Top 10 Ripa Relais Hotels

Our stay left such a positive impression on me that I don't even know where to start. The Castello di Monterone is a historical property that's been converted into a hotel with 18 rooms. It's located on the outskirts of Perugia, about a 10-15 easy drive by car and it makes a great home base for exploring other Umbrian towns. HOTEL & GROUNDS: Walking up to reception was something out of a fairytale. The property is just absolutely stunning. Immaculately maintained with breathtaking views of the valley and Perugia in the distance. The hotel is an activity of exploration in itself with a number of common rooms which are open for use (sitting room with fireplace, library with books going back to the 1800s, wine room) and various medieval details to explore. A panoramic terrace is accessible on the 3rd floor. The outdoor grounds include a pool, two hot tubs, sauna, rose garden, sculpture garden, and courtyard. The pool isn't huge, but we never found it to be super busy and we were able to use the hot tubs with no issue. DINING: There's a restaurant onsite which is convenient. We had dinner on the outdoor terrace one evening (bring bug spray for mosquitos if you dine late). Food and service were excellent. Wonderful view. Breakfast was included in our stay as well and it was a good selection of items (meats, cheeses, sandwiches, eggs, bacon, juices, fruit, cereals, breads and pastries). ROOM: I wasn't sure what to expect staying in a room on a property as old as this, but found that our room was clean and comfortable by modern standards, yet maintained the character of a medieval castle. Obviously the rooms aren't huge (the building has been around since the 11th century). We had to be strategic about how we stored our bags, but otherwise we didn't spend much time in the room so it didn't bother us. Each room has a name and we were in the Opretoia which is a superior category room. This one is located on the main level of the hotel, but has the benefit of a door that leads to a lovely private outdoor terrace. It felt more private than some of the other rooms on the higher levels. Although it is across from the elevator so we could hear people coming and going, but it was fine. The bathroom is a good size, but the shower was a bit small with no edging and it was a task to try and keep water from spreading over the floor. I think this room may be an accessible room though so that could be why. There's also limited counter space, but it was manageable. SERVICE: Service is top notch. Friendly, welcoming staff who go out of their way to make you feel at home. One day we met Al who I believe is part of the grounds crew. He gave us a briefing on the history of the property and its transformation to a hotel which was fascinating. OVERALL VIBE: Peaceful and serene. Floral scents permeate the air. The valley is quiet and the chorus of birds that you can hear in the morning is wonderful. I'm so glad we chose to stay here instead of right in Peru

The hotel is conveniently located in the city center. My room was small, but cosy. There is a decent pool with wet and finnish sauna. The breakfast service needs improvement, as well as cleaning.

Lovely modern and quiet hotel in the heart of Perugia. We had a lovely junior suite with a lovely view of the country side. The room was very light, modern and offered plenty of storage space. The bed was very comfortable. The bathroom is closed off and has a very big shower with amenities. We were very surprised about the wonderful breakfast, lots of variety and very nice service. The staff is very nice and helpful at the hotel. Very recommendable!

Nice structure. nice staff. There are adequate services. However, full outdoor parking Saturday night due to the restaurant's customers so much that they can't park. In addition, when we arrived the room was cold: I think if guests arrive, the environment must be prepared to be comfortable (and this also takes into account the hotel level and the costs). The spa with heated swimming pool, sauna and very nice Turkish bathroom (pay).

In generale la struttura è un buon tre stelle. È a tema cioccolato, per cui nella Hall c'è uno store dedicato. Le camere hanno uno stile meno moderno, ma sono molto pulite. La mia camera tra l'altro aveva il parquet. Al 5o piano, oltre al ristorante, c'è una piscina e un solarium con lettini ed ombrelloni a disposizione.  Ottima la colazione...Tanta varietà di dolci e buona anche la parte salata.  Ottima anche l'organizzazione. Causa covid il buffet non è libero ma ti servono loro e, nonostante l'albergo fosse veramente pieno, tutto scorreva senza intoppi.  Lo staff tutto molto cortese, ma un ringraziamento particolare va alla ragazza bionda che serviva ai tavoli e che credo gestisse tutta la sala... Tanta professionalità e gentilezza. La location non è super centrale ma di fronte all'hotel c'è una fermata degli autobus, e con la macchina sono 5 minuti per raggiungere il centro.. A piedi non credo sia impossibile ma non ho provato, anche perché Perugia è una città che si sviluppa in altezza. Il parcheggio non è custodito, ma ci sono dei posti auto a disposizione degli ospiti. La zona è un po' infelice perché nei dintorni non c'è nulla, nemmeno per fare una passeggiata la sera. 

First the positives......location. Now the negatives... Avoid Room 50 llike the plague. We had booked a superior double room and were pleasantly surprised to be allocated Room 50 with all it's grandeur, until that is one of us went to the shower. Only to find that the bathroom flooded to almost Biblical proportions !!! No amount of trying to mop up the water with spare towels worked. Response from the Front of House member of staff was to provide more towels, and an explanation of how a previous guest had accidentally broken one of the glass panes in the shower screen (which given it's appearance and condition had clearly been there for a good twenty years or more) which he claimed had been repaired,but that the problem persisted and that staff were aware of this.!!! His solution to the issue was to say ”I can't do anything now,we'll deal with it tomorrow” Our reply was that this situation was unacceptable and could we please be moved to another room. Reluctantly he agreed to our request and allocated us Room122. We had booked for three nights, for the remainder of our stay we had quite a frosty reception every time we encountered the said member of staff. On checking out and paying the bill with a credit card a most unusual thing happened. The Front of House staff member on duty that morning asked for payment of the City Tourist Tax in cash. In all our years of travelling in Europe and paying various city taxes we have never been asked for cash payment when using cards.Hmmm? La Rosetta did not live up to expectations, breakfast was average and the coffee from the machine was dreadful. Italian guests must be appalled with it. We wished we had stuck with our first initial choice and gone with La Fortuna around the corner.

Stayed here three nights while seeing the area. Close to the highway, but this is really an industrial area. There were no restaurants or shops within walking distance although the hotel had a decent restaurant. Wifi was a little slow. There were only two outlets which accepted modern adapters. Rooms were comfortable. Would stay here again.

The bad room is very bad: hands-on, forced to be folded to not beat your head (also in the bathroom); old furniture, decent cleaning, small windows. Despite this, the hotel hides very beautiful and ancient parts (a wonderful reading room at the third floor, breakfast room, a common balcony with table and chairs, the outer face covered with hera) but as the name suggests, it needs much Fortune I am about the room. Good breakfast, not very good (including that it was paid separately). A friendly and very available staff, this is. Eventually beds or cuffs for small children for payment. Possibility to leave baggage after check-out. The location is certainly exceptional, almost in the centre, but it is also to be borne in mind that being close to the rooms and restaurants there will be a lot of noise at night and night. Attention to reach the hotel in car, because to get out the area you pass through very narrow streets. In the end, it was very comfortable to walk, but it was quite too expensive for the old and decrepit room they have turned us back (and they don't show any photos on the internet).