Relais Lo Stagnone

We stayed only one night of the six we’d booked. The property felt neglected and badly run down, especially the bathrooms and outdoor pool, which were far below an acceptable standard. It didn’t look like the photos on booking.com, and the shower water was salty. The management handled the refund poorly. The manager and I agreed on €600 for the four unused nights, but after several days of calls and emails, I received only €180. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel to anyone wanting a pleasant, professional stay.

I didn’t feel safe after what happened in the upstairs Suite. Roberto told me that only he or I could access its terrace. I’d just come back from the beach and said I was going to shower, then head downstairs to the bar for water. When I came out and was getting dressed, I noticed someone outside watching me through the window. I screamed and was shocked. After a while I went down to speak with Roberto. He said someone might have been there to take a photo, which made it worse since they could have photographed me naked. His proposed response was to put up a sign saying only employees could go to the terrace. The place has potential, but I found the lack of professionalism troubling.

Roberto welcomed us warmly and was a wonderful host. When we went to buy wine, he gave us a complimentary bottle of Syrah, and he also booked a table for us at Mammacaura restaurant. Our room was cozy and clean, as were the shared bathrooms. There’s a garden pool and, across the road, a wooden pier that reaches about 30 meters into the sea for easy access to the lagoon. Upstairs, a sun terrace and jacuzzi look out over the lagoon and Isola Grande on the horizon. The guesthouse is ideally placed across from the Stagnone Lagoon and 2 km from the well-known Stagnone salt works.

We arrived during a fire, with burning palm tree pieces flying through the main entrance and people screaming and running. We left because we didn’t want to breathe the smoke or risk our car catching fire. When we tried to come back later that night to see whether it was under control, police had closed the street and we couldn’t get near the property. We asked for a refund, but the property wouldn’t negotiate because they considered it safe for us to stay. The place was extremely worn out and looked much worse than the pictures. The pool is tiny, the surroundings are ugly, and the nearby beach was dirty. No one here speaks English. Terrible approach.