Borgo Colleoli Resort

This beautiful resort overlooks postcard quality views of the Tuscan hills. Two pools are available at opposite ends of the resort. Furnishings are both functional and beautiful. Air conditioning kept the room comfortable day and night even during Europe's record heat in August Bed and bedding were high quality and very comfortable. Ample cooking utensils made preparing occasional meals easy. Refrigerator and freezer were available. A beautiful pizzeria/restaurant is just a short walk outside the grounds. It affords gorgeous sunset views of the Tuscan villas, vineyards, and hills. A dream of a resort with good service and comfortable accommodations.

My Tips for Visiting Karma in Tuscany (Flying into Pisa & Hiring a Car) 1. Car Hire at Pisa Airport Car hire is located about 500 metres from the main terminal. Exit the airport and turn right — the signage isn’t great at first, but once you spot the signs, it’s more obvious. A hire car is a must if you want to explore properly. Italian drivers can be a bit “spirited” — I definitely held my breath a few times! That said, we had no incidents, so don’t let it put you off. 2. Arriving at Karma The site itself is non-vehicle, so it’s not immediately clear where to go. A satnav is definitely useful. About 150m before you reach reception, you’ll spot a derelict church on your right — this is where the unmade car park is where you will ultimately park. Reception is in a building on the left & they will take you luggage by golf cart to you room. You’ll notice a large plant pot blocking the vehicle entrance — that’s your clue you’re in the right place! Ignore the signs for parking to the left down the hill; they’re confusing. We weren’t the only ones who ended up down a dead-end looking for it! 3. The Hotel Great hotel with super friendly staff, there is a washing machine - reception will supply the tab to wash with & its €4 to use. We only ate in the restaurant once — it was lovely but we needed simpler food. We didn’t have a kitchenette in our accommodation, just a fridge, so we made do with salads and cold meals if we didn't fancy going out. A family from Australia picked up a hot plate and frying pan from a local electrical store and left it there when they left. Great idea! I’d probably go for an air fryer if I had the chance again — Lidl had everything. 4. Eating Out & Shopping Locally The nearby village of Palaia has a great restaurant called Bacciomeo — book via WhatsApp. It’s through an archway and inside the main house, do not be put off by the "cafe" before it. Food was excellent & the beer & wine were reasonably priced. Peggio Palaia pub has a good selection of draft beers. There’s a pizzeria right by reception — good food, very close, and house red was just €8! Palaia has a small convenience store, but we found a Carrefour supermarket in Forcoli that had everything we needed. 5. Days Out Pontedera: The Vespa Museum is free and genuinely interesting. Plenty of supermarkets, including Lidl. San Gimignano & Siena: We did both in a day — totally worth it. Siena’s cathedral is incredible. We didn’t book tickets in advance, but that might save a few euros and some queuing time. Florence: To be honest, we found it a bit of a let down after Siena — though still worth seeing. Queued 45 minutes for the cathedral. In hindsight, I’d have gone off to explore the city and come back later — the queue looked much smaller after lunch. Pisa & Lucca: Stopped in Pisa to see the tower (of course!), then moved on to Lucca, a beautiful walled city that’s well worth visiting.

Beautiful place and friendly staff