Affittacamere Vista Mare

The location and being on the third floor were pluses, even though there’s no elevator. But the room wasn’t soundproof at all. With the balcony doors shut, it still felt like sleeping out on the street. We reported the air conditioning problem, but the manager never got it fixed. Towels weren’t changed after two nights, despite us putting them in the shower as instructed. Still under review. 😬

We really liked our stay in the SOLE room 🌞. It was clean and cozy, with all the comforts we needed, including a mini-fridge. The view across Porto Azzurro harbor was magnificent. Michele was so friendly and gave us useful advice for exploring the island. We’d recommend the place to anyone, especially fellow motorcyclists, since he rides too.

The bathroom was excellent, and our room stayed clean and cool. The air conditioning was placed just right and didn’t bother us, even overnight. There was a tiny sea-view terrace, about 1 m x 1 m, but two big steps made it almost impossible to use. The road below was busy enough to wake us rudely at night. For seven nights and two people, the complimentary toiletries amounted to a soap bar and one shower-gel sachet. The pillows, about as tall as a booklet, were another downside, though that’s subjective. The owner was courteous and kind when we arrived and gave us useful local information, though one tip was wrong: parking at a Conad area he said was free was actually paid, perhaps because the rules had recently changed. This is a sea-view guesthouse, rather than the advertised B&B, since breakfast isn’t included. I’d put the value for money at average, nothing outstanding.

The woman who handed over the keys was genuinely kind and helpful. We also liked being close to the sea, with a lobby window looking out over the harbor. Shops, restaurants and a scooter and car rental were right downstairs, and the price for two was reasonable even in mid-September. Still, the place isn’t very central on the island, and there was no breakfast, either because of “Covid” or through a deal with a bar. Since it’s a guesthouse, staff weren’t regularly around the rooms. As far as I understood, their main office is in Capoliveri. Check-in was the worst part. We’d been told to arrive by 6 p.m., but train and ferry delays were out of our hands. I repeatedly let reception know we’d be late and explained the transport trouble. They said they couldn’t give us the room because dinner at their hotel started at 7:30, even when I offered to check in remotely by sending document photos and paying by card. It seemed like someone could have left the keys somewhere before 6. We got there at 7:20. Capoliveri is just over a ten-minute drive away, so someone could have come over quickly, but instead we were told we’d have the room after 10 p.m. The building entrance was open, thankfully, so we left our bags outside our room and hoped nobody would take them. We were tired and needed to shower and change, but had to wander around until 10. People we talked to were shocked when they heard we had to check in that late. Checkout brought another hassle. We left at 8 a.m. and asked if we could take the main door key so we could collect our bags from a corner of the lobby in the evening without carrying them all day. Again, no. They said, “We are a non-professional guesthouse. Not a hotel. We don’t have a reception. We don’t have duplicates. We have a pass to come in and do the cleaning. You could do as we did upon arrival. Leave them outside the door of our guesthouse and then, at most, ring the bell for one of our roommates.” After what had happened, I thought having a spare key was the least they could offer. They suggested taking the bags to their hotel in Capoliveri, but we didn’t have a car. So we ended up with our luggage in the square while having breakfast and asking the scooter rental shop to hold it for us. They were very kind.