Our family of four loves to get off the beaten path, and we were thrilled by Castagnola 64. Driving up the mountain was a kick (among the provided directions: "turn right at the yappy dogs" and "if you run into a farmer, just wait and he'll reverse"), and finding a top gourmet restaurant just a couple km away (La Brinca) was a joy. The many stairs, winding through vineyard, only added to the charm. Even the animals were a pleasant diversion (three new kittens, slightly aggressive possibly senile dog, quick lizards on stone begging to be chased). I only wish we'd chosen to visit in a cooler month. I think it would have made all the difference. Keeping windows open wasn't enough to cool the room at night and none of us slept very well. We brought a fan but to no avail. The very small pool allows a cool plunge in the daytime. Breakfasts by Lu were lovely and varied; dinner one night on the terrace simple, delicious. I think one evening we had Swedish, French, Dutch, German, British and American English all spoken at once. Maybe Danish too. Some quirks, like don't flush ANY toilet paper; pay in cash; huddle on the terrace in a 10'x10' space for WiFi; and since there's not really a front desk sometimes it's hard to locate one of the owners. But you wouldn't choose 64 if you didn't mind quirks. Go in...Our family of four loves to get off the beaten path, and we were thrilled by Castagnola 64. Driving up the mountain was a kick (among the provided directions: "turn right at the yappy dogs" and "if you run into a farmer, just wait and he'll reverse"), and finding a top gourmet restaurant just a couple km away (La Brinca) was a joy. The many stairs, winding through vineyard, only added to the charm. Even the animals were a pleasant diversion (three new kittens, slightly aggressive possibly senile dog, quick lizards on stone begging to be chased). I only wish we'd chosen to visit in a cooler month. I think it would have made all the difference. Keeping windows open wasn't enough to cool the room at night and none of us slept very well. We brought a fan but to no avail. The very small pool allows a cool plunge in the daytime. Breakfasts by Lu were lovely and varied; dinner one night on the terrace simple, delicious. I think one evening we had Swedish, French, Dutch, German, British and American English all spoken at once. Maybe Danish too.
Some quirks, like don't flush ANY toilet paper; pay in cash; huddle on the terrace in a 10'x10' space for WiFi; and since there's not really a front desk sometimes it's hard to locate one of the owners. But you wouldn't choose 64 if you didn't mind quirks. Go in the fall. Or spring.More