"Stayed 14 nights and paid for half board. Upgraded to a suite, overlooking the picturesque sea and the beautiful pool, where hardly anyone went into, because the water was cold. Even though I was grateful to the vice director (no idea who the Director was) for the suite, the negative points outweigh the positives.
This is an independent 5* hotel (not luxury) with Hilton backing, with a big « Framissima" travel agency (similar to Tui) flag flying at the entrance, for French guests.
THE SUITE
No privacy at all. No matter where you stand or sit on the terrasse, you can see everyone and everyone can see you. To the left the bar, to the right, all the "neighbours", and in front, everyone around the pool. This is probably why no one stayed on the big terrace, and always with their net curtains drawn, because you can be seen even inside the suite if you're too close to the windows. Reeded screening or a wooden trellis is desperately needed. At night, the terrace lights cannot be switched off, you feel as if you’re on a stage! Again, no privacy. Too windy to ever open your parasol. Chilly in the morning and evening but the A/C is stuck at 19.
THE PERSONNEL
Perhaps due to the hotel closing for the season in a couple of weeks, the personnel (not all but quite a few), preferred to ignore the guests, heads down, everytime they passed by.. Thank goodness there was the extraordinary Jessica, the young yoga/pilates/stretching teacher, in the restaurant there was Flore, Augustine, the chefs, and 2 more people whose name I forgot to ask. They all need badges with their names. The massages given by Lory, a petite lady, were incredible. Mattea at reception was friendly and very efficient, as was the lady from Argentina who cleaned our 102B room, Mazine who cleaned our 602 suite and the tall Senegalese handyman, who was always smiling and making you feel really welcome. I never saw the management mingling or interacting with guests at the restaurant, bar or pools. There are quite a few people working there who should never be working in a job where guest satisfaction is so important. Housecleaning can be done until 4pm, so don’t be in a rush to have a made up room early.
THE FOOD
Well done to the lovely Chefs who managed to make do with what they could. The pizzas and some pastries were great but €70 for 2 people, half board was not worth it. 14 days of repetitive ordinary salads, the main dinner meal was one meat dish (often, pork) , one fish dish, and pasta. Very often lukewarm, sometimes cold. All served on side plates. No big ones. Sometimes there are one or two labels on the dishes but most of the time, you have to guess what it is or else ask a staff member, who's just as lost as you are! Never any Italian gorgonzola and I don’t want French butter in Italy thank you. Big choice of everything but not 5* quality. Should you want to try the à la carte restaurant, there’s no reduction if you’re half board. The espresso machine is hidden away at the back of the restaurant with a huge plant near it. I only discovered this towards the end.
MISCALLEANOUS
• You really need a car to go to Santa Theresa, the nearest town with lots of restaurants. The best are 1) Mediterranean 2) Azzura 3) Grottino.
• There should be posters/billboards put up in front of the restaurant and reception area to signal evening entertainment, or even the day’s programme. Not everyone looks at the programme and it’s not put under your door automatically for the 2nd week. You have to ask for it.
• Evening entertainment, mostly a DJ with « boom boom » Ibiza style music, whereas it should have beeb something calming/relaxing like lounge music really, which they have, but during the day.
• The welcome drink is water from a jug with lemons in it! No glass of Italian wine or champagne. Never seen that before in a 5* hotel.
• There is no pillow menu. You’ll have to make do with what you have.
• No Executive Lounge for HH Honor members. No special treatment.
• The A/C is on all the time in the restaurant even though it was quite cold outside in the mornings and evenings. Very uncomfortable and chilly. Makes you want to eat quickly and leave.
• There’s a problem with the doors slamming. A mechanical intervention is needed.
• The wifi is switched off every time you leave the room and you must log in again every time
• A small vanity set (shower cap, coton pad) is given only on the first day. You have to ask for more every day.
• The loungers and parasols on the hotel’s beach were taken away on 9th October. Hotel closes end of October. In any case, the small beach is not sandy and you can’t order anything. The nearest sandy beach is a 20 minute walk (25€ for loungers and parasol), otherwise you need a car.
All in all, apart from the beautiful, secluded, quiet area, (a car is an absolute must), the food is nothing special and I found the hotel to be parsimonious in everything. It is not a 5* hotel, (those who have experienced what a true 5+ hotel is will agree), it's so far from everywhere and having to drive long distances, with narrow winding roads at 50km/hour, is a nuisance. It was our wedding anniversary on the day of our arrival, but no glass of champagne/wine/message/chocolate in the room even though the hotel had been informed, 2ce, not a 5* attutude) .If we had been made to feel like « valuable guests » with the little gestures that mean so much, and had the atmosphere (and personnel) been warm, homely and friendly, (and not only on the one day the "owners" were present) we might have enjoyed our stay more. 14 nights was too long there. One week would have been great."
