Relais San Maurizio

As a five star leading hotel of the world we sort of expected the typical Six Senses or Four Seasons resort. This is not that! Instead it an authentic, unique, quiet and truly lovely alternative. As a monastery from the 1600s it has a contemplative charm you can’t replace. Birds sing, quiet rules. Don’t get me wrong there are fluffy towels and candles etc. it is however a little dated, it’s not exacting on its standards. But it’s totally perfect. You’ll love it. We did.

Our concierge at the Mandarin Oriental in Lake Como recommended this resort to us as a way for us to spend an extra 2 days that we had no set plans for before we headed to Milan, and since it was also during the area's white truffle festival, we decided it sounded great --plus since we love Italian wine, so we loved the thought of being in the area's famous wine region to also wine taste. The grounds are beautiful and the photos and website did not seem to disappoint, however however, sadly, the service and food were absolutely abysmal. The staff seemed totally uninterested and totally unhelpful. At check-in we were greeted by the desk person who made the comment at check in that, "Oh, I see you booked our smallest room," which I found very rude and with no offer to upgrade us. (We used Amex Platinum card.) He seemed extremely distracted by other guests milling about and when we inquired about dinner, he muttered that their "Michelin rated" restaurant was booked and we may have to find someplace else to eat. (Later, after being told they could accommodate an 8 p.m. reservation we saw there was over half the tables empty in the restaurant!) Upon check-in he told us to wait in the garden with their welcome drink-- an incredibly overly sweet Moscato-- which was so sweet we could not drink it, and that he would come back and give us a property tour. (It would have been so nice to have been offered a choice of red OR white given we are smack in the middle of the wine country.) Over an HOUR later, we were still sitting there. I was getting very annoyed. Finally we got his quick, seemingly rushed tour and then went to our room. The room was underwhelming with an ugly blocked roof view, and the shower pan did not drain well, and the bed was very firm. Whatever! We were dead set to have a good time. The clerk had called to say he found us a 8 p.m. reservation at their in-house "Michelin" rated restaurant. Wow, was that ever a total disappointment. The pasta was in no way homemade, and the menu was extremely odd and not good at all. Later the bartender in the bar made a rude remark when I tried to order a Barbera, chastising me that why would I want that heavy of a red to start with? He then mentioned the wines in his home country (Argentina) were better than Italy! Ok.... we are literally in Italy's wine country and to hear this was so odd. Another super off-putting comment by the first check-in clerk happened the next day when we came back to the property after having explored the town of Alba, and when we mentioned we had seen some amazing and beautiful churches earlier in the day, he responded by saying, and I quote, "Oh, I am not a church-type person." Wow. Ok. You are literally working in a beautiful old restored monastery that housed monks living under religious vows, and this is your response to your guests? STRANGE! This property claims to be a 5-star resort but truly it is barely a 3-star. The management needs to send ALL their staff back to training. Just having come from the Mandarin Oriental Lake Como, it was such a shock to us the sheer lack of attention to detail, the clear disinterest to make their guests feel welcome, no special service, nothing extra done to feel appreciated and special. It has so much potential with the amazing location, but they wholly missed the mark. For this place to call themselves a 5-Star resort is unfathomable over-statement.

Love this place – wonderful location, great staff, wonderful rooms, great property, Michelin Star restaurant which is great and terrific bistro. Concierge staff really did a great job setting up rides and some last minute trips to wineries. Service on all levels is impeccable. Wonderful views. Really nice to be right there among the vineyards. BUT, what's the story with everyone clad in bathrobes and flip flops sitting in public serving and bar areas having evening drinks and nibbles in their bathrobes? And these public serving areas are not part of the pool or the spa! Since when is this considered the norm at a top hotel? I mean really, why not wear your bathrobe and flip-flops to the 1 Star Michelin restaurant here - or better yet, just throw a towel around your bathing suit and come on in for drinks and dinner. Would be good if the management provided for a bit of decorum in the pre-dinner hour(s) in their public serving areas. Current norm gives the place the Coney Island beach on July 4th ambiance in the public serving spaces and bar area in the pre-dinner hour(s).

Beautiful location surrounded by the vineyards We experienced the hotel service somewhat disappointing. In case you want to relax and meditate this might be a good place. In case you like some lively action and atmosphere, this is not the right place to be as the hotel is quite isolated. Bar Hemmingway is a boring place to sit for a drink or snack Breakfast on the terrace was good with beautiful views. Concierge service shoild be more proactive , allthough they helped us with a good wine tasting experience in Barolo.

We unfortunately had to cancel our upcoming reservation so we have not actually visited the hotel. However I have interacted with various staff members (planning for my wife's birthday, spa reservations, restaurant bookings) and my first impression was great. They seem to have an extraordinarily professional and courteous team at the hotel. We will be sure to make new arrangements to visit asap.