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Villa San Carlo The Zarri family opened the "San Carlo" hotel and restaurant in the 1981 and recently renewed. It has always been a favourite stop for famouse italians and international visitors who came to Piedmont looking for a confortable stay in a fine hotel with traditional cooking linked to local produce. The "San Carlo" can offer a wide range of attractions such as : The restaurant : has got the nomination to the national price "Hotel of the Year" in the 1995 for the best restaurant. The cooking is based on traditional regional recipes sometimes offered with a touch of phantasy. Our specialities with hazelnuts are way to promote the symbol of Cortemilia. The charming dining-room "Gourmet" is romantically equipped with chimney and piano; during the summer we serve dinner under the stars in the garden by the pool. The wine-cellar : offers about 1000 great wines coming mainly from Piedmont. Wines from other italian regions and countries such as the Great Chateau de France or the new Chilean, American and South African are personally selected. In the year 2000, the wine list of San Carlo restaurant has been voted as one of the best 30 in Italy. The following year, in the 2001, Carlo Zarri has been named "Ambassador of italian wines". The bar : open only to hotel guests. A good way to relax before or after dinner or to enjoy refreshments on the terrace or by the pool during the warm summer days. The garden : hotel guests can find a garden of about 2500 square meters in the back of the house. An original Giant Sequoia from California grows among the over 100 different species of flowers and plants that are personally cared by the family. The swimming-pool : open for hotel guests only from the beginning of May to the end of September. It is ideally located in the garden, sun-lit from sunrise to sundown. Mountain-bikes : hotel offers to the guests mountain bikes free of charge to discover beautyful paths through the woods among the hills of the Langhe.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Family
Business
Languages Spoken
English, French, German, Italian
Location
Corso Divisioni Alpine 41, 12074 Cortemilia Italy
Name/address in local language
Villa San Carlo Hotel
182 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
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It’s a great hotel. The chef Carlo Zarri is a master of the food, the location it’s sublime and the room very comfortable. We had a wonderful dinner overlooking the garden and the wine list it’s out of this world, it’s huge. Really recommend it
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Date of stay: June 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Villa San Carlo, Proprietario at Villa San Carlo Hotel
Responded 27 Jun 2022
Thank you so much Orsojabro for your excellent review. We can only feel happy and honored when clients express their gratitude and pleasure after their stay at Villa San Carlo. Arrivederci and thank you again Carlo, Paola & Staff
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We experienced a most wonderful vacation at Villa San Carlo with 12 of our friends all staying at Chef Carlo's hotel. The rooms were very comfortable with ceiling fans, wonderful linens and all the amennities necessary for a relaxing stay. Chef Carlo and his family own and operate the Villa and their presence is noticed in every detail. His mother welcomed us home every afternoon from our tours, his wife, Paula, was there to help with all the meals and Chef Carlo was the master of attention to detail. Every morning we enjoyed a delicious breakfast consisting of meats, cheeses, hard boiled eggs, pastries and always wonderful coffee presented by Chef Carlo. Our group was able to arrange a cooking class with Chef Carlo that was the highlight of my trip. Learning from one of the best is hard to replicate! Dinner every night prepared by Chef Carlo and paired with wines was 5 star all the way. Cortemilia is a small town but so much surrounds the area that it was a fantastic base area to tour the surrounding wineries, hazelnut processing, truffle hunting and cheese making! The grounds of the villa were so relaxing and even a beautiful pool in the backyard.
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Date of stay: September 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Small villa with about 15 rooms so if you like personal detail this is great.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Villa San Carlo, Proprietario at Villa San Carlo Hotel
Responded 27 Sept 2023
Wow, Thank you so much Elle., You make us feel so special and extraordinary happy when you talk about your vacation at Villa San Carlo. What you say is exactly what we are working for; giving a special relaxing vacation and experience the local tradition of the Langhe in Piedmont, north west of Italy. Arrivederci soon. Carlo, Paola, Mamma and staff
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Villa San Carlo is a must for anyone who loves great food and great wines. Chef Carlo Zarri and his wife Paola are incredibly welcoming and accommodating. The whole atmosphere in the hotel is warm, friendly and tempts you to sit down and relax with a glass of wine or a drink. And then there's the food to die for! Cortemilia, the town where Villa San Carlo is situated, is off the beaten path but is well worth a visit, especially on Fridays, when they have a street market.
