You may already know but not so long ago, I was in Tuscany with Ana. We stayed at a beautiful villa surrounded by other beautiful villas, sitting on top of a hill in the region of Chianti. Yes, wines and all. And a very active wildlife: deers, porcupines, foxes, etc. Which, we you have to drive, can prove a bit stressful. Anyway… As part of our holiday in Italy, we got to stay at Borgo Casa Al Vento.
To give you a bit of a background, Borgo Casa Al Vento is a hotel located in Gaiole in Chianti. It is at the heart of the Tuscan country side. The hamlet sits on top of a hill, making it quiet, peaceful and oh-so relaxing. Basically, each room is a small bungalow with a bathroom and a small terrace. The resort also has swimming pools and many more activities. As you may have guessed, being located in Chianti, the place is also surrounded by vineyard!
We arrived there on a Tuesday around noon and had a day and a half of activities planned for us. With the usual blogger photoshoots in between! So let me run you through them!
Our room, the hotel and the swimming pool
First thing first, our room. Or own private bungalow. It was a little house whose door gave straight onto the bedroom, which had a bathtub, a flat screen, two armchairs and some snacks and drinks. We also had a bathroom of course. Walking around the hotel, we saw the swimming pool which looked gorgeous and so tempting. However, we did not dare have a jump because it was quite cold outside and also threatening to rain any time! So we left it for another time.
I can’t tell how great spending the night there was. It really made me feel like a princess. The bed was gorgeous, the bathroom amazing, the furniture so fancy and beautiful! We also had a bottle of Chianti just in case. Which we open of course. Mainly for the purpose of photos. Then we drank it. Because, good wine!
The osteria, Tuscan cuisine and the cooking class.
Upon arrival, we visited the estate. Everything from the hotel, locating where the buildings were, the vines, the swimming pool, while our guide told us the history of the place. After that, it was time for lunch. Borgo Casa Al Vento’s restaurant, La Bottega Del Gusto, is dedicated to the rediscovery of tastes. All ingredients are local and complemented with the hotel’s organic virgin olive oil and Sangiovese wines. Yes, yes, they do produce both themselves.
The menu we had was tailored for us. As a starter, I had a plate of crostini covered in cherry tomatoes, olive tapenade and boar pâté; along with pecorino cheese. Ana got the vegetarian version as she is vegetarian. Our main was a full burrata each on top of mixed vegetables and crumbs, which was absolutely delicious! Dessert was ricotta topped up with whipped cream and caramel coulis. Any Italian lunch would not be complete without coffee, so I got a shot of espresso! I had forgotten how string they were! It kept me awake until the evening!
The food was absolutely amazing during lunch but we had not seen anything just yet! Right after, we were treated to a cooking class! Which was super fun! And had my bad cooking skills at test! I am good at baking, not so much at cooking! Moving on… So, we started quite hands on! We did our own panacotta and spinach stuffed ravioli! We started with making the dough, which used a lot of eggs and elbow grease, let it rest for some minutes while we were making the stuffing! Using the dough left over from the ravioli, we made tagliatelle with a typical old-fashion pasta making machine! We boiled the stuffing leftover in hot water and had a few bites of them with parmigiano and olive oil!
Do you know what made our cooking class lesson even more exciting? That we were to eat the product of our hard work for dinner! Yes, you guessed right! We had our tagliatelle for dinner! And to be honest, I was quite proud of ourselves because they were quite good! We had a tortino as a starter and tiramisù for dessert. Classic Italian but always oh-so delicious! I am a sucker for tiramisù!
The wine cellar, the vineyard and wine tasting
While we had gone on this little tour of the hotel and estate, we were introduced to the wine cellar. Borgo Casa Al Vento produces its own wine, all 100% organic. They vowed to respect the land and in turn produce high quality wine and olive oil. The hotel produces four red wines: Aria Chianti Classico, Foho Chianti Classico Riserva, Gaiole IGT Toscana and F.A.T.A Supertoscan IGT; and a white wine: Allaria IGT Toscano Bianco. Prices range from €11 to €34. They also produce Grappa and Vin Santo which, as you may know, are digestive and taken after a meal.
One of the activities we did was a wine tasting. You know Ana and I, never saying no to good fun, never saying no to good wine. We started the tasting with white wine. Turns out, it was the same wine we have had for lunch. It’s a union between Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Perfect for summer and dinner in the sun! We then tasted the three Chianti: Aria, Gaiole and Foho. Aria was my favorite! If I had to choose a bottle of wine to take with me home, it would have been Aria Chianti. Also, after the tasting, both Ana and I were quite merry… but our adventure with Chianti wine was far from being over!
