Several weeks ago, I was lucky enough to travel to Tuscany with my two girls for some time out. And, I was even luckier to stay at a one of the properties owned by Connections veteran, Gavin Brooking!
Gavin has been a friend of Connections from the start. He really embraced the concept, and even opened up one of his properties to us as a host hotel for Connections Luxury in Thailand. And he’s always the life of the party at the events he attends!
So, I was extremely excited to stay at Podere San Filippo, an 8th-century farmhouse that has been transformed into a beautiful five-star all-apartment hotel.
Podere San Filippo actually faces Castello Del Nero – another of Gavin’s properties – and is part of the same estate. Unfortunately I didn’t manage to pop in and catch up with the lovely Fabio Datteroni, the hotel’s general manager, and another Connections veteran, it’s always a pleasure to see him
Gavin has really fine-tuned the luxury experience at Podere San Filippo, so that it gets all the important details right. The warm welcome we received when we arrived so late at night really made a difference. Staff were there to greet us, and they handed us breakfast pack for the following morning, full of delicious cheeses and meats, which my girls started tucking into straight away!
The apartment we stayed in was gorgeous, and immaculately kept. We really enjoyed having all the independence of an apartment combined with a dedicated concierge service to help us make the most of our stay.
We went horse riding, explored the property’s very own wine trail and sunbathed around the open air pool, with nothing but rolling hills and farmland around us.
During my trip, I also saw Pisa for the first time! Something I really should have done by now as an Italian!
It was an an incredible trip, I highly recommend Podere San Filippo to any buyers who are tempted to pay a visit.
My time at Podere San Filippo has got me raring to go for the Italian Tourist Board Experiential Workshop powered by Connections next week! We are delighted to partner with ENIT to enable senior representatives from Italy’s leading luxury product to meet luxury UK buyers.
It’s going to be a fun evening full of Italian flair – my team and I can’t wait to see many of you there!
Ciao,
Micaela
The Italian Tourism Board Experiential Workshop powered by Connections takes place on July 4th at London’s St. James’s Hotel and Club.
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