"Disappointing stay – sadly not what we expected
Unfortunately, our stay at Villa Romana was disappointing, particularly as we had paid extra for a room with a balcony.
On arrival, we were allocated the wrong room without a balcony. I initially doubted myself and thought perhaps I had made a mistake with the booking, but after checking two days later I realised I was correct. The hotel acknowledged the error but could not move us until Thursday, meaning we only had four nights in the room we had actually paid extra for. We were offered dinner as compensation, but we already had plans to eat out so this wasn't really of any benefit to us.
The room itself was lovely, although the bathroom was extremely small and the shower was so tight it was difficult to turn around comfortably.
Unfortunately, the service also let the hotel down. On several evenings when we sat having drinks, both early evening and around 9:30pm, we often had to wait for someone to come and serve us and at times felt as though we were inconveniencing the staff. On one occasion, the lights were actually switched off while we were still sitting there having a drink, despite it not even being 10pm, which made us feel very unwelcome.
Our final impression wasn't helped at checkout either. We left at around 6:45am and the gentleman on reception was very unfriendly, barely acknowledged us and simply presented us with our bar bill. After the problems with the room and the disappointing service throughout the stay, a little warmth or acknowledgement would have gone a long way.
There were positives: the hotel itself is attractive and our eventual room was lovely. However, when you pay extra for a particular room and don't receive it for a significant part of your holiday, combined with service that repeatedly makes you feel unwelcome, it really affects the experience.
I would also say that, in our experience, this hotel seems much better suited to guests looking for a very quiet, early-to-bed holiday. If you're under 60 – or simply still enjoy a bit of atmosphere and an evening drink after 9:30pm – I personally wouldn't recommend it! 😂
Sadly, based on our stay, I can only give Villa Romana 2 stars. For a hotel in such a beautiful location, we expected much better hospitality, atmosphere and attention to guests.
Unfortunately, our stay at Villa Romana was disappointing, particularly as we had paid extra for a room with a balcony.
On arrival, we were allocated the wrong room without a balcony. I initially doubted myself and thought perhaps I had made a mistake with the booking, but after checking two days later I realised I was correct. The hotel acknowledged the error but could not move us until Thursday, meaning we only had four nights in the room we had actually paid extra for. We were offered dinner as compensation, but we already had plans to eat out so this wasn't really of any benefit to us.
The room itself was lovely, although the bathroom was extremely small and the shower was so tight it was difficult to turn around comfortably.
Unfortunately, the service also let the hotel down. On several evenings when we sat having drinks, both early evening and around 9:30pm, we often had to wait for someone to come and serve us and at times felt as though we were inconveniencing the staff. On one occasion, the lights were actually switched off while we were still sitting there having a drink, despite it not even being 10pm, which made us feel very unwelcome.
Our final impression wasn't helped at checkout either. We left at around 6:45am and the gentleman on reception was very unfriendly, barely acknowledged us and simply presented us with our bar bill. After the problems with the room and the disappointing service throughout the stay, a little warmth or acknowledgement would have gone a long way.
There were positives: the hotel itself is attractive and our eventual room was lovely. However, when you pay extra for a particular room and don't receive it for a significant part of your holiday, combined with service that repeatedly makes you feel unwelcome, it really affects the experience.
I would also say that, in our experience, this hotel seems much better suited to guests looking for a very quiet, early-to-bed holiday. If you're under 60 – or simply still enjoy a bit of atmosphere and an evening drink after 9:30pm – I personally wouldn't recommend it!
Sadly, based on our stay, I can only give Villa Romana 2 stars. For a hotel in such a beautiful location, we expected much better hospitality, atmosphere and attention to guests."
