Imagine an extremely generous, well-travelled and cultured friend has offered you their flat in Turin. Your cab driver whistles and comments on your luck; only true Torinese live in Piazza Vittorio, the huge 19th-century square that was the scene of the traffic jam in The Italian Job. The easy access app you receive upon booking lets you into a sumptuously decorated apartment with embassy ceilings, an art collection to make your mouth water, and a mixture of antique and mid-century furniture. All four elegant suites have discreet modern touches - such as digital keypads instead of room keys and touch sensor reading lights – but in no way compromise their charm, and the smell of beeswax and flowers fills the air.
Setting off from Look To Suites - whether on a romantic city break or with children - makes you feel not so much like a tourist as a welcome guest on Grand Tour: to your right, the River Po, and a series of hills each topped by monumental buildings; to your left, the wide, unhurried, arcaded streets where you can stroll from museum to chic boutique through the heart of a city infused with an aristocratic, calm sophistication unlike any other in Italy.
Highs
- Manager Carolina knows Turin inside out, speaks fluent English, and nothing is too much trouble, from guided tours and restaurant bookings to tram tickets and personal shoppers
- Complete autonomy: the easy access security system means no doorbells, so you can arrive late without fear of disturbing anyone
- Three of its beautiful rooms overlook Piazza Vittorio, while the fourth overlooks an internal courtyard
- A well-chosen library on Turin and Piedmont in several languages
- Your choice of three types of pillow when booking
Lows
- The mattress in Giglio was a touch too firm for me, although the daybed was blissfully comfortable - as were the mattresses in the other rooms
- Between 11pm and 8am you are understandably asked to respect others’ need for quiet - to avoid embarrassment, only bring your children if you think they'll stick to this
- No bathtubs, although the fabulous showers do make up for this
Best time to go
May and September are great, but you’ll find the climate here is mild even in winter. A good alternative to crowded Venice, there's a strong Carnevale tradition here too, with a month of music, floats and masked parades (dates vary annually).
Our top tips
Like a local, don’t buy bottled water but fill up from the many cast iron water fountains known as torets (‘little bull’ in the regional dialect.) Download the I Love Torets app, and you can even access nearby tourist information and check the water quality on your phone.
Our guests' ratings...
Based on 12 independent reviews from i-escape guests
A beautiful apartment, boldly decorated, that could not be more central. The rooms were gorgeous, and the air conditioning and wifi worked well. Alice was lovely, helpful and flexible. They only serve breakfast but there are so many places to walk to as it is in the centre of Turin. We would recommend this to anyone.
Gem of a place in perfect location. Marta's and Silvia's warm welcome, which included great walking and restaurant tips, a comfortable room with views from a small private balcony overlooking Piazza Vittorio Veneto, the library and the wonderful breakfast were memorable. Don't miss exploring the Quadrilatero Romano on foot, a walk across the Po river up to Monte dei Cappuccini for a great view of Torino, and the tiny Cioccolateria toc on Via Mazzini for some delicious handcrafted sweets!
Beautifully decorated bedroom and communal areas, with a lovely eye for colour and texture. Good shower and a comfy bed.
Despite being in the centre of Turin, our room faced the courtyard so was calming and quiet. The staff were very helpful and recommended some good local restaurants. I was very pleased with the way they adapted our breakfast on account of my partner’s dietary requirements. The LookTO suites made our stay in Turin special.
Loved the city tour recommendations and used them to guide our stay in Turin. Friendly helpful service and great help with restaurant recommendations too. Fabulous location.
Fantastic location, relaxed and informative team. Great restaurant recommendations. Made our stay in Turin truly memorable.
We are a family of 4 with 2 teenage girls and stayed in the Giglio suite for one night. They kindly made an additional bed up for us, Our stay in Turin was to break up a train journey from Paris to Florence and we regret only staying one night - its a great city with a lot of see (especially for movie aficionados!). The Look To suites are exactly as described in the listing - very beautifully and elegantly furnished. The suite itself has a large bathroom with an excellent shower and the main room overlooks the main square. Staying at the suites you have access to the small kitchen area and there is also a very comfortable lounge as described in the listing. There are four suites and we didn't hear any noise from any of them. Once checked in, we were given key cards to access the building, so it felt very spacious and much more relaxing than being at a hotel. The room is very comfortable, and almost exactly as the pictures on i-escape. There is a small fridge in the room with complimentary water. We found the bed a bit harder than the ones we are used to in the UK, but fairly typical for Italy. We slept well. The staff were kind enough to book a table for us at a restaurant in the square below, which was perfect after a long trip - they were on hand via WhatsApp with any queries and even moved the booking for us when our train was delayed. Breakfast is very good - with a choice of fruit and cereals and we spent the morning looking around the city before heading to the train station. We loved Look To suites and Turin - its less touristy than a lot of Italian cities and we really liked the vibe so would highly recommend the city and Look To suites.
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