I’m staying in the Relais Vignale (www.vignale.it) in Radda in Chianti – the heart of the Chianti region. It is interesting to compare the broadband (ADSL) pricing policy of Vignale with that of the Hotel Panoramic in Sancerre. Although 30 minutes is €2.50 and an hour is €4, you can get a week for €12 – a tarif the Hotel Panoramic in Sancerre ought to consider as they charge €5 for an hour and €8 for two. The Panoramic has no daily rate. (See post of 9th September 2008: Hotel Panoramic: ADSL hors de prix.)

I can see little justification for hotels charging more than a nominal amount for WiFi access. If the hotel needs an internet connection for their business they incur no additional expense if their guests hook up to the net. There was no justification for high telephone charges, there is even less excuse for punitive internet access charges.

(8 October 2008)

Last night we stayed at the Hotel Panoramic in Sancerre, which is now owned by Guy Saget. The hotel has been renovated and is better than it was under the previous ownership. It does have sensational views over the vineyards, especially towards Amigny, Chavignol and Verdigny.

However, it does also charge an equally sensational and eye-watering price for WiFi internet access. One hour of access is €5 (the equivalent of €120 for 24 hours) and 2 hours of access is €8 (the equivalent of €96 for 24 hours). There is no rate for 24 hours. You can log on and log off but this is a pain in the neck, especially in these days where continuous internet access is increasingly the norm. Internet access is free at some other accommodation nearby, such as Les Logis du Grillon in Sancerre, La Côte des Monst Damnés in Chavignol and at La Chancelière in St Satur.

To be fair in addition to the two hours I bought I was given an additional hour’s free access but it is crazy that had I been logged on for 24 hours at the two hour rate my WiFi bill would have been €96 – €1 more than our room.

Price comparison:
€96 for the equivalent of 24 hours web access (Hotel Panoramic)
€95 for our room in the Hotel Panoramic
€89.73 for three months unlimited access through Orange up to 8 megabytes
€97.20 for nine bottles of Domaine de la Perrière 2007 – owned by Guy Saget and on sale at the Panoramic.