Hotel Elena

The bathroom was the one letdown, with no shower tray. The room was clean overall and had a TV, Wi-Fi, and heating, though its furniture was older than the nicely kept, more updated entrance and breakfast room. There's parking, and the hotel is only 600 metres from the thermal baths. The staff were welcoming and helpful. After we got back from the baths at 1:30 a.m., the man at the entrance made us hot chocolate and gave us drinks to take upstairs. Breakfast was great, with good croissants, coffee, and cappuccino, plus cereal, jams, Nutella for the rusks, and juices in different flavors. For a night or two, the value for money makes it worth four stars.

We barely stayed there, in and out, and definitely won't return. It took over an hour for anyone to check us in, and reaching the hotel beforehand was impossible: no answer on the landline, mobile, or email. The manager/owner eventually appeared with his shirt untucked, rubbing his belly, which showed with each movement. It brought to mind Carlo Verdone as the Calabrian immigrant in "White, Red and Verdone". The so-called superior room was tiny, reached by two elevator floors and then a flight of stairs. Its only superior feature seemed to be its floor. Hotel Elena reminded me of an old summer camp, with dated furniture, home-style room doors, red plastic handles, and long 1950s-style keys. The lobby was dark, and there were no staff or guests around. This place could barely rate two stars.

The bathrooms were clean, and I had no particular complaints about the rooms, though getting around can be a little difficult if there are three or more of you. The hotel itself is average, neither fancy nor shabby. Lunch and dinner may be a bit lacking compared with breakfast.

We booked the Eden Hotel on Booking.com, then the manager got in touch to ask if he could move us to the Elena, saying it was “even better.” Maybe better than a cabin! The plaster was peeling, the mattresses sagged so much that sleeping on them was impossible, and we found a pair of dirty socks in a drawer. The lights were loud, and the breakfast was terrible, to put it mildly.