Wonderful apartment in the heart of Lucca

Guest: Virginia (Sonoma, California, USA)
Date of Stay: 10/08/11 Review Submitted: 01/27/12

This apartment on Via Guinigi is a delight. Located in a completely renovated historic building located just steps away from Lucca's famous Guinigi Tower inside the walls of Lucca, it was a great place for my walking vacation of old Lucca. The kitchen is well equipped and well lit, with a big window. The master bedroom is large and has floor to ceiling windows overlooking a pleasant garden. The living room is fairly small but feels cozy and also has floor to ceiling windows that open onto the garden. I enjoyed hearing the sounds of the Boccherini Music School, one of the oldest in Italy, coming through the garden in the morning. The sounds of the doves also were very calming. The lobby area of the building is painted with beautiful frescos. I felt like I was in an old castle, but without all the discomforts of a castle! The property was very clean and well equipped. The owner was completely accommodating and responsive in every way. He offered many suggestions of interesting things to explore while inside the walls of Lucca. There is a good local restaurant just down the cobblestones, called Gigi's Trattoria. I went there the first night and again later, and felt warmly welcomed back into Lucca. They sometimes have music. Just around the corner from the apartment , on the left side of the street, is an interesting art gallery with a very nice artist owner who speaks English and told me about the art scene of Lucca. The best gelato in Lucca can be found nearby on Piazza San Francesco, and the contemporary art museum, opened in 2009, is also in that location. It is unusual to find such a high level of contemporary art in an old city like Lucca, and they have done a good job of the installation of art works. One of the most complete collections of children's literature is located at the end of the street in one of Lucca's most famous villas. This is in an area of Lucca that allows only residents to park their cars, however, for those who have cars, there is a public parking lot about ten minutes walk from the apartment. I loved my stay here and recommend it to anyone who wants to be centrally located to explore the historic area of the city.

Owner response:It was lovely to meet you! Thank you very much for staying with us!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, people with disabilities, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers, tourists without a car.

Tuscan treat

Guest: HazelThompson (Edinburgh)
Date of Stay: 12/09/11 Review Submitted: 12/19/11

My mum, sister and I spent a very enjoyable four nights in this lovely apartment. It was very clean, tastefully furnished and well equipped with everything you could possibly need for a comfortable stay. Even in winter, the little garden was flooded with sunlight in the afternoon and it was a very pleasant place to sit for a little while and enjoy. The location is just excellent. Everything (shops, restaurants and sights) is easily accessible including an excellent little bakery at the end of the street which serves fantastic fresh focacia, plain or filled! We hired bikes to cycle the old walls- a must!; climbed the Torre Guinigi which gave us fantastic panoramic views of the old city and beyond to the Tuscan hills-stunning!; attended a Puccini concert; took the train to Florence for the day (the station is 5 minutes walk away) and thoroughly enjoyed it but we were very happy to return to lovely Lucca which is just a gem! the owner, met us on arrival and was extremely helpful and charming and nothing was too much trouble for him. We would all heartily recommend this property to friends and relatives and hope to be back again ourselves in the not too distant future. Hazel from Edinburgh, Scotland

Owner response:Thank you very much for your kind words! I hope to see you again in the future!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers, tourists without a car.

Great value

Guest: SANDRA NYC (New York City)
Date of Stay: 04/14/11 Review Submitted: 10/13/11

This apartment secures my five-star rating with location, value, the charm of its owner Sonia, and ease of transaction. Our family of four spent ten nights there in April 2011. We are repeat visitors to Lucca and this apartment is in our preferred location, boasts a charming private garden, and is very clean and well-maintained. Sonia overcomes any communication barrier with endearing charm and patient persistence. She was extremely welcoming and supportive throughout our stay. Inspired by the markets, we enjoy cooking in a few meals and the kitchen was extremely well equipped with anything you may need. We will return to Lucca, and would happily to return to this apartment! Thank you lovely people!

Owner response:Thank you for staying at our place in Lucca! Hope to meet you again!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, people with disabilities, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers, tourists without a car.

Summer escape to Lucca

Guest: Lou & J A (Netherlands)
Date of Stay: 09/01/11 Review Submitted: 09/23/11

This apartment is a true find! So spotless, you can eat off the floor, beautifully decorated with every amenity provided. Very reasonable rates for a luxurious accommodation. Situated over the charming Via Guinigi and within walking distance of Lucca Cathedral. I hated to leave!

Owner response:Thank you very much for staying with us in our apartment! It was a big pleasure!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, people with disabilities, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers, tourists without a car.

