We had a very enjoyable fortnight's stay in the top floor of this lovely villa in Castellina Marittima. The apartment was clean, well maintained, and nicely furnished. The facilities were as described in the listing on HomeAway's website. The rooms were more spacious than we had expected, with a big balcony and views over the hills and sea (even Corsica on a clear day). The property is a 5 minute walk (uphill) to the centre of the village, which has all the amenities we needed - several restaurants, bars/cafes, grocers shops, 2 banks/cash machines, and a post office. It is a 20 minute drive to good beaches at Vada, Mazzanta and Cecina, but we thought it nice at day's end to be able to leave those resorts and return to the hills where it was quieter and (slightly) cooler. There is an excellent beach at Golfo di Baratti, an hour's drive to the south, which we thought was worth the journey. The pool is great and much appreciated at the end of a hot day's sightseeing ! Pisa, Lucca and Volterra are all about an hour's drive away, Florence about 1.5 hours, but we thought Siena a bit too far (twice the distance to Volterra). We were charged 70 euros for cleaning, and were asked for a 150 euro damage deposit which was returned promptly at the end of our stay. Some basic items - sheets, towels, toilet roll, washing up liquid, tea towel and bin bags - were not provided but otherwise we had no complaints and thought the cost of the rental represented excellent value for money. All in all, I would wholeheartedly recommend this property to others.
Gary Lines (Knaresborough, UK)