as it opens onto a narrow road and a blind bend fairly close by. Surrounding Area: Lovely little villages and beautiful outlook onto surrounding valleys and hilltops. There are nearby vineyards and lovely quaint architectural church and castle structures. Nearby Events or Locales: Barberino Val D'Elsa was nearest but probably outside our walking distance. Tavarnelle Val di Pesa was the nearest town with a good supermarket but that was further off still. Tips or Restaurants: Future renters don't need to bring a thing - although its probably important to have a car to get around. Just to say Florence is very easy to get to by car - especially the Piazzale Michelangelo where the parking is free, the centre of Florence is near by, and the view over the city is spectacular! Directions: We used Google maps on the iPhone - it was all we needed! Check In Out: We felt our check-in/check-out host was really good efficient, friendly but not intrusive. He was happy to accommodate last minute changes on our checkout time - was very good.”

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(Sole 2) - Posted 10 years ago

“Overall: Really great. Enjoyed Most: The pool and view and space--the location. We love Tuscany. Enjoyed Least: The bed in the main bedroom was very firm. Surrounding Area: Easy to reach food shops and a great location from which to explore Tuscany. Tips or Restaurants: Both restaurants in the local town have great views.Bring pool towels and good books. Directions: All good.”

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(Sole 1) - Posted 11 years ago

“Overall: We can't recommend this property enough! Enjoyed Most: The small town of Barbarino Val D'Elsa is perfection! The location is ideal for easy access to Florence and Siena by bus and Chianti hill towns by car. The property was secure, clean and very well appointed. The property manager was delightful and kind. We loved the situation of Unit 5 in the heart of town and enjoyed going to the pool area after a day of sightseeing. We felt very much at home. Enjoyed Least: The kitchen was too small for us. The kitchen only allowed for one person at a time to get coffee or a snack. This was inconvenient, but we took turns. Surrounding Area: Ideal in every possible way! The views from Barbarino were some of the most picturesque. The village had everything we needed, two small markets, bank, and cafe for a morning snack and where bus tickets could be purchased. The Campaniello restautant was our favorite place to eat of all the places we tried in both Northern and Southern Italy. Cesare, the owner, was very gracious and Salvatore, our regular waiter, was one of the family and they treated our son, age 6, like their own. Visits to San Gimignano, Volterra and Montefioralle were quite simple from this locale. Greve was a bit more of a challange. Tips or Restaurants: Eat at Campaniello as much as possible! The markets have the best fresh bread, baked right in town and theChianti Classico from Castellina was the best we tried. The pizza place in Barbarino had good food, but poor service. Check In Out: Our gas usage was so small that the manager waived the cost entirely. Very kind.”

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(San Barberino 5) - Posted 19 years ago

“Overall: The location was excellent and good for day trips around the area. Several good local restaurants and eateries. Within one hours drive we could be in Volterra, Greve, Siena, etc. Enjoyed Most: It was very quaint and right in the small village of Barberino Val D'Elsa. Could walk for groceries, Internet cafe, restaurants. Enjoyed Least: Really no comfortable sitting area. The kitchen and sitting area were combined so you basically sat at the kitchen table or on a sofa by the table. Surrounding Area: The scenery, vineyards and other towns and small cities. Siena within a short drive. Nearby Events or Locales: This property is right in the old town. Tips or Restaurants: Definitely need a car to enjoy the area. The local transportation would be inconvenient. We went just up the street to the local estate winery "Pasolini". Massimo gave us a tour of their cellars which run under the town and we had the had tastings of their vintages, including grappa. Check In Out: We called ahead on our cell and ultimately got reception who met with us. We were staying up the road from the main property so dropped off bags and went back to the main area to park.”

