Hotel Baia Dei Faraglioni

We really enjoyed our two nights, especially the beach, one of the most beautiful I've seen, with white stones and everything well organized. Our first room was next to reception. It was fine, but in the morning there was some noise and a bad smell, so I asked if we could move. The reception staff handled it with great care and gave us a more spacious room in a higher category. I'd recommend the place.

I was there for a two-day wedding event. The wedding itself was fine, but the day after checkout I realized I'd left my backpack and wallet in the room. I called reception, and they confirmed they had found the bag. A friend who was still at the hotel got it back for me. When I opened the wallet, I was horrified to find 400 euros in cash missing, and it looked like the wallet had been opened. I told the groomsman right away. He tried to contact the hotel, but they ignored us. I also emailed twice and got no reply. I'm deeply disappointed in the reception staff and believe they stole my money. The hotel's behavior is unacceptable.

The reception staff were rude. Our toddler scraped the skin on a toe on the stairs, and before we'd even checked in a brunette woman at reception immediately accused us of completely ruining the sofa instead of offering help. At breakfast, guests aren't allowed to pour their own coffee. You have to ask a waiter and wait. On the pebble beach, shoes are needed for comfort, and some guests can be treated like second class visitors who don't deserve front row sunbeds, ending up several metres from the water. That kind of guest segregation in shared areas seemed wrong in 2019. The pool is deep, cold, and not very kid friendly, with slippery walkways. Trees shade it after 4PM. The hotel is rated 4*, though it seems to give itself another star. The quality felt closer to 3*.

We are not hotel guests, so this isn't a review of its facilities. We did have a very poor experience with the hotel when we tried to reach the public beach. Security staff were unfriendly and initially denied us access, saying the only road passed through private property. We argued for ten minutes in the burning sun before they let us through. I understand that a 2001 ruling by Italy's Supreme Court forbids denying access to a public beach, but that rule seems to be ignored here. When we contacted reception, they told us to drive 30 km to the municipality of Mattinata and ask for a “special permit” to enter the “public” beach. Very strange.