Frequently Asked Questions
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The Villas
Q: Love it! How much for a week in April/May/June/July/August/September!?
A: Our price list is available here. And of course you could stay for longer than a week!
Q: Are towels and linen provided?
A: Clean sheets and towels are provided weekly, for swimming pool use guests, are requested to bring their own towels.
A: Please see the 'Pool FAQ' also.
Q: Are there hair dryers in the villas?
A: Yes!
Q: What equipment do you provide for young children?
A: We have a travel cot and bedsides as well as a high chair for young children.
Q: Is Podere San Martino child friendly?
A: We try to be as child friendly as possible, the whole property is fenced in as is the swimming pool, also each villa has it's own garden ensuring a friendly environment for children and at the same time guaranteeing peace and quiet for the other guests.
Q: Is there air-conditioning?
A: No, there is always a breeze in the evening which makes it unnecessary, however the bedrooms and sitting rooms do have fans if one still finds it hot.
Also, have a look at our 'weather guide' page.
Q: Is there a washing machine?
A: Yes, there is a washing machine and iron in the laundry at the back of the Olive Grove villa. We charge per wash and also supply washing liquid so you don't have to buy it.
Q: Is there a stereo?
A: No, most guests prefer to bring their own MP3 player, however if you would like we can lend you a CD player.
Q: Is WiFi available?
A: Yes! Each villa has free WiFi (which we've been told is pretty fast!); great for finding out what there is to see and do in the area; weather forecasts; train-times; and so you can catch-up on home news! However, please note that you will have to bring your own laptop, and, as always, throughput (speed) may vary.
Q: Are there mosquitoes?
A: There aren't many mosquitoes as we are high up in the hills, however the bedrooms do have mosquito nets. Also we supply a plug-in mosquito repellent just in case!
Various
Q: Is that a Goose?
A: It might be! As to the 'why' - well, you'll spot it when you come to stay! Or, if you look very carefully around our website (or install our screen saver), you're bound to spot it.
Q: What's the weather like?
A: The weather today in Tuscany, and how it usually is up at PSM from month to month.
Q: What is there to see and do?
A: Plenty - see our See/Do page.
Also, information folders are available to look at in each villa giving you an overview of all the places to visit and things to do, places to eat out, local market days, beaches, train and bus timetables, maps, recipes and many more things.
Q: Are there any specialities not to be missed?
A:
Extra virgin olive oil!
You can't miss out on a trip to Slitti for a coffee and pastry. They produce their own coffee and chocolate and win worldwide prizes every year!
Montecatini Terme is home to "cialde" which is a wafer which has crushed almonds and sugar in the middle; excellent with coffee or an ice cream.
Wine...plenty available and we can suggest some excellent wine shops.
Ice cream – there are so many mouth watering ice cream shops we can only suggest you try an ice-cream at each!
Q: Are there any spas or health farms nearby?
Yes, Grotta Giusti is just down the hill from us and offers a wide range of beauty treatments, hot spa swimming pools and grottos, just the way to pamper yourself for a day!
Q: Are you easy to reach from the airport?
A: Yes, the motorway takes you from the airport to within 10/15 minutes of us. We will give you directions to reach us before leaving for your holiday, which have been well tried out - plus you can find GPS information on our 'Where' page.
Q: Which airport is it best to fly to?
A: Either Florence or Pisa are the nearest, but generally Pisa has the cheapest flights.
Q: Where is the nearest car hire?
A: At the airport – we suggest hiring an air-conditioned car
during the hottest months.
Pisa: A good efficency-tip
here is that if you're a family or couple, send one person off
to the car hire while the others wait for your baggage.
The car hire place is five minutes walk away (there is a
shuttle, but unless you're very unlucky, you'll get there
quicker by
Walking (route). Remember that the person sent for the car
needs to have the credit-card that was used to pay for it, and
their driving-licence!
Q: I've never driven on the "wrong" side of the road, how easy is it to drive to you?
A: Most guests find it quite easy as one takes the motorway from the airport for most of the journey so it's easy to get used to driving the hire car.
Q: Can we stay at Podere San Martino if we don't hire a car?
A: Have a look at our views, and you'll see that PSM is all about peace and quiet. So we suggest that you do have a car. The nearest bus stop is 1km down the hill (which is pretty steep to walk up) and there are only a few buses each day. So one would be very limited on what one can visit, not to mention doing a 'supermarket run'. Taxis are also expensive; it costs €40 to go down to the supermarket. HOWEVER if you'd rather not drive much, you could always hire a car and leave it in Montecatini Terme or Pistoia (just 10/15 minutes drive) and then take the train (most of the art cities and the beach can be reached by train).
Q: Where is the nearest supermarket?
A: There are two small supermarkets at the bottom of the hill, just a few minutes drive away. However there are some very well stocked supermarkets just 10 minutes drive away either in Cintolese or in Monsummano Terme.
Q: When is the supermarket open?
A: The supermarkets are open all day until 8pm from Monday to Saturday, and also on Sunday mornings.
Q: Is there a local market?
A: There is a weekly market in Monsummano Terme on Monday morning and two a week in Pistoia on a Wednesday and a Saturday morning. In Montecatini Terme the market day is Thursday morning.
Q: Where are the nearest shops?
The nearest
chemists are either in Cintolese (there's also a post office and
a Conad supermarket there)
or in Monsummano Terme, both 10 minutes away.
Montecatini Terme(15 mins) and Pistoia(15 mins) boasts the best clothes shops.
If you'd like a
hypermarket (and other large stores), you could try the Ipercoop
just outside of Montecatini Terme - about 15-20 mins away.
Q: Are there any designer outlets nearby?
A: There is a very large outlet village in Barberino, on the motorway north to Bologna about 1 hour way, otherwise there is another large outlet with many designer names south of Florence at Incisa, again about 1 hour away.
Q: Where is the nearest restaurant?
A: Just down the hill; less than 7 minutes drive away there is Poggio degli Ulivi and La Cantina a few minutes further, both are good and offer everything from pizza to meat and fish. There are many restaurants in the area that aren't far away offering all sorts of cuisine and excellent views.
Q: Can I take my dog/cat on holiday with me?
A: As we have a dog and two cats we prefer that guests don't bring their own pets. You can always borrow our pets if you miss yours!
Q: I'm afraid of dogs!
A: Please don't worry, we keep Claudio, our dog in our garden which is fenced in, so no need to worry!