My husband and I are big foodies and had heard great things about visiting this place. Two months…read moreago we booked a night at the Casa Maria Luigia along with dinner/beverage pairing at Francescana at Maria Luigia as part of a larger trip to Italy from the US. Fast forward 2 months and I am 7 weeks pregnant, sick with the flu (fever/vomiting), and barely able to get to the place (train+taxi) let alone enjoy it.
We arrived and let the staff know that only my husband would join for the dinner and that I wasn't feeling well and didn't want to get others sick. Obviously the pregnancy and illness aren't their fault and the terms of the sale indicated it was non-refundable. However, at fine dining establishments in the US they've often had a clause for illness or other reasons to adjust the reservation - I consider this to be a part of great customer service. Considering we paid nearly 2,000 euros for this experience, I was surprised they wouldn't even refund my wine pairing (170 euros) as even if I wasn't sick, I wouldn't have been able to partake in it due to pregnancy.
They gave us a credit for future use that expires in one year, which is comical since I will still be pregnant or with a newborn for that full year. Obviously they know how to cook here, but the customer service made what was already a tough day (missing my dream foodie experience and being bed-ridden on a beautiful estate) even more frustrating.