Large and lovely house, great terrace

Guest: Betty (The Netherlands)
Date of Stay: 07/30/11 Review Submitted: 08/16/11

We were a group of 12: three grandparents, four 30+ adults, a teenager, and four young children. With the extra single bed provided by the owner and the baby bed we brought with us we did not need the sofa bed to sleep all 12 comfortably. The house is very well equipped and we were never short of pans, glassware, silverware or dishes despite the fact we were a group of 12. The terrace overlooking the green hills was a mecca for everyone, and again there was plenty of room, both to seat 12 at the large table or to sit on the many terrace chairs and lounges. The surrounding gardens are lovely and the fenced property was safe for children. There is a large supermarket about 2 miles away that we used most days. The owner, who speaks perfect English, was very welcoming and helpful. It was a lovely stay and we certainly recommend it to others.

Owner response:Thank you, Betty. Indeed all our guests agree that Villa Paola is ideal for large groups, especially if they include children. We also provide a baby bed to families who request it, although you decided to bring your own. As you correctly stated, the extra single bed comes in handy and can be placed in any of the three floors.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children.

Nice house and big nice terrace.

Guest: eie (Norway)
Date of Stay: 07/16/11 Review Submitted: 08/13/11

Dear Paola, Roberto and Marina, this was a great stay for us. Thanks a lot for your warm reception at our arrival and for helping us with our late arriving baggage. It may sounds strange, but the main reason for selecting villa Paola was that my wife liked the terrace picture and it turns out to being even better than expected – perfect for sunbathing eating/dining and relaxing. The brochures, books and the information written by Paola (as far as I understood) available in the house were also very interesting and useful for our trip planning. While staying there we visited Pisa, La Spezia, Genova and even made a trip to Torino/Pinerolo to see a Norwegian winning the 17th stage of Tour de France 2011 :-) in addition to swimming and bathing at the beaches of Sestri Levante.

Owner response:Dear Eie, The terrace is what our guests love the most about the house. As you correctly said, it is actually much bigger than it looks in the pictures, and it is ideal for having all your meals "al fresco" under the covered part, as well as sunbathing, reading, and generally relaxing in the uncovered section. Small children can run around freely on it and still be under adult supervision. The terrace, the garden and the roominess of the house are the features that make Villa Paola ideal for families with children or big parties. That's what the house was built for!

Recommended for:Sightseeing, families with teenagers, families with young children.

Great Villa for a Family Retreat

Guest: Davide (St. Paul, MN, USA)
Date of Stay: 07/31/10 Review Submitted: 08/23/10

Paola, We're all back home and want to tell you how much we enjoyed your villa!! The peacefulness was very welcome after all the hectic places that we visited. I have one anecdote about our experiences (and we had many) at Castiglione: We shopped often at the Tabacchi/Alimentari (not the Alimentari near the Macceleria), and they were so kind to us. We wanted to buy Olive Oil, but their bottles were so large. In our discussion on how to solve this dilemma the owners decided to go upstairs and bring down a gift for us--a bottle of their own household oil (which I expect was pressed nearby). We loved it and used it at each meal. When we left, we should have left it in the villa, but it was in a bottle labeled lemon oil (or similar) so we thought someone would throw it away anyway. Plus, Patty wanted it in the car for whenever we could find any foccacia. It ended up in each B & B or Hotel room for the next 10 days. AND, against my urgings, she brought it home. We're using it in our kitchen tonight as well and have finally just about used it up. Share that story with the folks in Castiglione if you (or Roberto) can. We had good adventures walking around there and nearby San Pietro. We did make it to the Santuario Osteria in Velva and had the meal of a lifetime for some of our family. The still talk about it and we wrote down the full menu for their trip diaries. Best Regards, Davide Hagen

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway.

Wonderful Home and Exceptional Setting

Guest: S/A (Branford, CT)
Date of Stay: 05/22/10 Review Submitted: 06/09/10

Dear Paola and Roberto. My wife and I and our four kids loved your home. We hiked endlessly through the area near the house and hiked for four hours across the Portofino penninsula. Although a bit cool in May, we also loved swimming in Sestre Levante. The large terrace and the home overall was perfect. It is exceptionally quiet all day and night and is in a truly peaceful setting with well kept and attractive grounds The people in the village are also wonderful. When our travel plans bring us to this area in the future, we would love to rent from your again.

