Hotel Universal

Really good hotel, with a great pool and staff who were helpful and lovely. It'd be even better if the pool bar and snacks opened earlier.

We picked this place for the waterfront, and I thought that was a better trade-off than being close to town. Livorno itself is about a 10-15 minute drive away. You can walk to a couple of places for food and drinks, and there's a grocery store nearby. I felt safe walking around at night with my husband. Just don't rely on Google for the nearby businesses' opening hours, which were often wrong. The building has a lot of charm, and parking is free for guests. The gate locks at midnight, but they give you a code if you come back later. Our room was small, with the bed taking up most of it, though that didn't bother us much. The TV takes up a lot of visual space, but the room was still nice overall. Breakfast looked good, but I'm gluten-free and didn't ask about options. I didn't see anything that looked suitable, so I ate food from the nearby grocery store instead. The front desk team were friendly and helpful. There's a bar open until midnight, though the bartender isn't always standing behind it. They keep an eye on things, and someone should come over if you walk up. The odd part was how quiet it was, with no music or anything, but we could take drinks back to our room. We visited in the off season, so things may be different at other times. It felt laid back, and I'd recommend it.

The ocean-facing room had a wonderful view, and it was a decent size for two. Breakfast was delicious, with lots of different food and drinks. The staff were very friendly and helped us find our way around. For the price, I thought the hotel was very nice. The one downside was the thin walls: we could hear conversations in connecting rooms and almost every door opening and closing.

The manager was the one staff member who really showed interpersonal skills. He was accommodating and down to earth. The hotel itself was clean and very nice, and our room was surprisingly impressive for a three-star place. After check-in and our first night, I would've given it five stars. But some of the staff made us feel poorly treated during the rest of our stay. The woman handling breakfast was rude and inhospitable. When my partner asked for tea five minutes before breakfast ended, she rolled her eyes. At 10 a.m. on the dot, while we were still eating, she told us rudely to leave the room. After our three-night stay, we asked if another night was possible, but the hotel was full, which was fair enough. We also asked whether we could wait in the pool area, which was always completely empty, until check-in at our next hotel. We were told we could use it for an hour, then would have to leave.