Hotel Villa Serena

The two reasons I gave this place two stars were the really delicious dinner and the two older restaurant gentlemen, who were the heart and soul of the hotel. Everything else was a poor choice by the agency that booked us. I stayed here in July 2023, and the town felt forgotten, with the hotel far from everything. The rooms were small, the furniture very old, and there was a bad smell, including smoke from people allowed to smoke on tiny balconies that drifted inside. In the hot summer weather, there was no air conditioning, only an old broken ventilation system. Breakfast was very light. Update: I’ve lowered my service rating to two stars. I arrived late in the evening and reported early the next morning that the room was bad and the ventilation was broken. Reception said my room had the same ventilation problem as room 221 and, to quote, “only God can tell if another room could be available in the next days.” When service is poor, good reviews shouldn’t be expected. The photos don’t lie. Instead of denying what’s obvious, you could improve things for future customers. Good luck with that.

We were a group of 30 tourists, and the location was a problem. It may look walkable on a map, but there’s no walking path, and the steep slopes and dangerous roads at night meant we had to take taxis to the nearest restaurants. The taxi drivers charged different amounts for the same distance and same number of people. The hotel itself felt old, from the rooms to the decor. Restaurant staff were rude, showed what seemed like racist behavior, and lacked hospitality. There were lots of bugs crawling on the breakfast table, but the waiter insisted I sit there. They kept pushing everyone to eat at the same unclean table even though clean, empty tables were available. It seemed they didn't want to work. No one spoke English apart from reception. The whole stay felt like a nightmare.

The staff were helpful, but the room prices were far too high for what you got. The value just wasn't there. They advertise this as a four-star hotel, though I’d call it two-star if it weren't for the pool. It might have been nice back in the 1990s, but the design and facilities seem stuck there.

The bedrooms were good, and the staff were cordial. Still, I think the hotel should make better use of its video monitoring in the parking area at night, since there seems to be a high chance of assaults and thefts.