I won’t normally write about hotels but in this case, Palas Cerequio is a destination unto itself. Firstly, this luxury bed & breakfast is set amidst some of the world’s most famous Barolo vines – great landscape. Secondly, its airy and modern suites come with their own sauna or Turkish bath. And last but not least, this b&b possesses an amazing wine cellar full of the regional favourites to accompany the fine cooking provided on site. So, one could stay at the property an entire weekend and not leave.

It was raining as we arrived at Palas Cerequio, but I could hear a collective exclamation of glee. After a sharp turn before entering the hill town of La Morra in Piedmont, a steep road winds down towards the b&b. The views on approach are inspiring with the surrounding slopes full of grape vines.

The b&b is owned by the Chiarlo farmily, who produce highly regarded wines under the name of patriarch Michele Chiarlo. A recent renovation in 2011 results in a luxury facility with nine suites of which four have a more classical design and the other five are modern. As mentioned above, they all come with some form of personal spa feature.

I stayed in the Bussia suite (all suites are named after wines), which was more than 750 sq. ft. in total. Such a joy to have so much space! And at room rates that would only get you a standard room with tepid water pressure in Milan or Rome.

There’s a swimming pool but it was too cold for us to use it in April. Never mind, there are other activities to enjoy. Roberto and Jayne are  wonderful hosts who are very knowledgable about wine and the region and who also kept us very well fed.

In addition to walks in the hills, I highly recommend a wine tasting down in the wine cellar. It’s a beautiful brick walled facility and holds not just Michele Chiarlo wines but a good selection from other producers in the area as well. Or if want more pampering, an Ayurvedic massage may be arranged.

We had two delicious dinners at Palas Cerequio and Roberto also says that they can arrange a pizza oven to be brought on site or do a bbq if the facility is booked out by one group. Breakfast consists of hot food – so, yes, a full english breakfast with eggs, baked beans and sausage prepared by Jayne (who is English incidentally – so she understands a good hot breakfast).

To work off all this food, I had a couple of good walks in the morning. Particularly enjoyable was an amble through the vines. Those slopes are pretty steep.

I would love to return so I’m trying to convince a girlfriend to do a landmark birthday here. Can you imagine? A couple days shopping in Milan, which is an easy two hour drive away, followed by a retreat at Palas Cerequio surrounded by great wine and food and capped off with a fantastic party. Sheer bliss!

Palas Cerequio contact: www.palascerequio.it

One of our dinners