Best hotels in Montecatini Terme

Bang in the centre of Montecatini's fashion district, this 102-room Art Deco revival takes the whole spa hotel thing rather seriously - we're talking 400 square metres of wellness wizardry spread across two floors, including an honest-to-goodness salt cave. It's the kind of place where they've named their spa experience "Emotion Time" without a hint of irony, and somehow made it work. The property underwent a complete Art Deco makeover that gives it a distinct 1920s movie-set vibe - each room decorated differently, like someone went wild with a vintage furniture catalogue and a bottomless budget. But here's the kicker: they've also got a sister property, Collina Toscana Resort, tucked away in the Tuscan hills 8km away, where hotel guests can escape for the day with access to the outdoor pool and proper countryside views. It's like getting two holidays for the price of one, if you don't mind the short shuttle ride.

Part of the LHP Hotels empire (they of the "made in Italy style and design" manifesto), this 62-room property takes itself rather seriously as Montecatini's first proper design hotel. Built in 1910 but given the full monochrome makeover, it's all geometric patterns, chrome furnishings, and that black-and-white aesthetic that screams "we hired an expensive interior designer and by God you're going to notice." The whole thing reads like someone's mood board for urban sophistication came to life - water cascades at the entrance, a rooftop pool with 360-degree views, and a spa they've christened Monté that promises "exclusive wellness". But here's the thing: despite the try-hard design speak and occasional pretentiousness, they've actually created something rather special here, especially when you're floating in that rooftop pool watching the sun set over the Tuscan hills.

If walls could talk, the frescoed ceilings of this 1870 grande dame would have stories that'd make your head spin. Picture this: Christian Dior taking his final breath in one of the suites, Grace Kelly swanning through the lobby, and a young Puccini composing at the piano whilst Marie Curie debated radioactivity over aperitivos. This isn't just any old Tuscan pile - it's where Italian Art Nouveau maestro Galileo Chini went properly wild with his paintbrush in 1901, creating celestial ceilings populated by floating cherubs and ethereal figures that still stop guests mid-stride today.Set bang in the centre of Montecatini Terme (yes, that's thermal springs central), the hotel sprawls across 20,000 square metres of century-old parkland. The 120 rooms maintain their period swagger with antique Liberty furniture and marble bathrooms that wouldn't look out of place in a Visconti film. But don't mistake all this historical pomp for dusty museum vibes - there's a thoroughly modern 800-square-metre spa lurking beneath all that Belle Époque beauty, complete with Rasul baths and enough treatment rooms to keep a small army of stressed executives purring.

Just when you think you've seen every iteration of the Tuscan spa hotel, along comes this Belle Époque beauty to prove you wrong. A stone's throw from Montecatini Terme's train station (the proper one, mind you - there are two), this Art Nouveau palazzo has been keeping the same family busy for over a century. And when we say family, we mean it - young Fabio used to play hide and seek in these very corridors whilst mamma Luciana worked, and now here he is, running the show with the same enthusiasm he had as a kid racing through the halls.

The 81-room property occupies a handsome 19th-century building that wears its Liberty-style credentials with proper pride - think high ceilings, period furniture that's actually from the period, and enough architectural flourishes to keep your eyes entertained over breakfast.