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Guest: Carole Souvenir & Don Hendrickson (Portland, Oregon)
Date of Stay: 09/06/08 Review Submitted: 09/06/08

We stayed in the Villa in Castiglione Chiavarese in July of 2008 and had a wonderful time. We had two families sharing the house and found we had plenty of room. The house is in very good shape and we enjoyed cooking in the kitchen. The covered deck is wonderful with a beautiful view of the countryside. We also enjoyed walking to the village most mornings for our morning espresso. Paola and her brother are great hosts and we really appreciated the guide information available in the house. We hope to come back some day. We would highly recommend this villa to others.

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Guest: Scott34 (Encinitas, CA)
Date of Stay: 07/17/08 Review Submitted: 07/17/08

Seven of my family members and I stayed at the villa for a week in June 2008. It was wonderful! The villa is spotless, the beds and linen were comfortable, and the location beautiful. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the villa and would recommend it to anyone.

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Guest: Nancy & Frank LaRuffa (Brookeville, MD )
Date of Stay: 10/23/07 Review Submitted: 10/23/07

We recently spent 4 weeks at Villa Paola with family and friends and thoroughly enjoyed every minute. It was everything we had hoped for and more. It was spotlessly clean, tastefully furnished, and had a fully stocked kitchen. The large terrace looks out on a valley that was green and peaceful. Roberto and Marina and their son, Alessandro, were very helpful and attentive to any questions we had. A short walk up to the village of Castiglione Chiavarese for a coffee or food shopping was very pleasant. There was ample information in the villa on local restaurants, shopping, etc. Sestri Levante, a 20-minute drive from the villa, had much to offer, including walks along the beaches. Also, access to the Cinque Terre is easy by train from Sestri Levante. We can't wait to return.

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Guest: Mark Sneesby (Athens, Greece)
Date of Stay: 08/02/07 Review Submitted: 08/02/07

I spent a week at Villa Paola in July 2007 with my wife, two children and my wife's parents from England. Virtually all our family holidays over the last 7 years have been in self catering villas in the UK, France, Italy and Greece and we concluded that this was the best we had ever stayed in. It has all you want from a holiday home - plenty of space and storage, well equipped kitchen for proper cooking (plenty of crockery and reasonable sized pots and pans) and with modern appliances. No microwave or dishwasher though. The house is comfortably furnished and feels like a home with pleasant ambience (I understand it was the owner's home before they let it out as a holiday house). It was presented to us beautifully clean. There is a lot to see and do in the area as long as you have a car. My only criticism would be that the satellite tv only works in the attic bedroom and most of the channels are in German. It would be worth the owners upgrading their satellite subscription and investing in a bouncer to send the signal to the tv downstairs. Having said that, you don't generally go on holiday in Italy to watch tv and the terrace is ideal for relaxing with a good book and a quiet glass of wine when the children are in bed. Overall, highly recommended.

Owner response:Thank you for your nice words and very useful feedback. We will certainly upgrade the satellite subscription, and we will connect it to the downstairs TV. We were delighted to have you and your wonderful family as our guests. Paola

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Guest: Robert Cornell (San Francisco, California)
Date of Stay: 07/05/07 Review Submitted: 07/05/07

We had three generations ranging in age from 4 to 77 staying at Villa Paola for two weeks. Everyone had a delightful time. The Villa is spotless and very well equipped. The setting among gardens,vineyards and olive trees is magnificent and we spent more time than we had planned on the back deck. The town of Sestri Levante is charming (once you've passed the newer built up area)and we highly recommend the beach club, especially for children. The villa worked very well for three families, set up for privacy on three floors. Marina, Roberto, and Alessandro were always available and helpful but never obtrusive. Villa Paola surpassed our expectations.

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Guest: Paul Down (London, UK)
Date of Stay: 06/13/07 Review Submitted: 06/13/07

We have now returned from our holiday in France and Italy and I wanted to say that we enjoyed very much our stay in your villa in Liguria. Your family were most welcoming and generous, the house is very comfortable, the terrace and the views are superb, and the area is beautiful and full of interest. So thank you. As former rental villa owners (in Florida) ourselves, we know that feedback from clients is helpful and so I thought I would make one suggestion and I hope you will take it as constructive! This is that queen beds in the two downstairs bedrooms do, I suggest, need upgrading. We tried both and they are perhaps the one thing that would make us hesitate to recommend your villa to friends. The one in the terrace side bedroom is firm but has hills and valleys like the surrounding countryside! The other bed is flat but very soft! Otherwise everything in the villa is very nice and by the way very good value also. Thank you again to you and to your lovely family,

Owner response:Dear Mr. and Mrs. Down, Thank you for your kind words, and for your feedback on the mattresses. I will take care of the problem as soon as I get to Italy on 06/26/07. Best regards, Paola Foster

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