Le Ciel d'Orphee

The worst accommodation experience. When we arrived in the evening, the room was very hot and smelled strongly of mold. I turned on the AC and went out to visit for a few hours, hoping it would be cooler and the overpowering smell would have faded by the time we got back. It was a little better, but the AC kept switching off and back on. I hadn't read the conditions saying not to leave it on when going out or set it below 25 degrees, so I didn't understand why. I fell asleep, then woke up an hour later to find it off. It wouldn't come on again until morning. The room became unbearably hot, and we couldn't open the window because of all the mosquitoes. We didn't sleep at all. I messaged the owner during the night, and he replied in the morning that it was my fault for not reading the conditions. It felt like he had punished us by turning off the air. I had to drive to Bologna airport exhausted that morning. I also took pictures of the whole room. The hygiene left a lot to be desired, the furniture was old and uncared for, the toilet paper holder was taped to the wall, and there was mold in the shower. The shower door was broken and nearly fell on me. I complained to Booking and don't recommend this place.

Our check-in was slow and difficult, and then we found the room infested with mosquitoes that were biting us. We contacted the property, but they blamed us for leaving the door open, which we hadn't done. Their reply was shockingly rude and unprofessional. Worst experience of my life. DO NOT BOOK THIS HORRIBLE PLACE!!!

Breakfast was poor: cheap, nutrition-free food in plastic wrappers. I'm in Italy, where the food is generally excellent, but that wasn't the case here. There is a vending machine for snacks and drinks, and its prices weren't too bad. The place is one of the cheaper options, but still expensive for what you get. It's a short walk to the Pisa tower, and there's a small children's water park about 30 minutes up the road. Parking is easy if you rent a car. The place itself is out of town, right beside a large garage in what feels like a rough area. Watch out for taxis taking unnecessary winding routes from the airport. The room was pretty grim, dirty, with mold on the ceiling and worn fittings. There are fines for using the air conditioning when it's under 25C outside, and it cuts out often, as if on a timer to stop people using it. I understand limiting it when guests aren't there, but the room is advertised with air-con and I've paid for it, so I don't expect limits on how I use it.

The room was an okay size, but when we arrived it smelled really bad and there was a lot of fluff on the floor. The smell seemed to be a known problem, since there were several room sprays in the shared area. We had to leave the windows open to air it out, and with 30-degree weather we left the air conditioning on while we were out. There's a cheeky extra charge for doing that, though. Breakfast is included, but very basic: plain coffee, milk, cereal, or crackers with spreadable cheese. The location is convenient, about 15 minutes from the leaning tower, and there's free roadside parking right in front. I wouldn't recommend it, especially for families with kids.