Cascioni Eco Retreat

The staff were mostly extremely friendly, helpful and professional. We liked the idea of the property as a place to relax although apart from the pool area and your room facilities there wasn’t a lot. We didn’t understand the Sauna, plunge pool, steam room concept and, assuming we understood correctly, a limit of one hour’s use. We didn’t bother. The restaurant was pleasant La Colti Farmhouse was a super evening.

It was impossible to find. There is not one sign directing you to the property and TomTom listed a place five miles away. Even the marker at the entrance is not obvious (we drove past it three times). The need to have music playing all the time wasn’t restful for us, particularly day one when we were the only people sitting around the pool having to listen to something weird with an annoying beat. We asked for it to be turned down as close to off but not much happened. We left for our room.It was more reminiscent of a Spanish beach bar than a place to relax and read. We didn’t understand the eco bit at all and only realised it’s importance from the questionnaire we were asked to fill in. We weren’t able to as we didn’t understand them. We thought the nearly £1000 per night didn’t reflect value or satisfaction compared with the other stays during the trip.

Easily the best place we have stayed. I booked this for my partners birthday and we were both blown away. The grounds are phenomenal, the staff are beyond hospitable, the room was stunning with the comfiest bed and the breakfast options were perfect. We used the spa facilities twice on our stay and both times we had the entire spa to ourselves and the treatments we had were amazing. We also booked in for a meal at their sister restaurant - a set menu of traditional Sardinian cuisine- another perfect experience. We will be returning in the future and cannot recommend this place highly enough. Thank you for a wonderful stay.

 I arrived at this so-called "boutique hotel" or “Eco Retreat”with cautious optimism. But what awaited me was an exercise in how not to run a hospitality establishment. It began at the front desk, where the staff greeted me with the kind of enthusiasm you'd expect from someone who'd just been informed they'd have to work overtime. Nobody opened a door or helped with a bag. Not a smile, not a hint of welcome…just a snooty glance of arrogance, followed by a barrage of paperwork and signatures and requests for identification that made an international border crossing look easy. I knew the over billing was coming after I had to pre-pay for a room that I suspected would be a let down. How did this become a pre-pay? Once in the room or villa, it became clear that the marketing department was having a field day with their descriptors. "Spacious" is apparently a relative term here, unless you've spent the last five years living in a broom closet. Tripping over the coffee table I took the risk of opening a miniature sized glass jar with an “eco” amount of nuts in it. Let the death by a thousand cuts begin. The shallow four walled enclosure felt more like a converted garage than a luxurious suite or villa. There’s nothing like paying 5€ for an eco jar of nuts when paying is 1200 € a night Everything in this place feels like it's priced for oligarchs. A bottle of water from the mini-bar came with a price tag that made me think they had imported it from some Himalayan spring carried on the backs of Sherpas. And Breakfast! I sent back a limp half piece of half hearted toasted bread that accompanied my luke warm eggs and processed ham for breakfast. No salt, no pepper. Sardinia…emmmmm. The lunch menu reads like a culinary snooze-fest. Bland, uninspired, and devoid of the kind of flavors that make traveling to Italy worthwhile. I gagged as the plunge pool coughed up what looked like an excrement covered baby wipe from an uncleaned filter. I’m not making this up. Do they even clean the water at the Eco retreat? Beware the word “Eco” is used here as an excuse to not wash the bath towels and sheets or check the plunge pool for used wipes. Relax by the pool, impossible. Experience the most uncomfortable paper thin pool loungers on the planet. There are no towels or cushions in sight and no one there to hand them out. QR codes on little sticks reminiscent of dystopian pandemic lockdowns litter the property. No paper menus here, everything is digital. Let’s spend more time staring at the phone while trying to enjoy the Dolce Vita. Then there's the website, a masterclass in deception. Booking direct was promised to be an "exclusive" experience…turns out the only thing exclusive about it was the sinking feeling of being misled. Who knew “SLH” is an affiliate site. The eco retreat even has a hard back copy of the SLH properties in the room. If you’re confused so am I. The front desk couldn’t even produce an accurate copy of my bill upon a 30 minute grueling check out. The clumsiness of the process painful to part of. On a scale of 1-10 the check out process was a 0. The cherry on top of my stay. And where was the General Manager, Giovanni…… in all of this? Missing in action. Not a greeting, not a word of acknowledgment, as if presiding over this catastrophe from some distant, unseen realm. Perhaps it’s better that way; there’s nothing worse than forced smiles and empty platitudes from someone who clearly couldn’t care less about the guests or their experience. I felt empathy for the people who work there. It could be something special but it isn’t. It’s non- starter. Like a Yugoslavian car. A jovial waiter and ever so warm spa receptionist did give me hope that the place actually has a pulse, but to sum it up, this hotel is the physical embodiment of a cash grab, high on promises, low on delivery, and utterly devoid of soul. A hollow shell where hospitality goes to die. Even the meh hotel Taxi driver, Adamo put another nail in the coffin of with an ever so not nice demand for more money, which he got for an overpriced Toyota ride to the airport. Avoid at all costs.

Outstanding facilities immersed among olive trees.

Perhaps the restaurant - dinner menu and service - was slightly below expectations, still good but may need little extra push

Wonderful gem which provides a feel of luxury and serenity. The cuisine is exquisite, everything served looked and tasted phenomenal. The wine cellar had a rich selection and we tried some great wines there. Also the villas provide privacy for couples to enjoy. The spa was pleasant too.

Beautiful property, peaceful, amazing food and a delight to stay at overall. We went with two younger children ( which I don’t recommend), as the resort is very well suited for couples. Regardless, they were beyond accommodating and helpful in every way. The breakfast was tasty, and we had a great dinner experience here as well. Their deserts were light and tasty! We enjoyed our large spacious room and the kind staff - from the moment we arrived, we felt the resort being a true 5 star luxury boutique experience. The rooms are clean and beautifully decorated with a private pool and two showers / bathrooms. If you are a couple - or with older children - this place is a must visit. Note, location is 10 minutes drive from any store or town - so you will need a car - but besides that 10/10!