Torre Cintola Natural Sea Emotions

An honest review from an American in his 20s: this place was awful from beginning to end. You have to wear swim caps in the pool, which felt like an old ladies' water aerobics class. The beachfront is just a deck with chairs over the rocks, not a real beach. There’s only one way into the water, and it’s often closed for safety when the water rises. Staff didn't speak English and seemed frustrated when we asked questions or made requests, especially for guests who weren't Italian. The food was atrocious. Don't eat there. They charged €40 for a dinner buffet that was cold, spongy, and terrible quality, mostly bread and pastries. It was so bad we took plates without paying and went back to our rooms. The rooms are tiny, and the sheets had stains from blood, makeup, and other things. The location is awful too. You need a car to do anything, otherwise you're stuck there. For a place claiming to be a 4-star hotel with all these amenities, this was an absolutely horrible stay. Do not stay here.

There was plenty to choose from at breakfast, and the hotel offered evening entertainment in Italian, which our children enjoyed, along with a kids club. We liked the lovely sea views and the modern, well-kept hotel. It had two pools, including a saltwater one that was great for children, though swim hats were required. The optional dinner buffet sometimes included traditional Italian dancing.

The sea and the two pools made a good first impression, but after staying here I’d rate it closer to a 3-star resort. We’ve visited many 4-star places, and there’s a lot that could be improved. The location is beautiful, though the resort is starting to feel like it needs refreshing. The big dining room feels cheap and has no atmosphere. Breakfast was chaotic, there were no fried eggs or omelets, and the bread toasting setup wasn’t proper. After an hour, there was no more toast. Dinner has three courses, each with three choices, and you point to what you want as you hand over your plate. Communication in English is mostly impossible. Only a few people can understand or speak it, while half the guests are not Italian. There are loungers and umbrellas by the sea, but the coast is all rock, with no sand. You can get into the water by stairs, but watch out for rocks below that could hurt you. For a day at the sea, you need to find a better spot away from the resort. A large conference began during our last two days, and the crowd took over the terrace, making it hard for hotel guests to find a seat or order a drink. On our last day they set up a huge table around the biggest pool, and at 17:00 hotel guests were moved away from their loungers. I understand they had to prepare, but nobody told us about it. They could have let us know and helped us understand. As the season wound down in mid-September and there were fewer guests, beds were taken away from all the pool areas in the afternoon. That isn't customer friendly. They should do that after pool closing time. Maybe look a little further before spending so much money. We won't be back.

The hotel seems geared more toward Italian guests, and we ran into staff in animation, the restaurant, and even reception who spoke little or no basic English. If you’re an Italian-speaking family or couple, I’d recommend it; otherwise, probably not. We spent 10 days at Torre Cintola in June and had a nice time overall. The pools were lovely, and we could still find sunbeds even when we arrived in the afternoon. Breakfast was okay, dinner was hit or miss, and the rooms were nice but noisy. We also found quite a few ants in the room a couple of times. The location is fine, though you definitely need a car for sightseeing. Communication caused some avoidable confusion: we checked in around 12:30am and the night guard hardly spoke English, so we weren't told some important things. You have to add money to your room card to buy drinks, lunch, or snacks at the hotel. We also weren't told that you keep the same reserved table in the restaurant for dinner, and the manager called us out for sitting at the wrong one.