WIT mama Friday: a family break in Tuscany with Smith and Family

From time to time I stop for a moment and I realise that my family really needs a little bit of Laura TLC - I'm always so busy with work and life in general that making some time outside my normal routine to dedicate to my family is the only way forward. Sometimes it can be as little as an afternoon off to take Greta on a play date or booking a baby sitter for a dinner with my husband, but from time to time a weekend away from all distractions is the perfect solution. So last month I decided we were going to take a short break all together.

I had been looking for hotels that are 'family friendly', this because despite being a mum, I haven't forgotten how annoying children can be when you are not! Being a mum certainly makes you more tolerant, but I still like to respect people that don't have children, and therefore I like to opt for hotels that can accommodate a family with children and all of their 'quirkiness" ;-)

I was put in touch with Smith and Family, which is an extension of the renewed and trustworthy website Mr. and Mrs Smith that I always consult when I am looking for a special or small, boutique hotel around the world. "Smith and Family - a unique collection of child-friendly hotels and family self-catering properties that are as suited to children as they are to their parents. Curated by experts and personally visited and approved by parents, the hotels and houses selected are unique, stylish and thoughtful and are going the extra mile to ensure that family time is enjoyed by all." All of their hotels are anonymously reviewed "Smith and Family is a hand-picked, anonymously reviewed collection of the world's very best child-friendly hotels and family stays, every one of them selected and approved by parents we trust. We've appointed a trusty parent panel from our insider address book of stylish and travel-savvy parents" and I was one of them ;-) !

 

So about a month ago I looked through their selection, and decided to go back to my home country, to spend a long weekend away from it all, after which head to Florence to spend more time with my family. We chose to stay at a hotel called Monteverdi about 2hrs from Pisa airport and 1.5hrs from Florence. It's more of a 'borgo" than a hotel, with small and bigger rooms and houses scattered around the existing village. Despite having terrible weather we had such a lovely time... so relaxed and slow... just what we needed. 

 

They have an amazing garden, Greta loved exploring for hours and finding bugs, butterflies and smelling the rosemary bushes. I'm sure had the weather been better we would have spent our days by the pool, but the restaurant was so god we just spent our days at the restaurant, the wine bar and eating their incredible home made gelato and talking long baths and showers in our incredible bathroom. Here are some photos that will do most of the talking...

There's quite a lot of benefits from booking through Smith and Family - I never read the small print so I wouldn't have been aware of it, but if you have a family and know how much planning it takes to move your family from one place to the other, some of these benefits will definitely speak to you!

Hand-picked hotels

•  parent-approved, member-reviewed and regularly reassessed hotels, personally visited by the Smith & Family team

Best rates guaranteed

• All our hotels guarantee the best rates available for your dates
• If you find it cheaper anywhere else, we’ll match the price and give you a £50 voucher too –

Free membership

• Free membership to our BlackSmith travel club, entitling you to year-round exclusive discounts of up to 50%
• Free extras at any hotel booked through Smith, including bottles of champagne and spa treatments
• Paid memberships come with a percentage of every booking paid into your loyalty account (3% for SilverSmith members, 5% for GoldSmith)

Ever-ready travel service

• A 24-hour expert Travel Team, and no booking fees, whether you book online or by phone
• Nothing is left to chance: need help? Just give us a call.