Carten

We got the dates wrong and arrived a month before our booking, so we never saw the rooms and can't comment on them. The reception team, especially Maria, were kind and understanding, responded quickly, and helped us sort out the mix-up. The area is lovely, convenient, and full of lively restaurants and bars. It seems ideal for couples or friends travelling together. We had a great experience with the team, and would love to come back and stay properly next time we're in town.

We stayed at Carten twice, once after arriving from the airport and again before flying home. The first stay was fine, but the second was terrible. We had chosen a place near the pier on booking.com because I have difficulty walking, only to discover this wasn't one hotel but a group of apartments spread around the area. Three hours before we arrived, they told us our apartment had been moved to another address that wasn't in the contract. In my view, that was a scam, and I won't return or recommend it. I think booking.com should do more to check places like this. The listing photos, including any showing where breakfast might be eaten, didn't match what we found. During our second stay, the building was under renovation and covered in scaffolding, with workers making noise in the morning. It was dirty and unattractive. The kitchen was makeshift and very basic, with a gas stove on the wall and a setup squeezed between cupboards. Breakfast was awful, cold, tasteless, and musty smelling, and was delivered to the rooms. Ours were in two different places about 300 meters apart.

The bed was comfy, the room was great, and the cleaning was perfect. The staff were really friendly and breakfast was very good. My husband and I loved the jacuzzi. It’s a lovely place, close enough to walk to restaurants and the castle.

The tub took about 45 minutes to fill halfway. When we switched on the jets, the room filled with a rotten egg smell, so we got straight out. The water wouldn't drain, and we ended up sleeping beside a tub full of foul-smelling water. I felt horribly dirty and was afraid I might have picked up some kind of infection. Worst birthday ever. I've stayed in 12 cities in Italy, and this was my worst experience. Avoid this "hotel" at all costs. We arrived on October 6 for my birthday and were met by an incredibly rude receptionist. They said we couldn't check in for another 40 minutes and told us to leave the "reception" and come back at 2 PM. When we returned, we were told we'd actually be staying at a "sister hotel" two minutes away. The receptionist took photos of our passports on a phone, which felt strange. After we left, a man grabbed my suitcase and walked off without a word, so we had to follow without knowing where we were going. With our bags, it took nine minutes to reach a different building that seemed to contain offices, not a residential building or hotel. I've attached a photo of the location. The man dropped my suitcase, which had fragile items inside. Luckily nothing broke, but he didn't apologize or say anything. The building, more like an office block than an apartment block, was old and in poor shape, with a barely working lift. We felt scammed, or worse. I've attached a picture of the entrance hall. At the "apartment" or "room," the front door was broken, and a handyman spent a good half hour desperately drilling at the hinges to fix it while a cleaner rushed around. The whole "apartment" was a small "reception" and one room. I use those words in quotes because they didn't seem accurate. I've attached another picture. The man who'd carried my suitcase photographed our passports again and sent them to some WhatsApp group. When I asked why, he said we had to be registered with the police. I'm not sure the police share a WhatsApp group. That man asked what time we wanted breakfast and what we'd like. We asked for scrambled eggs, toast, and coffee with milk. Instead, the next morning's "breakfast" was a cheese and ham "toastie" with lukewarm black coffee. The woman delivering it didn't understand when we asked for milk. We eventually threw the toasties away. I've attached a photo of the "food." Inside the room, there was no sitting or living area as advertised. The room faced the street, not the view in the listing. I've attached a photo. The walls, curtains, and cushions were dirty. The "sauna" was a shower with a steam option and a strange bench inside, and there was no shower gel. The shower kept dripping at random times. The steam room was so filthy that I started taking pictures of everything and making a list for this review. See another attached photo. We arrived at the "hotel" to a rude receptionist, then were redirected elsewhere after a 40-minute wait. I had to follow a man who took my suitcase to a building that didn't look like a hotel. A handyman struggled with our broken door while a cleaner rushed about. Then came the passport photos, confusing breakfast, dirty room, and broken-down steam room. We arrived for my birthday, and the whole experience was appalling.