Hotel San Vito

Getting down to the sea is easy enough: a 200-meter path leads to a small public beach and a reef. The hotel itself seems frozen in the late 1970s, when I believe it opened, and is dated and poorly maintained. The rooms look clean and have air conditioning and an 1980s TV, but no refrigerator. Breakfast is just the bare essentials. For dinner, you have to take the shuttle to another hotel on the Forio seafront, where we had a good meal of decent quality. The pool is abandoned and has no supervision. I'd give it a political six.

The location is a real strength, close to the sea and only a short walk from the center of Forio. The outdoor area is in good shape, and the pool is reasonably well maintained. The building seems generally sound but neglected. Inside, the rooms are in terrible condition: old, battered furniture, uncomfortable mattresses, and bathrooms that badly need a full renovation. There's no hairdryer, telephone, or minibar in the rooms, and the way guests are treated leaves a lot to be desired. With a good renovation, the place could compete with Ischia's best known properties. I hope they get moving on it.

We booked online, but the hotel doesn't match what was advertised. It's very old and needs renovation. Water leaks from the bathroom sink around the clock, and the shower has a curtain and plastic. The double room was small, with a bed made up of two single mattresses. There was no room telephone and none of the advertised amenities, including a hairdryer. The worst part was being taken to Hotel Carolina for lunch and dinner, where the food was very bad. The chef doesn't know how to do the job. The portions were small and cold too. The only positive was the friendly, professional staff. They can't do more than that. I strongly advise against booking at these hotels.

The private pool is really nice, and the beach is only a few metres away down some stairs. The hotel itself is in a fairly remote spot, though there’s a bus stop close by. In summer, the buses are small and packed. I wasn’t keen on the bathroom: the shower had no tray or curtain. The outside of the building and the room layout could be better. For the price, it wasn’t bad.