The Wellness center, wine bath and chocolate bath
This is probably my favorite part of our Stay at Borgo Casa Al Vento. I mean, you know me, I love good food and good wine. Especially on holiday! I could just spend my time drinking Aperol Spritz in the sun on holiday! But what we had at the spa really goes beyond everything else!
On the first day, Ana and I were treated to a wine bath. Yes, you read well! A WINE BATH! How amazing?! Confused? Let me explain. So no, it’s not a bath full of wine. Can you imagine? You’d be drunk in no time, would smell of wine for days and stain your swimsuit. No. We were in a jacuzzi and the spa manager purred a whole bottle of Chianti wine in the jacuzzi, for a powerful yet gentle detox. Wine has antioxidant properties that are very good for the skin! And to make it even more perfect… we had one glass of Chianti. For drinking. It was quite an experience. An amazing one!
The next morning, just before we left, we were treated to another treatment, another kind of bath. Chocolate this time. Yes friends, a chocolate bath. Again, we were not literally bathing in melted chocolate! Steam bath, body scrub, cold rinse and chocolate bath. The chocolate bath was chocolate scented water. It was warm and oh-so relaxing! PER-FEC-TION!
The entire stay at Borgo Casa Al Vento, the whole experience was amazing! It felt like a true holiday, a short relaxing escapade much needed to the both of us after such busy months! It is a place and the kind of experience I had never heard of before but that I would now be totally keen on repeating! With my boyfriend this time. Or maybe just send my parents there!
Have you ever stayed at a hotel like Borgo Casa Al Vento? Or experienced anything similar? How was it? What do you think of this one? Is it something you’d consider for a holiday?
Thanks a lot for stopping by! I hope you liked this post!
See you soon,
Love,
Corinne
*Ana and I were invited by Borgo Casa Al Vento and treated to a complimentary stay for a review purpose but my opinions remain my own.
I fall in love with your hotel room photo, everything sound amazing and than I got to the wine bath part and now I’m craving to try that, it sounds like the most amazing vacation ever and I hope that my BFF would be willing to try it with me as it sounds like an experience to share with a dear ones
This looks like an amazing place to stay 🙂 I love all your photos too! The cooking class sounds fantastic, I’m a big fan of doing cooking classes abroad – it’s such a good way to learn about the food and culture!
Wondering why I love the countryside too? I guess it’s because of how the place is usually relaxed, peaceful and with clean air to breath in lol! Thus, Bogo casa al-vento would be a perfect option for me too. The bungalow is made of wood and also has an awesome decor; I love the vintage touch to everything in the place especially. You definitely had much fun,right?
What? A chocolate bath?! I must try this!
What a spectacular place to stay. The food looks amazing–I wouldn’t mind a cooking class!
That place looks so awesome. The chocolate bath sounds like a lot of fun, and yummyness.
http://sugarcoatedbears.blogspot.com/
You got me on wines, chocolate bath and cooking classes. This is a kind of staycation I wouldn’t mind being on.
Looks like a nice place to relax. Gorgeous views of vineyards, delicious food and a cellar full of wine – I’m all for it!
It sounds like you had an absolutely lush time!
And the spa sounds incredible.
Cora | http://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/
Oh my goodness, this looks like the most incredible place to stay! The room and pool look beautiful! It sounds like you had so much fun, the wine bath sounds amazing!!!!! Gorgeous photos, the food looks delicious! Can I hide in your suitcase next time?
Hels xxx
http://www.thehelsproject.com
Wow looks like an amazing trip! Your photos are all beautiful, I’m so jealous! The cooking class is something I’d absolutely love. Fab post xx
Tiffany x http://www.foodandotherloves.co.uk
That bed does look incredible – no wonder you felt like a Princess sleeping in it – but the pool looks very inviting as well.. ? The food is actually making me salivate, I’m a sucker for a good tiramisu just like you! ? Definitely sounds like you had an amazing stay though, I’m going to look into the hotel a little more now!
