Honestly I can’t understand any bad review. People saying “difficult to access” need to stop eating McDonalds and lay on their couch, check the village before you are visiting, it’s a little medieval village IN THE MOUNTAIN, don’t expect large streets! The pavement is made of stones, obviously. Parking is 300 meters from the hotel, easy to find, we always had a place after 5 minute wait only, the hotel is 1,5 minutes from the river and the main street, going slightly up on the stairs… simple as that. Amazing tastefully decorated room in stones with faux fireplace. Wonderful terrace with the view of the castle. Check the description of every room you are booking in advance : “suite with a spa” means there is a private SPA BATH in your bathroom and it’s more expensive, “suite” means there is no SPA! We booked a wonderful bedroom with a private spa bath / jacuzzi inside. Large comfortable bed with good linen. Tea, water, coffee for free. Little fridge (not very cold so don’t buy any fresh food). Dark curtains letting no light in if you want to sleep late. Calm and peace, no sounds at all. Wonderful smiling host. Good breakfast (served inside in March, I guess the terrace is only in the summer).

Honestly, everything was great.

The Talking Stones building has been delightfully renovated to feature the original stones of the old village house. The rooms are a little quirky (in a good way) due to the old building and was nicely furnished and comfortable. We were on the second floor and the stairs are quite steep. Our breakfast was served by Stefano and it was plentiful with yoghurt, fruit, eggs, bread, croissant and cake. We recommend you also eat at the restaurant around the corner called CASAeBOTTEGA.

Talking Stones was brilliant in every aspect. Monika was kind, down to earth and helpful throughout our stay. As the host, she has plenty of knowledge of the local area to help us get around (us not speaking a word of Italian, this was great). The building itself utilises it's stunning location brilliantly, a shared terrace to enjoy breakfast in the morning, or a glass (bottle) of wine in the evening. Looking over Dolceacqua at any time of day is like watching a moving painting, it's architecture, rolling hills and mountains, and abundant flora set you into a truly picturesque part of Italy. Our room was beautifully, yet simply decorated, there was very good A/C and the bathroom was clean and well stocked with basic toiletries. The bed was made every day, with fresh towels brought into the room during early hours of the afternoon, and a bottle of water placed in the mini fridge. - Thank you Monika for our stay!

Nothing.

We love that there was no TV in the room. This was a great digital detox for us. Room was so cosy so we spent time talking, reading, having jacuzzi bath, walking through this amazingly beautiful village, drinking local wine on the terrace. We love every minutes of our stay at Talking Stones. We had been provided with two videos how to get the property by car and by foot, which was very helpful. Homemade breakfast was so tasty🍳🥗🥣🥰 we also got recommendations regarding local restaurants and OMG we tried the best tiramisu in our life at Casa Bottega. We would definitely come back!

Nothing....probably only mattress was a bit soft for us, but this is up to different people's preferences.

Great for visiting this wonderful town, very historic property, full of character. Help team to look after you.

Certainly not a place for anyone with walking difficulties. Many steep steps and lots of severe slopes. You could do with taking the minimum of luggage with you as the walls and step climbs make heavy luggage a challenge/nuisance.

The location, loved the room (with a nice view to the castle). And we loved the host Monika, such a caring person that wants you to have a great time. Tip: on youtube they have two video’s with a good short film how to get to the accomodation by foot (General carpark) or by car (private carpark, have to book in advance). We love to come back to Talking Stones (and also to see Monika again).

Talking Stones is such a wonderful place. You can feel the passion and the care and attention lavished on the rooms, facilities and guests. Monika is a perfect host with many stories and a great sense of humour. Breakfast was varied, with different treats each morning, served on the roof terrace with a gorgeous view of Dolceaqua castle and the old town. We stayed in the 'hot tub' room which is actually a jacuzzi. It took a loooooong time to fill up but was lovely to relax in, but definitely NOT a hot tub, or outside! Dolceaqua is definitely one of the nicer towns in the area, with the lovely castle, ancient bridge and old town. The whole place is delightful, quirky, enchanting and wonderful.

Perhaps more instructions on how to use the jacuzzi, as the explanation is a bit overwhelming to remember! :) Be warned, Dolceaqua has a few restaurants, which are lovely, but not all were open when we went (mid-September) apart from weekends, which meant we missed out on going to other restaurants, and kept ending up at the same one (but so good we didn't mind).

The room we had featured a huge jacuzzi in the bathroom and beautiful bedroom with floor to ceiling glass wall giving fantastic views of the castle, all very glamorous. Secure parking was available for a fee a short walk from the hotel however there appeared to be plenty of free parking in the town. The town itself is quite spectacular and well worth exploring with its unique streets, buildings and passageways however be aware everything seems to be uphill.

I can not complain about the room as as it was exactly as advertised however it turns out huge jacuzzis take forever to fill and my wife was never really comfortable with the goldfish bowl windows. Each to their own. However be aware this hotel will not suit anyone with mobility issues as there are lots of narrow steep steps everywhere. Breakfast was superb but you got what you were given, fortunately all good.

Wonderful place in a quiet, beautiful village. We stayed in the suite, which was decorated with an excellent taste. The room was spacious and very clean. We had a lovely own terrace too. Breakfast was served on the roof top terrace which offered exceptionally beautiful views. Monika was really helpful and friendly, and spoke Italian, German and English - and probably other languages too! Dolce aqua was a perfect base for trips to other hilltop villages and even to Riviera and other parts of South-East France.

Nothing to complain - if i had to name something, it was a bit difficult to understand the opening hours of the local restaurants. Some were open only for lunch, some only for dinner and some were not open at all - probably as it still was off-season.

Outstanding service and value. Great location in the historic center.

Only negative thing was the fact that the ceiling of the rooms is very low, so anyone over 5'8 will have to constantly watch their head. This is an integral aspect of the historic medieval building it is located in, so just be prepared in advance for that.