Hotel delle Palme

The staff were fantastic and friendly, always greeting us with a smile. Sant Agita was a pleasant break from the chaos of the bigger towns and cities, and the hotel made a good base for Amalfi, Sorento, Vesuvius, and Pompeii. It's a few miles from Sorento, though, and the roads can be challenging. We were there for two weeks, and the rooms were comfortable but not well appointed for the price. There's no drink-making equipment, and the clothes storage was basic. That might not matter for a couple of nights. While we were staying, a large event in Sant Agita, which I believe is annual, brought 300 people to the hotel. The staff seemed focused on handling the event and lost sight of the resident guests. The pool bar would be much better staffed; the young guy wasn't especially attentive, which is the kind of service I expect on holiday. We really enjoyed the stay and would probably come back to the area and stay here again, mainly because the staff were so good.

The holiday itself was really good, with Pompeii out of this world and the Amalfi Coast stunning. The hotel was the letdown. I visited in September 2023 as part of an escorted trip with Newmarket Holidays. They say it's just outside Sorrento, but it's actually an 8 km bus ride of 15 minutes or more on hazardous roads. The fare is each guest's responsibility, so even though it isn't expensive, it's an extra cost to consider. The rooms given to Newmarket guests weren't shown on the hotel's website. They were basic, at the front of the hotel, and had extremely small showers. There were no tea or coffee facilities in the room. The food was very basic and sometimes reminded me of school dinners, and breakfast wasn't exciting either. The website shows the pool lit up at night, which is odd when the pool area closes at 6pm. Sant Agate has a few restaurants, but not much else beyond an old church. The hotel was very disappointing in what could otherwise have been an outstanding holiday.

We spent three nights here and had a great stay. The room was clean, staff were friendly, and the location was very nice. The front garden was a great place to relax and order food later in the evening. Positano is around a 30-40 minute drive away. I'd recommend it to anyone planning a visit to the area.

The first time we came, we enjoyed an aperitivo in the garden, and our kid liked the indoor pool. It cost 15 euros to use. Our next visit was uncomfortable. We'd paid to use the pool and were halfway through drinks at the internal bar, between the pool and the garden, when a woman told us non-hotel guests weren't allowed to drink there. She also said we should leave because we'd dropped some chips and an ice cube on the floor. I would have understood if she'd told us the bar was for hotel guests before we ordered, but we were already drinking. I had to leave the drink we'd paid for because she asked us to go. Maybe hospitality isn't their strong point. There were lots of cobwebs behind the sofa, the macchiato had too much milk, the pool wasn't kid-friendly, and the area around it was quite dilapidated.