Residence Marina Palace

The pictures on the website could use an update, because the apartment was actually much better than expected. It was spotless, well equipped and had a nice balcony overlooking the countryside. Nights were quiet, the staff were friendly and spoke good English, and there are several nice restaurants nearby. The Crai supermarket across the street was handy, and the center of Orosei is a 10-minute walk away. We used the pool at the sister hotel every day. The 600-meter walk there didn’t bother us. The beds were very hard and soundproofing was poor, though neither was a big issue for us.

We left without taking the room they offered for the following night. By then, we no longer wanted to stay in what felt like a basement. The room we were given was on the reception floor, with two tiny windows set about two metres up that wouldn't open; the bathroom had the same kind of window, so there was no way to air either space. The bathroom floor was wet, and the wooden door frame already looked damaged by moisture, as if something might be leaking. The layout was odd from the start: the building sits a little above street level, and reception is downstairs. It would have helped to know before booking that the room was practically below ground. The rooms on the upper floors may be fine, but I can't speak to those. What a shame.

The air conditioning worked very well. The kitchen had a gas hob and a fridge, but no microwave, oven, or electric kettle. There was just one outlet in the living room, already taken by the TV, and none by the kitchen counter. Bring a dish brush and a towel for drying dishes. We stayed for a week and got no cleaning or fresh toilet paper, sheets, or towels. The nearest beach is a long 2.2 km walk, despite reception saying it was 1 km. I'd suggest hiring bikes.

The staff were a major letdown. Our hair dryer didn't work, and after asking every day for 10 days, all we heard was that they were trying to fix it. When I asked for toilet paper, I was told to buy it myself. Nothing was done for us, and we had to clean the room and take out the rubbish. The kitchen hadn't been cleaned properly either, and there were ants. The location is handy, about a five-minute walk from the city centre, with bars and restaurants nearby and free parking across the street. The terrace is very large, but shared with another room. A screen or fence would give guests some privacy.