Bianchi

The breakfast room was packed and unbearably hot, with no air conditioning. In the room, the bathroom was tiny and smelly, the internet was poor, and the TV glitched every five minutes. The AC only had an on/off switch, so there was no way to set a temperature. I called a week ahead to make sure I could pay extra for a front-row beach umbrella, but they didn't provide one. I'm not going back.

The hotel is old, which some people might find charming, and the beach is just two streets away. It's fine as a place to sleep if you'll spend the day at the beach and don't expect much from the hotel. Our large group was split among rooms, which worked out. Breakfast runs as a buffet from 7 to 10, with two excellent coffee machines, a juice machine, bakery items and food freshly cooked or baked by the kitchen staff. The reserved beach area caused our only real problem: make sure you ask reception for a sunbed ticket, or the beach staff may turn your group away if you can't show your reservation. The elevator is very old and slow, and the AC can't be adjusted, so at night you either sweat or freeze. Good enough if you keep your expectations modest.

The staff weren't very pleasant, apart from one young man at reception. The room was tiny and dirty, with sand all over the floor when we arrived, floors that didn't look cleaned, a clogged sink and mold in the bathroom. The bed was so uncomfortable that sleeping was impossible, and the thin walls meant we could hear everything. It wasn't worth the money, and we won't visit again.

The location and our spot on the beach were the only great parts. The room was unclean when we arrived, with dirty sheets and yellow marks on the pillows and towels. The toilet was dirty too, and we had to ask before they gave us the safe key. Everything was cramped, the old bed was worn, and we struggled to close the shower door. The bathroom looked overused, the shower head kept tipping forward, and the TV didn't work. We were on the fourth floor beside the cleaning and laundry room. Starting at 8 in the morning, its door slammed every few minutes as staff went in and out. The AC couldn't be adjusted, and the WiFi barely worked. Breakfast was odd, especially the egg, which didn't taste good and may have been powdered or mixed with milk. After 9, there was rarely anything appealing left, and they didn't replenish the food.