Family with two children 10 and 8

Guest: Irish family (Galway - Ireland)
Date of Stay: 06/09/11 Review Submitted: 09/16/11

Apartment was even nicer than expected as the photos do not do it justice when you step inside. It was spotless and very spacious. The garden was a bonus as you could open the doors to hear music from the local music college. As it was so central you could walk around the lovely town, hire bikes and cycle around the ramparts which the children loved, or as we did take daily train excursions to Florence, the Cinque Terra (a must) and Viareggio to the beach for a swim. There are many local restaurants each very good with simple food. If you feel like eating in there is a supermarket just around the corner and the kitchen is well equipped with all the essentials. We awoke on Saturday morning to a very heavy rain storm with thunder and lightning and had no electricity in the apartment so had to go out for breakfast. I contacted Sidrak by text and he replied immediately that he would be around within the hour. Half of Lucca seemed to be without electricity so I began to panic thinking it could last the whole weekend. However we bumped into Sonia who informed us the power was back on. I was very impressed with the way the situation was handled. It was one of the best holidays I have had. Florence and Pisa were nothing compared to Lucca which is such a beautiful place. I would highly recommend this apartment and would definitley like to return at some stage.

Owner response:We loved to host you in our apartment in Lucca! Many thanks for staying with us!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, people with disabilities, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers, tourists without a car.

A real luxury apartment

Guest: Maureen (Oxford, UK)
Date of Stay: 06/10/11 Review Submitted: 09/08/11

We were warmly welcomed by the owner. Absolutely attentive to our needs, and went out of its way to be helpful. The apartment is located in the heart of what is happening in Lucca. The local shops were accomodating and had everything we wanted or needed. Super convenient and walking distance to everything. The apartment has everything you need and want, and is smartly & comfortably apointed. The furniture is gorgeous, pretty and sweet. We will definately stay there again when we re-visit Lucca.

Owner response:thank you for your review! it was a pleasure to have you here! thanks for staying with us!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, people with disabilities, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers, tourists without a car.

we found something deeply special

Guest: Victoria Limbert (Chicago)
Date of Stay: 05/20/10 Review Submitted: 06/21/10

My husband and I rented this flat during our recent travel around Tuscany and we loved it. Traveling to and from the major sights was easy, it just required no longer than5 miutes of walking to get to the bus stop, train station and the great monuments. The flat is exactly as you see on the pictures, only it's more charming in reality. Graziano, the owner, is a wonderful resource and is a fountain of information and answered all of our questions proir to arrival. He even left a bottle of wine and a snack for us. The flat is extremely clean and well appointed with everything you need to make your stay enjoyable. The wireless internet connection was a great bonus! The small grocery around the corner was convenient and we found an excellent restaurant 'Canuleia' nearby. The apartment was a welcoming, comfortable oasis for us after long days of sight seeing. The owner even provides a wealth of well organized tourist information in the flat, which was very helpful to us. The apartment is located in a 17 century palace with amazing paintings and is located on the ground floor. This would be a real extra for elderlies or people with disabilities.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, people with disabilities, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers, tourists without a car.

The garden under the tower!

Guest: Claire and Bob (NYC New York City, USA)
Date of Stay: 07/07/09 Review Submitted: 03/27/10

This apartment is in a perfect location in the ancient part of Lucca, within the walls, and also within walking distance of the main bus and train stations. The accommodation is well presented, very comfortable and full of character. We are a family of 2 adults and 2 teenagers and needed 2 bedrooms and this property gave us 2 spacious bedrooms and a full very elegant new bathroom. The kitchen and dining area was useful, although the restaurants nearby were good and in a couple of minute walking. All the rooms overlooked the garden through a very large french window; this gave us a great light and beautiful views from our living room and bedrooms. The apartment is on the ground floor, and of course no steps made our way back to the apartment simply comfortable. Owners were very kind and helpful and gave us useful tips about places to eat etc. Their help and interest in our plans really enhanced the holiday. We felt very safe and secure in the apartment and the streets around the old city, both during the day and in the evening. Having said that, we enjoyed the kindness of strangers many times during our week, including the bus driver who charged no extra, made an unscheduled stop and gave us directions after we failed to get off at the right place. Every where we walked we found places to visit even if Lucca is so small and you can cross the town in just 15 mins walking! There are huge numbers of places to visit within a 2 to 20 minute walk of the apartment. The church oppostite and adjoining cloisters, for example are a gem as are the museum and underground streets at the top of the road. You will need to take a good guide book with you because there really is an over-abundance of sightseeing to do. Our teenagers are both under 18 and many places we visited had free or half price entry for them, as long as we showed their passports as proof of age. We would gladly recommend the apartment to friends and also return ourselves to explore all the places we didn't have time to see on this visit.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, people with disabilities, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers, tourists without a car.