Chiaja Hotel de Charme

This little hotel is cosy and charming, with big rooms and lovely decor. It’s right in the heart of Central Naples, surrounded by restaurants and bars. It can be a bit noisy at night, and it isn’t easy to spot from outside.

The nearby food choices and great location won me over. Finding the hotel can be a bit tricky because the sign is tucked away, though that’s part of its charm.

We arrived back from dinner around 8 pm and found the large alley gates shut. Nobody had told us there was a little door set into them, so we couldn’t get in until someone happened to come out. Getting there with our bags was hard too: cars can’t access the street, there were no porters, and we had to manage several old stone steps ourselves, though there is a small elevator. In our room, neither the USB ports nor the air-conditioning worked. We’d just had an overnight flight and a connection and only noticed after unpacking, so we had to switch rooms. The staff weren’t helpful about it. Breakfast was okay, but the fruit bowl looked pretty sad, with bananas that seemed ready for banana bread. I certainly wouldn’t return.

The bed bugs made this an upsetting stay. My room was infested, and I was badly bitten. The hotel seemed overwhelmed and unprepared: they offered to move us, but didn’t seem to understand what that meant for us. We had to explain how all our clothes needed to be cleaned, and we moved through two more rooms, both okay but noisy. We’re still in a dispute over compensation for treating our luggage, the clothes we had to buy in a hurry, and the considerable pain I’m still in. Thankfully, I was the one bitten, not the kids or my husband. Bed bugs are a reality, and hotels need to be strict about prevention and handling an outbreak. It wasn’t a peaceful stay. The location is ideal, and the decor is retro but nicely done. Staff were kind and helpful with everyday things. The rooms were okay, with decent though not impeccable cleaning, and could use better lighting.