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(San Barberino 4) - Posted 14 years ago

“Overall: We had a very pleasant week. The property was as described and everything worked well, location was perfect, the hosts were friendly and helpful as were the other guests in adjacent apartments. One of those places we'd happily return to. Enjoyed Most: Its proximity to the old town of Barberino and it's restaurants, with a small supermarket for other essentials a little further away but still within walking distance. The apartment itself had comfortable bedrooms, good bathrooms and kitchen - all we wanted. Surrounding Area: The surrounding area? Just quintessential Chianti - places like Greve, San Donato, San Gimignano etc. A car was very useful although, to avoid parking hassles, we caught the bus to Florence right out in front of the apartment - about and hour each way and 4 Euros - 3.5 if you pre-buy from the sports bar at the other end of town. Nearby Events or Locales: Barberino Val d'Elsa - the gates to the old town were perhaps 50 to 100 metres away, up a slight incline, restaurants, butchers shop and other stores another 50 metres and a small supermarket and pharmacy perhaps 250 metres away at most - yes, all within walking distance. Tips or Restaurants: There are three restaurants (that we found!) within the old town - we enjoyed all - one either side of the church overlooking the valley to the West and another, more pizzeria style with a view over the valley to the East. There were a few basic supplies already in the apartment but everything else we needed was easily obtained from the little supermarket. (There was a bigger one in Tavarnelle about 5Km's up the road with a wider choice but we didn't really need it. Directions: We had hired a car, and the street address was fine - we used a GPS set to the street address and that got us very close - from there it was commonsense. Check In Out: Check in and check out was totally relaxed and friendly.”

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(San Barberino 3) - Posted 9 years ago

“Overall: San Barberino is a great place to base Tuscany trips from and the villa is a comfortable, convenient home to come back to at the end of the day. We were so busy during the days that we didn't really have time to use the pool but I managed to squeeze in a quick dip one night after everyone else was in bed. It's down the hill from the house but the path and pool were well lighted. The air was cool so I didn't linger. On a sunny August day, I can imagine that was the place to be after a day of sightseeing. Enjoyed Most: Location, location, location. With a car we were less than half an hour from Volterra, San Gimignano, Colle di Val d'Elsa, Siena, and Florence (actually 40 minutes). Greve and all the "in Chianti" towns were a leisurely hour drive over the mountain. And the manager was wonderful, helping us arrange reservations to dinner and museums, giving us a copy of the bus schedule to Florence - very convenient - and telling us about the Internet access in the town library. Enjoyed Least: The back of the house, with 2 bedrooms and the kitchen, is right on the main road through town, so road noise was occasionally noticed, though usually not a problem. Waking up to the sound of people driving to work is not an unpleasant way to begin the day if you're on vacation yourself. At night, I was too tired from the day's travels to notice any road noise. The master bedroom - the one with the views off to the Tuscan sunset - had no problems with the road noise. Surrounding Area: Do take the manager up on the wine tasting offer. The owners of the villa also have a large vineyard and winery about 2 km outside San Barberino and they enjoy showing off the results of their life's labors. The day we went was also the first day of the harvest with the full moon the night before! and we passed the stems and skins of the first crush as we entered. They'd prepared a wonderful plate of cinghiale salumi, assorted peccorino cheeses, and Tuscan breads to accompany the first-rate wines that they served. The wines included a 2004 Chianti Classico and a 100 Sangiovese Super Tuscan - both wonderful wines. Nearby Events or Locales: You are in San Barberino and can walk up the hill to the small grocery store in 2 minutes, the wonderful Campenillino restaurant in 3 minutes, and the Bar on the other side of the hill in just 5 minutes. Because San Barberino is perched atop a ridge, you have wonderful glimpses of the the surrounding Tuscan landscapes as you walk through the old town. Tavarnelle is a short 2 km drive if you need the greater selection of the COOP grocery or want to try out another local restaurant Tips or Restaurants: The library is just up the hill from the villa, a 2 minute walk, and that's where you can get on the internet. Unfortunately, it's only open 4 hours each day since the librarian spends the other 4 hours at the library in Tavarnelle. The hours alternate from morning to afternoon. The kitchen is pretty well equipped - about the only thing we needed to bring was a cutting board.”

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(San Barberino 2) - Posted 17 years ago

“Overall: the apartment was as advertised and quite comfortable for our needs. It is well situated on the edge of the wall to make parking more convenient and only a couple minute walk to the heart of the town. Enjoyed Most: San Gimignano itself is an absolute gem and we are very pleased that we chose it as our destination in Tuscany. Enjoyed Least: While the bed and bedding were comfortable enough, everything smelled musty. The Internet reception was intermittent, which was a problem for us. Directions: The phone number provided to call upon arrival at the airport was their office number, which of course isn’t manned on a Sunday when we arrived. The owner provided his cell phone number upon arrival.”

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(S. Gimignano 9) - Posted 13 years ago

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