Villa Elia

The location is excellent, but during busy periods like Christmas you hear a lot of noise from the bars. One very old man, around 70, was rude to us at reception, and that made the experience pretty negative. We’d made a mistake with the booking and reserved a one-bedroom apartment. The hotel was full, but he still charged us for a bigger room, saying he couldn’t give a one-bedroom to two people. The room had cracked shower glass, which seemed dangerous. We never tried breakfast because we didn’t want it, but they kept insisting it was included with all their rooms and had to be paid for as part of the room price. The elevator sometimes stopped. There were no plugs beside the beds, and the wardrobe door was hanging loose. Every shower flooded the floor, and one towel wasn’t enough to dry it. The shower head wouldn’t stay fitted up top, so you had to hold it. On the positive side, the room was always warm and there was always hot water. The other reception staff were okay. Two were very kind and helpful, though unfortunately I didn’t get their names. They kindly arranged parking for us even though it wasn’t part of the booking. Keep in mind that parking is first come, first served, and isn’t always available. I might stay again for the location, but not for the rooms or the welcome we got.

There are lots of restaurants, bars, and shops nearby, since the hotel is right in the city center. The rooms are big, and the place has a cozy retro atmosphere. The hotel parking area isn’t large, but it was enough for the guests. Breakfast was delicious, and eating there felt like being in an aristocratic house.

The beds were extremely uncomfortable, with stains on the mattresses. Two of the four felt broken, sinking noticeably where a person’s torso would lie. We had only a few outlets in the room and none beside the beds. My dad uses a CPAP machine, but there was no bedside table near the beds in the second room, so we had to put it on the floor. Nothing in the room was really convenient, and without nets on the windows, we couldn’t open them. We were put on the fourth floor, where it was very hot. The old AC couldn’t cool the room, and when we asked to move floors, we were told nothing else was available. The room was poorly equipped in other ways, too. The curtains were coming off and couldn’t be closed properly. The toilet flush leaked and kept refilling, making a constant noise in the bathroom. The shower cabin was missing its lids, so taking a shower inevitably soaked the whole bathroom. The toilet bowl had very dark marks and looked gross, and water pooled in the sink. The staff weren’t helpful. Only the woman serving breakfast smiled. The men at check-in and check-out weren’t welcoming. Please don’t be fooled by the high ratings. It was a terrible stay.

A great place for a short or long stay, with a handy location near everything you need. The hotel was very clean, and the staff were friendly and eager to help. There was a big breakfast spread with lots of tasty food.