This was my first trip to Italy and the visit to Cortona and my stay at San Michele were the highlights of my trip! We were there for 5 days and didn't want to leave! The rooms were clean, roomy, with incredible views from every window! Helpful staff, good breakfasts and reasonable prices. We will definitely be back!

We were referred to the town and the hotel by our next door neighbor who is Italian and used to vacation in cortona as a child. We arrived at 11: 30 at night by car and the town was asleep it is medieval with cobblestone narrow streets . The sole attendant was helpfull and our room turned out to be a quadruple even though we are two so we felt like an apartment . The hotel is a converted house or two so it is sometimes a little long when those timer lights are on and go off . All that aside the Hotel is near the top of this hilltop town and a great place near the middlle of town . it is also close to all the tuscan sights and a good home base . The restaurant found when you go to the top of the hill and turn left under the arch and is twenty feet on your left was the best in Italy and a must .Try the wild pig .

Be careful when booking your room. If you have trouble walking or getting up steep stairs......your in trouble...if your in certain rooms. We had a suite on the second floor that required walking up the most steep stairs I have ever seen. It was so steep that we had to hold on to the railing tight and pull ourselves up so we wouldn't fall backwards. Inside the room there was a step up into the bed room area and the step was not nailed into the wall and we kept slipping off and falling. The bathroom had a very slanted ceiling with a bathtub under it with no shower. We finally put a towel on the low ceiling cause we kept bumping out heads. I have long hair and the bathtub was verry small and it was pretty impossible to wash my hair. My Husband had to help me. I'm only 55 so I'm not that old. We had a beautiful view from the balcony,but the room itself was over priced and not attractive. We paid $3000.00 for 7 days. We feel like we got screwed on the price. Our friends that were with us had a similar experience. They were in the tower and although it was a beautiful view,they were shocked when they saw where the bed was. It was up a make shift set of stairs that was too steep and not solid. IOW the steps to the stairs were wood but only big enough for one foot at a time and open in the middle. They fell down the stairs several times. They also would bump there heads once they got up there because the ceiling was slanted very bad. We both asked about another room. They said there were none available. There were other rooms available I know this for a fact. During the week I would go into other rooms that the maids were cleaning and these rooms were much nicer,on one level with no slanted ceilings,and decorated much nicer with showers. They were much cheaper than our rooms. We were very dissapointed with our rooms. If your going to stay there be sure to book a regular room not a suite. Ask about ceiling height. Ask about steep stairs. Know that when the maids clean the room they take the key out of hte wall so when you come back from a day out the room is hot with no air on. The Hotel was a 900 year old monestary and has charm but we should have been warned about these obsticals.

Comencemos por decir que Cartona es una villa medieval que de verdad vale la pena conocer. Más, si uno va buscando un lugar típico de “La Toscana”. Es como ir al pasado, los paisajes son muy bonitos, y, a diferencia del resto de Italia, este es un lugar muy tranquilo. De acuerdo a las reseñas de esta página elegí el hotel, lo contacté por medio de su propia página web, sin problema. La villa es muy pequeña, pero el hotel está prácticamente en la plaza principal, donde existen más restaurantes, tiendas, galerías, Internet y comercio en general. Un hotel muy tranquilo (acordé con Cartona), amplio, con buenas zonas de uso común. Las habitaciones son amplias, frescas, con baño bien acondicionado y camas cómodas. El servicio es en general bueno, aunque es importante mencionar que no hablan español. Mi experiencia fue, en todos lados en Europa, que mientras hables inglés no tienes problemas, pero vi a mucha gente sufrir con el español. No me pareció que haya mucho de verdad en aquello de que el italiano se parece al español, a menos que quieras comunicar cosas muy sencillas. Los desayunos están incluidos. Y de acuerdo a lo acostumbrado en Europa, son muy sencillos. Más adecuados para tomar un poco de energía y estar listo para comer alrededor de la 1. pm como se acostumbra en casi toda Europa. Yo llegué en tren (regional), desde Florencia, a la estación de Cartona Terentola (se pronuncia “cortóne”) que ni siquiera tiene empleados que la atienda. Pero muy cerca de ahí esta una agencia de viajes que te auxilia y te vende los boletos para un autobús que pasa aproximadamente cada hora y te sube (unos 4 km.) a la villa principal. El recorrido ya vale la pena. No creo que valga la pena pagar un taxi y no es tan sencillo conseguir uno. El camión te deja en la entrada de la villa y de ahí puedes hacer un agradable camino por la calle principal, hay letreros por todos lados y la gente te auxilia amablemente. Es un lugar muy seguro. En síntesis, es un hotel muy adecuado para descansar en una villa tranquila. Es limpio, amplio céntrico y el precio me pareció adecuado unos (140 euros x noche). Y si te gustan los paisajes, los lugares tranquilos con buena comida y un ambiente antiguo este es lugar. Si vas buscando “Bajo el sol de Toscana” no te va a desilusionar.

When visiting this hill town "Under the Tuscan Sun", it's a natural choice for travelers to stay at the Hotel San Michele. Located just steps from the town center, Piazza della Repubblica, this restored Renaissance Palace has spacious and grand rooms decorated to complement the region and history. The staff speaks beautiful English (but are happy to patiently converse with you if you are making an effort with your Italian), and takes great pride in caring for this historic building. The superb complimentary breakfast is served in a mini-ballroom transporting guess to a bygone era and making them feel like royalty. If only the many cracks in the walls could spill some of the palace's history. The only issue that I was unhappy with after my two-night stay was the fact that I wasn’t staying longer. HSM deserves each of its four stars.