Grand Hotel Croce di Malta Wellness & Golf

The rooms are nice, but this place was a big disappointment and definitely not worth what we paid. We arrived around 3 p.m. after travel delays, expecting food because room service was listed from 07:00 to 22:00. There were no food options until 19:30, even though we'd only had a light breakfast. The “Smart TV” had no internet, and the services QR code didn't work, so we walked 850 meters into town to find something to eat. It was Valentine's Day, too. Breakfast was another problem. In a salon that holds at least 100 people, only one of the two coffee machines worked. We shared a four-person table with another couple who ate lightly and left, but it stayed uncleared for 30 minutes while other guests put dirty dishes there. I eventually asked a woman cleaning a different table to clear it, and she argued with me.

We used Grand hotel Croce as our base for seven days of exploring nearby Tuscan cities and absolutely loved it. The town is small and charming, a nice alternative to the crowded places to stay in Florence. Shops and lots of good restaurants were an easy walk away, and taking the funicular up to Montecatini Alto was a highlight. Our room was extremely clean, the bed wonderfully comfortable, and service in the room, breakfast area, and bar was excellent. The breakfast buffet was wonderful each morning, with plenty of hot and cold choices. I'd highly recommend this hotel.

The staff we met were consistently polite, professional, and helpful, and the hotel is conveniently close to both the town center and train station. The interior combines modern and classic styles, though it felt somewhat cold and impersonal. We stayed at the Grand Hotel Croce di Malta in Montecatini Terme over Christmas, and the stay was positive overall, with some things that need attention. Our upgraded apartment had two bathrooms, but neither worked properly. One sink wouldn't drain, though its toilet was fine; the other sink was fine, but its toilet barely flushed. We ended up walking between bathrooms, which isn't what you expect after booking an upgrade. The coffee machine was partly broken but usable. The shower barely had hot water, so in winter it felt more like a student hostel or dorm than a four-star hotel. Outside, loud commercial Christmas music played from street speakers in the evenings. It may not have been the hotel's fault, and it did stop around 9:30 p.m., but guests should know about it. Breakfast was disappointing, with little fruit, bread, or other food. Cheese and cold cuts sat in open, unrefrigerated containers and visibly dried out. That seemed careless for a hotel with such a polished look. The hotel has potential and a great location, but avoidable maintenance problems and poor attention to detail let it down. The staff's kindness and professionalism deserve credit.

For a supposedly four-star hotel, it was disappointing. The rooms were small and grey, with tiny beds and TVs, and water cost extra. There was dust on the TV and pictures, mold in the bathroom, and a dirty, moldy showerhead. Breakfast and dinner were average at best. The gym was full of mosquitoes, and they bit me several times in just 10 minutes. I also asked if the heating could be turned on, but there was none available, so the rooms were very cold.