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Date of stay: October 2022
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Villa San Carlo, Proprietario at Villa San Carlo Hotel
Responded 26 Oct 2022
Wow, thank you so much Jannettem612 for your great review. We feel really honored to welcome our guest and very happy when our work make them feel happy and relaxed. We hope to welcome you agian in the future Best regards Carlo, Paola & Staff
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I returned to the Villa San Carlo in Cortemilia for the third time with a family tour group. Chef Carlo, his wife Paola and Señora Zarri are warm and welcoming people, delighted to welcome us back to enjoy their hospitality. The updated restaurant/dining room was cozy and the guest rooms were (as always) comfortable and very clean. This is a rural area of Piemonte (farming, vineyards} and a great base for seeing The Truffle Festival, the "hazelnut trail", to learn about truffles and local wines. We went on a Truffle hunt with an area hunter and his dog and, later, Chef Carlo served us dinner with generous shavings on risotto as part of our 3-4-course dinner. Each course was paired with a wine from Carlo Zarri's cellar. Paola is a sommelier. Carlo Zarri is a world renowned Chef and likes nothing better than making his followers and guests satiated with his creations and choices. We had two birthdays within our 16 person group which were celebrated grandly with cake and singing. We had a cooking lesson in the Chef's kitchen and ate salad and gnocchi for lunch that we had in which we had participated. Total stay 7 nights.
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Date of stay: October 2022
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Best for those that appreciate exceptional food prepared expertly with a nod to tradition...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A group of 4 we spent our last night of an 8 day walk at villa San Carlo . Sadly it was late in the season and the restaurant was closed but Paola kindly showed us where to get a meal in the quiet town. As we had not organised transport to Torino we had to take a bus @1-2 k away and then get a train from Alba . With luggage we wanted to get a taxi to the bus stop but there were none to be found .Paola very kindly offered to drive us to the bus stop . We were greatly appreciative . Grazie mille Paola sei molto gentile ! Ilaria
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Date of stay: September 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Price - That set our expectation for luxury and we were disappointed. Three night stay for two + 1 dinner + 2 "cooking classes" (really demos) and couple extras = 800 euros. For much less than that you can stay in amazing luxury hotels near by. and google a good cooking class in the region.
We were so bummed that we left a day early. We asked for a discount... and the owner gave us a 1 euro discount on the 800 euro bill for 2 days! arguing that that was the price anyway as the third night was free (making it a whooping 400 euros a night thanks to the lackluster cooking demos). We were sent there by the tourism consorsium of Langhe. The owner mentionned he was the president of a tourism association...
Location - In a deep valley's no-view slightly industrious village next to the main road, 3/4 of an hour away of winding roads from all the beautiful wineries with views on the wine region. Once you've been there, you realize that for that price (or less) there are much better options on the hilltops with gorgeous vistas and ancient villages.
Hotel - Isolated with a motel feel on the side of the main road. For an experience price-positioned as luxury, this is very bad and you will feel even worse knowing you can have an amazing experience and view at any small luxury hotels in the near region. If you're just passing by and are in a hurry and are not taking classes,
Cooking classes - They are not classes. They are demos. For an outrageous amount of money (360 eur of our total bill. Multiply that by 2 as we were 2 couples), you will see the chef prepare lunch for his family members and you while you watch and maybe slice 1 celery or form couple gnocchis yourself. I mentioned wanting to get more involved at breakfast to no end. The rabbit loins we were supposed to cook somehow ended up being chicken fillets... For the price we paid, we definitely felt like we were being had.
Food - It was okay/good. Barolo has hundreds of places with great food with less upcharge.
