Villa Beccaris had some pluses, but overall we wouldn’t choose to go back. The biggest plus was the location: the hotel grounds and breakfast room look out over a panorama of Barolo vineyards; it was a quick walk to good restaurants in town; and we could even walk to a local winery we had scoped out for a tasting (30 minutes along country roads). The staff were friendly too. And the breakfast buffet was good.
The drawback for us was the room. We got the suite (I think there’s only one), which we figured would be the best room on the property. The first thing we noticed was that it smelled old. I’m not sure if it was mustiness, or dust, or some air freshener that we associate with old houses, but it didn’t smell good to us. Fortunately we could open the windows. The smell returned if we left the windows closed for a while, though.
The suite was large, but most of it was a sitting area that wasn’t very useful. The bathroom was small. The furnishings were in an antique style that could have been charming, but things didn’t seem harmonious or well laid-out. And the bed was extremely firm; we didn’t sleep comfortably. All in all, we wouldn’t go back unless there’s a major renovation.