Wow! What an amazing experience! The bungalow looks stunning and the food looks delicious! The spa sounds fantastic, I’d love to try a wine or chocolate bath ?. This sounds like such a heavenly treat, thanks for sharing your trip Corinne! ? xx
Bexa | http://www.hellobexa.com
I have never stayed in a hotel like this; it looks lovely and charming. I will have it on my list to visit and stay there a couple of days. I will really consider it for my vacations.
This looks like such a fun experience. It’s so cozy and quaint. I love the wine tasting area! How gorgeous.
This place looks and sounds AMAZING! Sounds like you had a jam packed schedule during your stay and had some amazing experiences- I would love a dip in the jacuzzi right now!
Great post thanks for sharing ?
Melanie | http://www.frasersfunhouse.com
Wow, what an incredible experience – it looks and sounds amazing! It must have been interesting doing the cooking class, I think I would be pretty nervous myself to do something like that but would be a lot of fun too I bet. The chocolate bath sounds so cool too!
Amy,
https://creativenails.uk
Wow, what an incredible experience – it looks and sounds amazing! It must have been so interesting doing the cooking class, I think I would be pretty nervous myself to do something like that but I bet it would be a lot of fun too. The chocolate bath sounds so cool too!
Amy,
https://creativenails.uk
I was sold as soon as I heard wine tasting to be honest lol!! Ah this post makes me realise how much I need a holiday! This looks like a lovely place to stay. Also, off topic, but I love your earrings!
http://www.whatevawears.co.uk
This is the sort of treat Alan and I would love once Flora’s old enough to stay away for a few days. Wine and chocolate baths sound amazing but wine tasting would be the main reason for going! It looks like you had a wonderful time and your photos are wonderful – thank you so much for sharing!
Lisa | http://www.lisasnotebook.com
What a great vacation. I can see you and Ana had a great time. Love the sound of the cooking class.
I would absolutely love to stay here. Your bungalow cottage looked amazing, along with all the food and wine cellar!
This place looks amazing! The cottage is so quaint and Wow! that wine cellar. This looks like a spectacular stop.
Thanks for sharing these great pictures. Sounds like an amazing place to stay. I mean who wouldn’t want some chocolate bath :). I don’t really like to cook, but the idea of a cooking class abroad sounds kinda appealing
I absolutely want to visit Tuscany after reading your post. I went to Italy last summer, but didnt have enough time for Tuscany. Great post. The food looks delicious.
This looks so peaceful and relaxing. I love Italy. It looks like you had an amazing time and the food looks so nice x
Awww .. hun, this sounds like it was a truly wonderful get-away! I’m a food blogger and couldn’t help but smile at the cooking class. Who doesn’t love a good ravioli? A few years ago a neighbor went to Italy and learned how to make homemade pasta. I’ve been trying to learn all of her secrets ever since! xx
Looks like an amazing trip! And lovely photos 🙂 xxx
What a beauty time in Italy you ladies have. What an enchanting view and stay and experience and I am loving that hot tub!
The bed was gorgeous, the bathroom amazing, the furniture so fancy and beautiful! The place seems amazing
I have to try that wine bath. I think I would enjoy it very much. The photos look greats. So cute that you got to eat what you made. I would have felt proud myself :))
Borgo Casa Al Vento looks like a quaint oasis. I love that there is a vineyard on the grounds. The food looks fresh and delicious, and the decor is very charming.
I love the idea of that wine bath! I think it would be so much fun. I would love it so much. The photos are really super well done. I love that!
What a great place for a staycation! I really need to take one soon so that I can write, refocus and do some business planning. <3
This looks like and sounds like such a wonderful stay! I’ll have to keep this place in mind for the future.
The concept for this place is so cool! It’s a little quirky, but not over the top! You guys seemed to have enjoyed yourselves.
I’d love to try the Tuscan cuisine and play in the pool as well, congrats for these pics and for spending great time over there!
https://www.aboutstrollersblog.com/best-car-seat-stroller-combo/
This place looks incredible!! I need to go somewhere like this.
Omg this place is amazing, and learning the Tuscan way of cooking is a huge plus. I would like to try it as well. Its genuine experience.
Looks like such a wonderful place to stay! I don’t know about anyone else, but I am jealous, haha!! I need to plan a trip. The food looks amazing! Thanks for sharing.
You are making me want to pack my bags and go on a trip. Everything sounds and looks amazing.
It was such an amazing experience to go on holiday with you to Italy and Borgo Casa was definitely a highlight of our trip. Loved the wine bath and the food was absolutely delicious. And how beautiful was our hotel room as well?