People and service - To be honest, they are nice people. But I would too if I was getting 1,500 euros (we were 4, 2 couples) from a group of americans/swiss in 2 days by serving them things like "chicken and egg white salad". Any expensive item ends up being a surcharge.
Completely disappointed with the experience. Had major stress over it as it was a present for my partner after our engagement.
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Date of stay: September 2012
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The propretor, Carlo Zarri, is a very famous chef and trained sommelier. He did Sophia Loren's 70th birthday, her son's wedding, and was a major figure in the 2006 Olympics in Turin. He and his wife are very welcoming and friendly. Carlo speaks excellent English and his wife speaks it pretty well too.
The hotel is a 3 star hotel with very pleasant simple rooms. The grounds are beautiful with a sun porch and a swimming pool. There is also a pleasant lounge area for a drink. The restaurant is excellent and efficient with very nice furnishings and table settings.
Maybe my wife and I have ever eaten better meals in our lives before but we can't remember when. If you go you MUST eat here. Try the degustation. As inviting as the hotel is, the food is the reason to come here.
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Date of stay: June 2008
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Check-in / front desk
Service
Business service (e.g., internet access)
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed here at the end of a five day self guided walking tour which started in Alba. This was the perfect finale to our beautiful walk. We were very warmly greeted by Chef Carlo Zarri, who spent time visiting with us and showing us around. He also spent time reviewing his menu and talking with us about planning a vegetarian dinner for us that evening. The grounds are beautiful and there is a very nice pool. Being late September the pool seemed a bit too cool for us but it was not cold. Our room on the second floor had a nice small balcony. The bed was very comfortable with excellent pillows (4) and linens. The bathroom was clean and modern And everything worked properly. WiFi was very good and fairly fast. Morning breakfast included excellent local cheeses including Toma, my new favorite. Good breads and excellent house baked hazelnut cake and wonderful house made apple jam as well as the usual cereals and yogurt.
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Date of stay: September 2019Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
When visiting Barolo, Villa San Carlo is a “must visit” hotel and restaurant. On our 7 day walking tour it was easily our best experience. The hotel is comfortable, the restaurant menu(full of interesting and special dishes) and wine list exquisite, and Owner and Chef Carlo and his wife make the experience unforgettable. With Cortemilia only 40 minutes from Alba we recommend all visitors to the area make a point of including Villa San Carlo in their itinerary.....they won’t be disappointed.
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Date of stay: September 2019Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Villa S, Proprietario at Villa San Carlo Hotel
Responded 9 Sept 2019
Thank you very much 392 BrianS, we are honored by your review: THANK YOU!!!! It is a great pleasure for us knowing that our guests appreciate our efforts to make their vacation an experience. We trust we can welcome you another time to Villa San Carlo, Cortemilia! Best regards Carlo, Paola & Staff
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This is our 3rd visit to this wonderful place. For my husband and I, it is like a pilgrimage for the wonderful hospitality from Carlo and Paola. We cannot get enough of the food. It is michelin star quality and once again we had the most wonderful food, toped off with some lovely local wines. The town itself is small but the surround area is beautiful and we enjoyed doing day walks and then returning for a 'to-die-for' dinner. Thanks and hopefully we will see you again next year!!
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Date of stay: April 2019
Rooms
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from carlo z, Proprietario at Villa San Carlo Hotel
Responded 4 May 2019
Wow Deborah & Peter.... we feel honored by your review: Thankyou! Guests like you make our hard work a joy and worth!!!!! Arrivederci a 4th time soon! Carlo & Paola
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There are more places to choose from in the Cortemilia area.
PRICE RANGE
$528 - $566 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
ItalyPiedmontProvince of CuneoCortemilia
NUMBER OF ROOMS
13
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Are there any historical sites close to Villa San Carlo Hotel?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Cappella Romanica di S. Sebastiano (4.0 km), Borgo antico di Olmo Gentile (4.0 km), and Chiesetta di San Carlo (4.8 km).
