"I strongly urge travellers—especially solo travellers—to think very carefully before booking La Plage Resort. Despite its advertised five-star status, this was the worst and most disturbing hotel experience I have ever had.
I am accustomed to international hospitality standards, and what I experienced at this property was completely unacceptable and deeply unprofessional. Their conduct turned what should have been an enjoyable conclusion to my holiday into an extremely distressing experience. Instead of enjoying my remaining time in Sicily, I found myself counting the hours until I could leave the resort—and ultimately leave Italy.
The room felt extremely dated and poorly maintained. The ventilation was inadequate, and the cleaning appeared superficial rather than thorough, leaving the space feeling stale, neglected and uncomfortable. The overall atmosphere of the room felt noticeably low and depressing, which inevitably affected my mood and sense of well-being as a guest. I also found insects in the curtains, ants and spiders around the tables and cups. The following day, I discovered a thick spiderweb covered in accumulated dust and dirt near the furniture. I documented all of these conditions with photographs and videos.
The resort is also located directly beside a railway line, and the repeated noise throughout the night was extremely disruptive. My room faced a dilapidated, apparently abandoned structure immediately beside the property, leaving the balcony feeling exposed and raising serious security concerns for me as a woman travelling alone.
The restaurant was equally disappointing. Flies repeatedly landed on the food while the doors were left open, and the restaurant floor was visibly dirty. Even basic five-star service was absent: drinking water was not replenished in the room unless I called to request it.
The beach is promoted as private, yet members of the public continually passed directly in front of and behind hotel guests. There was neither the privacy nor the controlled access I would expect from a five-star resort.
The management’s handling of my concerns was even more alarming than the physical condition of the property.
Throughout the entire matter, I treated the hotel with respect, honesty and complete transparency. I communicated every concern directly to them and kept them fully informed of my correspondence with Booking.com so that all parties remained aligned. Unfortunately, I felt that they took advantage of the fact that I was a woman travelling alone.
When I objected to the condition of the room, the hotel described my room assignment as an “upgrade,” although the upgrade was already a Genius Level 3 benefit through Booking.com. I was then asked to pay approximately €400 extra per night for a larger and more acceptable room.
After I posted my initial Google review, the hotel offered me a €700 reduction and presented me with a document to sign. I signed it in good faith and out of trust, before discovering the full extent of the insects, dirt and hygiene problems. They later used this document against me, treating it as evidence that I had personally chosen to remain at the hotel and then representing to Booking.com that staying was entirely my decision. This was not how the document was presented or understood when I signed it, and it does not reflect the full circumstances of what occurred.
When Booking.com later intervened and informed me that a full payment exemption/cancellation had been granted, I immediately notified the hotel in writing. Instead of addressing the matter professionally, they ignored my messages for approximately six hours, from 4:00 PM until 10:00 PM.
Then, at 1:06 AM—only hours before my departure—the hotel charged €2,167 to my credit card without my authorization or signature for that transaction and without providing me with an itemized invoice at the time.
Even more seriously, the property subsequently told Booking.com that I had called them and agreed to a new arrangement regarding my stay. That is untrue. My communications with the hotel were conducted in writing through WhatsApp and messages, and the documented record does not support their account.
It is deeply unfortunate that, over a single guest’s booking and a disputed amount of just over €2,000, the management chose to jeopardize the trust of its guests and the reputation of the property. They had every opportunity to handle the matter professionally, fairly and with genuine hospitality. Instead, their conduct left me with the clear impression that financial considerations were placed above integrity, guest care and long-term reputation.
A successful hospitality business is not built this way. Guests are not won through pressure, silence, disputed charges or misleading accounts of what occurred. True hospitality is demonstrated through honesty, accountability, respect and a sincere commitment to resolving concerns fairly—qualities that were sadly absent from my experience at La Plage Resort.
I have preserved photographs, videos, timestamps, card records and written correspondence supporting every point raised in this review. The transaction and the hotel’s conduct are now being formally disputed through the appropriate channels.
This was not merely a disappointing stay. It was an experience that left me feeling unsafe, distressed and deeply concerned about the property’s standards and management practices. I cannot recommend La Plage Resort to anyone."
