Sant'Angelo, Matera - Small Luxury Hotels

The cave hotel made for a really unusual stay, and the location was great. Our room was spacious, clean, and comfortable, and breakfast was very good. The staff went out of their way to help us before and during the visit. I'm really grateful for all their assistance.

The room was clean, though not spotless, and it was well equipped and looked after. The bed and linens were comfortable. Breakfast, though, was a complete mess for the premium price. We waited 15 minutes before realizing nobody was taking care of things; staff were rushing around without knowing who was handling what. There were used cups, empty water jugs, and uncleared tables. Then an omelette cost another 12€. That felt like the opposite of luxury.

The room was fascinating and the location was great. Since we have mobility issues, they arranged an Apecar (Tuktuk) tour of Matera for us. Service was a mixed bag. They picked us up at the garage, which was great, but at checkout they didn't answer the phone. After I'd carried my own bags 500 feet down 20 rough stone steps, I was told there was another desk I should call. We also weren't told we'd need to climb 50 stone steps for breakfast, or that they could deliver it to our room.

I booked a room six months ago and cancelled it within a week. I logged into their website account and checked that no reservations were showing. Then, the night before they charged 610euro to my credit card, I got an email saying check-in was in two days and cancellation had to be made seven days ahead. I messaged and called right away, and sent a screenshot of the account showing no bookings. After I chased him with several calls, the GM said he'd look into it. Front desk reprimanded me for calling him, asking if I knew he was the GM and saying he wasn't there all the time, even though I called before 1700. At night, a supervisor said there was only one room booked; the next day I was told there were two. It seems they cancelled one reservation but not the other, and now say they have two, even though our account showed none. They also said clients can't cancel online, but still insisted we had a booking after we'd notified them six months earlier. I strongly advise against this hotel. Their booking system is defective, to say the least, if not a scam. We shall inform the Hospitality organisation about them. I regret not reading all the reviews first. There are many negative reviews mentioning fake descriptions of the hotel, extra charges, poor breakfast, refunds, and dirty premises and breakfast facilities. I attach the screenshot of our account showing no reservations.