Grand Hotel Continental Siena – Starhotels Collezione

We stayed three nights at the Grand Hotel Continental. The location right on the Main Street is perfect for walking all over Siena. At check in we were greeted by Lara who had the most bubbly personality. She showed us to our room and made us feel so welcome. She even translated an Italian email I had received about our train schedule. The hotel was once a palatial residence and is gorgeous. Crystal chandeliers and frescos everywhere. The bar area is lovely with colorful velvet furniture. Our room was spacious and had plenty of storage. The bed was very comfortable. All hotel bathtubs are very deep and very slippery. This was the only hotel to provide a rubber tub mat so you don’t fall. A welcome touch. On the vanity were a small bottle of wine and a box of cookies along with a personal welcome note. We assumed these were complimentary and consumed them. The next day another bottle of wine appeared. We did not know until checkout that these were minibar items and we were charged a total of $75 for these three items. The vanity was located on the opposite side of the room from the minibar, so we never considered these were minibar items or we would never have touched them. I think this is very deceptive not to be marked and certainly left a bad taste at checkout on an otherwise delightful stay. We would still recommend this lovely hotel right in the heart of Siena.