Carlton Riviera

The location is great, and breakfast was adequate and plentiful, but the hotel doesn't come close to a four-star standard. It must have been some kind of club hotel in the 80s; today, it deserves two stars at most. The furniture is worn, and the bathroom is especially bad, with rust and limescale on the taps and shower cubicle. Everything felt dirty: shower water wouldn't drain, and the bottle left by the previous guest was greasy. I could hear the neighbors all the time, including things I really didn't want to hear. The mirror was badly marked, as if someone had wiped it with a dirty cloth. The rooms seem to have had a superficial makeover, like theater scenery: some paint, a picture, an air conditioning control keyboard on the wall, an LED strip, and furniture that looked old 20 years ago. The beach is well endowed, but not cleaned, and there isn't a proper shower there. I found four tiny showers and just laughed in frustration. It might have been a great experience, but I skipped it because I don't think it's been cleaned in years, even though water does come out. In the corridor, nearly every ceiling panel was broken, stained, painted, moldy, or dirty, all thanks to this excellent air conditioning system. We planned to stay several days before continuing through Sicily, but we'll definitely find another hotel.

It was peaceful enough to properly unwind right on the beach, and overall I was very satisfied. The rooms were clean and large enough, with comfortable beds. Food was very good, though a wider choice of dishes would be nice. The pool wasn't clean, but when I'm by the sea I don't really care about the pool, right? There are lots of big rocks on the beach and shore, so you'll need shoes to get into the sea. Parking was free and spacious enough. We had breakfast on the roof with an amazing view, and ate lunch and dinner outside twice and inside twice. My only complaint is the bathroom noise, you can really hear what the neighbors are doing :D

The view, location, pool, and beach were the only good things. The room was horribly unclean, with bugs smashed on the walls, dirty floors, and a dingy sink. The bed and pillows were so uncomfortable, and the AC unit wasn't really working. Breakfast was okay, and the croissants were amazing, but the coffee was horrible. Truly one of the worst hotels I've stayed in. I'd recommend it for the view and location, but that's it. The rest was horrible.

Check-in went smoothly, the staff were friendly, and we had a large balcony with a nice view. But the roads to reach the hotel were very bad, and the room wasn't really clean, especially the toilet. The bed was very uncomfortable and cheap, and the pillow felt like a piece of paper inside a varnish. Breakfast was included and easily the worst we've ever had: bland, very little choice, and as cheap as could be. The coffee was outrageously bad, from machines that looked 80 years old and made coffee that tasted just as awful. Definitely not recommended. I'll never come back.