Stella Marina Hotel & Residence

The owners of Stella Beach and Stella Marina have made a welcoming place that fits in with the natural beauty around it. Stella Marina offers convenient accommodation, and most of the staff are very welcoming. People come back to places like this for the distinctive, memorable experiences.

Cecina is a busy beach town, especially during Ferragosta, and I should have realized that before booking. The hotel doesn't organize the events and can't stop them, but I was still disappointed by how the front desk handled my concerns. Several people immediately said it wasn't their fault and showed no interest in helping guests understand what the noise might be like. I lost sleep and was annoyed by that lack of information and concern. There was loud live music at the concert ground next door until 1AM on two of our three nights. When I asked reception which nights it was open, they couldn't tell me. At checkout I suggested adding a notice about the festivities and their impact to the website. The response was that everyone knows Cecina is a party town, they didn't know the schedule anyway, and the owner didn't need to ask the venue about its program. She said she had never received complaints and had seen happy people that morning, except for me. I understand they can't prevent events, and I wasn't asking them to. To me, though, ordinary street or music noise in a lively town is different from a nearby concert venue playing beside a poorly insulated window. We also had a parking problem. On arrival we were told we couldn't park on the premises and had to find a spot nearby, which was almost impossible in the crowds. I'd emailed in advance to ask for reserved parking, as the website says, but they said I'd used the wrong email address. I got no bounce notice or other email about that, and they said it was an IT issue, not their problem. We had to drive around several times whenever we needed to park. The cost wasn't a big deal, only €11 for 3 days. The apartment was well fitted but basic. The beds and bathroom were nice, and the air conditioning worked very well. A couch or comfortable chair would have helped. The building was noisy: we often heard loud conversations, crying children, barking dogs, and furniture being moved. WiFi was very poor. We often couldn't connect, get an IP address, or reach the internet. Mobile data was poor too, possibly because of the crowds in Cecina. If you like a busy beach town, late nights, and days at the beach, and don't mind limited information, this may be a good place to stay.

The staff were friendly, and they had the air conditioning on for me at check-in, which I loved. Internet in the room was extremely patchy.

The pool and beach were good. The hotel and apartments were nice, with plenty of free parking, both inside and in a large lot nearby.