Stayed in Il Palazzo La Spiga in June '09 and enjoyed a lovely holiday there. The pictures on the site don't do the property justice as it's extremely well looked after and furniture in our apartment was newer and nicer than that which was photographed.
The pool is fantastic, seating around the pool is good quality and it's just very peaceful all in all. The apartment we stayed in was nice with a big good quality bed, sheets etc. Bathroom and kitchen was clean etc but could have done with some dishes that could go in the oven and bowls for mixing things - if you're intending to cook more would be helpful. There are about 10 apartments or so there and although there were very few people there while we were, we did notice when the apartment next door was occupied, we could hear a bit of noise from there but it wasn't bad enough to make it uncomfortable.
The BBQ is quite a distance from the accommodation which made it impractical to use. There wasn't any communal seating in the grounds so that we could sit out and enjoy the view in the evening - if you're in a ground floor apartment there are tables /seats for each one it appeared but if you're upstairs then you may have a balcony but it's quite high so you don't get to enjoy the evening views - some apartments don't have balconies so worthwhile checking if there is somewhere to sit out.
The road into the property is quite a bumpy gravel road with quite bad pot holes so do take it easy driving in but for the peace and quiet it's worth it.
There is no tv or radio in the apart.
There is a lake /pond near the house (behind a fence and about 100 meters away) which is probably the reason there are some mosquitos around. They weren't too bad while we were there but we were each bitten quite a number of times. There were no grilles on our windows so at night it got quite hot as you couldn't really leave them open (mozzis) but the owner kindly gave me a fan which helped a little. If I went again, I would take a mosquito net.
The house is about five minutes drive to Levane (smaller supermarket), 10/15 to Montevarchi (big supermarket) and 20/25 to Arezzo. It took us about 40/45 mins to reach Siena and there is a train from Montevarchi to Florence so that you don't have to drive - fast train takes 40 minutes. The house is very well located for visiting Chianti and Tuscany.
We would certainly consider returning. The owner was extremely nice and helpful. Lovely holiday!
