Castello Malaspina di Fosdinovo

Great experience staying in a real castle mainly because it was such a unique experience. Only 10 rooms were open since we went during the off season, so we were glad that there was another family there with 12 people. Otherwise, it would have been a little,scary being the only ones in the castle! You were permitted to walk through all the areas of the castle that were open. The view from the top was magnificent. Dinner at the village restaurant was very good. The stew was excellant. This is the only place to eat on the top of the mountain, so be prepared to wait until they are open at 7:30. Not sure if they were open for lunch. We were served a very nice breakfast by a lovely server in a small room in the castle.

It was VERY hard to actually find the hotel. I thought it would just be the castle hotel on the hill, but it was actually surrounded by a small village where people lived. Apparently, the sign directing you to the hotel was stolen. It was raining and we were getting very frustrated trying to find the entrance to the hotel. My traveling partner finally called and got a hold of someone that directed us to the entrance. I was informed that a message letting us know how to get to the hotel was sent to me through Booking.com, however, I didn’t see the message. Also, if driving up from the Pisa area, it is a very long drive. GPS said 1.5 hours but it actually took us 2.5 hours. I think it was due to the fact that the road signs said 90 km per hours, but the roads were narrow and windy so we only went about 55 km per hour. Do not try to park inside the village. Very narrow openings and only a few spots to park outside the hotel. Park on the road right before the entrance. Bed was extremely uncomfortable-sunk down on both sides, with a hump in the middle.

The staff were absolutely lovely, so accommodating and welcoming. The breakfast was stunning, fresh and very tasty. The views, gardens, location was amazing, really impressive, beautiful medieval castle......a must visit.

Stunning castle in the hills. The staff are wonderful and caring. Great to have free access to he castle and roam around at your leisure. The antipasti boards are delicious and would recommend. The rooms are in the castle and very traditional. Lovely breakfast.

It's a unique place.

Our visit was not relaxing at all. The check in was rushed. We were shown into our room but given the wrong key. We were locked out of our room. Nobody answered the telephone. There was nobody on site. All our possessions (clothes, toiletries, medicines, chargers, laptop, toothbrushes) were locked in the room overnight. We searched around the castle at night to find the room to the key we were given. Luckily we did. Despite messaging to say we would be at the reception desk in the morning, the receptionist did not tell us it would be closed so we waited for someone to turn up with the correct key. We then found the breakfast team who were very helpful but it would have been nice to be able to shower and wear clean clothes. We were given a small pot of jam as a token of appreciation for the horrible night.