Villa Augusta

It’s an extraordinary place and location, with a stunning hotel and restaurant, a beautiful garden, pool, and lovely outdoor dining. The manager really did their best, and we plan to return, though we hope the details are handled better next time. In our room the A/C wasn’t working, so we were moved to another where it did. The stairs could be dangerous for kids, and at dinner there weren’t enough staff at some critical moments. The execution didn’t quite meet the standard of the setting.

The room was especially disappointing. There was a huge bath set on fake grass in the middle, it looked awful, and it didn’t even work. The toilet took ages to refill after flushing, and the windows looked out onto the car park. We were also told the pool was closed because of cold weather, even though it was 27 degrees, and after cycling we’d have liked to use it. The outdoor areas were dirty, with nowhere pleasant to sit or relax. The hotel looks nothing like its photos, and we found the location awful. At checkout we tried to explain how unhappy we were, but they barely spoke English and we couldn’t tell if they understood. They had nothing to say in response and seemed not to care. I wouldn’t recommend it. Our friends stayed at the 3* hotel in the town centre, where the pool was open and the rooms were beautiful.

I only went to the restaurant, and it was a really pleasant visit. The food was delicious and nicely prepared. I’ll come back!

The food at the restaurant was exquisite, and we booked our stay because of David Mollicone. He’s fantastic, but the wait staff let him, and us, down this time. They were either rude or incompetent, which was a shame given how good the food was. The gardens do feel secluded once you’re inside, and there’s a lovely sculpted fountain. The kids were excited to find a dead fish in it, but it wasn’t removed all day. The hotel is just outside the village, beside a retirement home and school sports field. It isn’t surrounded by woodland or parks as you might think from the pictures, which looked more impressive than the actual place. Our room was spacious but felt like a business hotel, unlike the exquisite interiors shown in the photos. We’d truly looked forward to this part of our holiday.