Il Gabbiano

The views are breathtaking, the beach is pristine, and the water is crystal clear. Add spotless rooms, delicious food, and outstanding service, and it’s easy to see why this place feels like a paradise. The staff put real passion into making a stay memorable, and you can feel that energy throughout. It’s a unique spot, with relaxation and luxury and so much care in the details. I can’t wait to come back.

Beach club entry cost 50 euros, but the front rows are kept for seasonal members. There was no food service at the chair, no towels, and barely a beach, just a big slab of concrete sticking out. For self-service, it should have been 20 euros. I wasn’t impressed at all.

We had an ocean view from our room, and the beach was right outside. The beach staff and beach bar staff were great, with a full bar and menu from sandwiches to meals. We also ate on the terrace, and the seafood risotto was impeccable. Porto Santo Stefano is a beautiful town, too. We spent three nights here and had a wonderful time. We initially had AC trouble, but the staff responded right away and fixed it. Breakfast was impressive, with sweets, meats, cheeses, eggs, any kind of coffee, and vegan options. We hope to come back.

The hotel’s location is hard to beat, right by the sea, and the view was excellent. The rooms were clean, though quite small, and I woke with an aching back because the beds could have been softer. The beach was okay, but we were assigned a spot during the morning sunshine. Later we weren’t allowed to sit in direct sun on the sunny side, because the seats were reserved even though nobody was there and many were free. No one explained why. The advertised “free parking” turned out to be a public lot with a four-hour limit. The hotel gave us a certificate for a longer stay to put in the car window, but the police could still ticket us. Staff later said it was our responsibility to check if the rules changed, as they did. So it wasn’t free after all. I didn’t like how breakfast was served. You had to wait and ask the Madame for each small bite. There were plenty of sweets, but otherwise it was a poor selection, with only tomatoes as a vegetable. The hot dishes weren’t hot, and the bacon wasn’t fried. When I asked for it to be cooked, the answer was simply no. Fresh omelettes cost extra. We had to carry our bags up the stairs ourselves, and there were a lot of stairs because the hotel tour was happening at the same time. Service could be better.