Grand Hotel Vesuvio

"Would definitely not recommend this hotel and it is definitely not a 4 star hotel. Struggling to achieve 3 stars. Rooms were pretty basic but very clean/immaculate and the hotel had a cold clinical feel /atmosphere. Cleaning staff were absolutely fantastic, warm and friendly.The pool was so cold that it was unbearable to swim in. We were unable to use the pool for the duration of the holiday. You were given one towel for the duration of your holiday to be used at the pool and a note was left in the room to inform you a charge of 5 euros per towel would be added to your bill if you required a clean towel. Is this a four star hotel ??? Expecting you to use one towel at the pool for the duration of your holiday.Male reception staff were cold and even unpleasant and I would go as far as saying unprofessional as I witnessed one of them talking to a female receptionist in a horrible demeaning manner. Obviously chastising her for something in front of guests. Found the female reception staff to be first class, welcoming, warm and extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Worst thing about the hotel was the food. Breakfast was an absolute disgrace. Bowls of tinned fruit and when I asked every morning for fresh fruit some chopped melon was brought out. Cakes that were inedible were brought out from last night dinner …big bowl of watery gloop that was supposed to be scrambled eggs …I could go on and on , the worst buffet I have ever encountered. I wish I had taken photographs to demonstrate how awful it was. Such poor poor quality food. We actually stopped going to breakfast and unfortunately we were half board which we did not use. The hotel is outside the town of Sorrento which means that you are dependent on the hotel bus service at specific times to taxi you to and from the hotel. Once you are in the hotel you are stuck there with no nice walks as the roads into town have no pavements and are treacherous. We found ourselves Constantly needing to get taxis and drivers charged 30 euros plus for a very short journey. Sorrento is worth a visit but stay in a hotel that is within walking distance from the town . Do not stay at this hotel."

"Don't be fooled by the offer of a free courtesy bus. It doesn't run all day and often leaves people behind. They prioritise groups and leave people stranded. It's not safe to walk into the town because there are no pavements, the hotel doesn't sell bus tickets (and you can't pay on board) and taxis are ridiculously expensive. Do yourself a favour and stay somewhere else for your holiday."

"This was my third visit to the hotel, but my first following my divorce. This meant I booked single rooms for my son and myself. While I was given a twin room which was lovely and large, I had no balcony which I missed as I do like to sit out - my son's single room had one and I think most rooms do. I just had a small window looking into a courtyard. While I knew I wouldn't have the option of a sea view (which seems to only be available for double room bookings), I would have liked a balcony still - I didn't see a way to ensure this when I booked through Jet2 - it just said single rooms had balconies, so I'd assumed I'd get one. However, the rooms were spacious with plenty of storage, bright and clean and well equipped (apart from the kettle and hot drinks provisions which we know to bring with us). They were cleaned daily by courteous and friendly staff. You get a big screen telly that you can get Netflix and YouTube on through your own accounts. The mini bar fridge is also plenty big enough to put some of your own supplies in like milk, wine etc. The pool is great - quite quiet, no need to worry about getting a good sunbed, it's never a problem and gets sun all day. There's a friendly bar for drinks. The evening food isn't brilliant, but for the price I don't expect it to be and we generally ate out after breakfast. Breakfast is good, with fresh fruit and a range of savoury and sweet things on the buffet. My son liked the coffee. It would be good to have a choice between bed and breakfast and half board. The shuttlebus between the hotel and town is very over-subscribed. We travelled on it once in our stay - having to stand. We waited for one back in the evening, only to find after waiting 20 mins that it was full and wouldn't let us on. We could have walked back in that time, so despite it being a bit of a hairy walk in places (where the path runs out on the busy winding road) we gave up on the bus for the rest of our stay and just walked to and from Sorrento. This was the same the last two times we went - really they could do with an extra shuttle or more frequent trips for the size of hotel they are. I think that's something to be wary of if you need to be able to rely on the bus. We got a taxi one evening when we had a lot of shopping and it was 25 euros for the short trip - taxis are extortionate. I like Vesuvio, obviously having been three times. It's a matter of weighing up what's important to you. I like the pool, the good room sizes and the views (when you get them)."