Grand Hotel Vesuvio

"I cannot rate this place enough, lovely staff, great food. A real personal touch.The staff in the restaurant were exceptional. Everyday we were greeted wirh smiles, handshakes. Special shout out to Roberto and Giuseppe aswell as the Restaurant Manager. These guys were 100% attentive and charming. 5 star service all day."

"We recently stayed here as a family of 5 (3 teenagers). Overall a positive experience. Set high up on the hill side, the hotel has beautiful views across the bay. Everywhere was very clean and we received fresh towels every day. My children enjoyed the large pool and there were always sufficient sun beds both next to the pool and in a quiet, shadier garden space, if like me, you don’t want too much sun. I made use of the gym on a few occasions which had all the basics in it. We loved the restaurant food and everyone found something they liked. I particularly enjoyed the fish. The only downside to dinner was having to purchase drinks. I would’ve expected a water machine. We welcomed the opportunity to swap dinner for lunch and ate out in Sorrento on a few evenings. Personally, however, I missed the food at the hotel, which was nicer. Breakfast was pretty standard, with water, coffees and juices alongside continental and a few cooked food options. Again, everyone found something they liked. The shuttle bus into Sorrento was great although we did have to wait for the next one on a couple of occasions as it was full (at night time). The driver came straight back for us so we didn’t have to wait for too long. Taxis are very expensive. We were quoted 30 Euros so passed on that one. We went on some lovely trips. The train was inexpensive and reliable; it took us to both Pompei and Herculaneum. We took ferries to Capri and Amalfi. Finally we used local bus service (Sita) to Positano, which I wouldn’t recommend (very hot and overcrowded). My children have a very poor opinion of Positano as they arrived hot and bothered and feeling a bit ill! Staff were all very attentive and did a great job. A couple of them seemed a bit grumpy, but they were pretty busy! I doubt I’ll return because there are so many other places I want to see in the world, but I would recommend this hotel to others."

"We spent three weeks on our honeymoon across Europe and stayed in nine different hotels, and unfortunately this was by far the worst experience of the entire trip. The only positives were that the hotel is large, has a beautiful sea view, and the property itself is clean and well maintained. Everything else was extremely disappointing. The hotel simply pushes two twin beds together and calls it a double bed. On the first night my husband got stuck between the beds, and on the next two nights I did. It was incredibly uncomfortable and unacceptable for a hotel charging such a high tariff. The rooms don’t even have a kettle for tea or coffee, which we could have overlooked. But what was truly surprising was that the room was stocked with paper cups instead of proper glasses. That felt very cheap for a hotel in this price range. The breakfast was another disappointment. The spread was quite limited and had very little to offer for vegetarians. Across the many hotels we stayed at during our trip, this was one of the weakest breakfast buffets we encountered. The selection lacked variety, and it certainly did not meet the standard we expected from a hotel in this category. The hotel advertises a free shuttle service between the hotel and the city centre, but in reality it is highly impractical. The hotel is located uphill, and walking is neither safe nor convenient because there are no proper pedestrian paths. The biggest problem is that there is only one shuttle bus. During the day it may be manageable, but at night there were so many people waiting that the shuttle became completely full. The driver could not accommodate many of us and simply asked us to wait another 45 minutes for the next shuttle. As a result, we had to spend a significant amount on taxis just to get back to the hotel. The shuttle timings are also very strange, and it doesn’t operate for several hours in the afternoon. The final incident completely ruined whatever goodwill we had left. On our last morning, at the breakfast buffet, I was simply reading the label on a basket of sweet pastries. A man in a suit, who appeared to be a manager, came over almost immediately and told me they were gluten-free. He then asked if I was gluten-free. I replied, “No, I was just having a look.” He responded with, “Then keep it down, it’s for gluten-free people.” I was shocked by how rude and insulting that was. I had not taken anything from there, I was only reading the label. That interaction was completely unnecessary and left me feeling humiliated. Considering the amount we paid, this hotel was a huge disappointment. The facilities and service simply do not justify the price, and the attitude of the staff made the experience even worse. This hotel ended up spoiling the last few days of our honeymoon, and we would never recommend it to anyone."