Hotel Classic

The location was a real plus: a nice beach and sea, quick access to the highway and local roads, and a good spot in Lido near shops, restaurants, parks, and kids' playgrounds. We also liked the sea view and found the staff generally friendly. But our dream 10-day holiday in beautiful Italy was a complete disappointment, and the positive reviews don't match what we experienced. Communication was hard. About 90% of the guests are Italians, and the employees don't speak English or German. Only one animator spoke good English, so we had to get used to Google Translator. The food was poor. Fresh bread only appeared on our last day, and butter, drinks, and tea often ran out. After day three the meals got much worse, with cheap options like pangasius, monkfish, poor-quality meats, and unappetizing soups. Seafood stopped being offered. We ended up eating pasta with salad and tomatoes every day, with only a plate of deli meats for variety. Breakfast meant overcooked scrambled eggs, sour pseudo-bacon, and something like sausages. Hot dishes were never replenished, and by 8:40 a.m. there was little left. The selection was just boiled eggs, two kinds of jam, and low-quality packaged snacks. The croissants were the one good part. The room and hallways were dirty. Our floor wasn't clean on arrival, and there was trash in the bins and drawers. There were dust bunnies under the bed, and cleaning stayed poor throughout the visit. The linens were never changed, just one set for a 10-day stay, below a 1-star standard. Bathroom fixtures were rusty and heavily worn, barely functional. We also found small insects in the bathroom on arrival. We thought it might be a one-time thing, but by day two we realized there was an ant infestation on the fifth floor. We bought insect repellent and handled the nest ourselves. The free parking claim was misleading. There are only 6-8 spaces, most used by staff. The other parking is in paid blue zones, and using nearby private spots often leads to fines and conflicts. They should remove the free parking information, as it was one of the reasons we chose the hotel. The Friday dessert buffet mattered to our kids, but it was disappointing. Instead of a proper buffet, there were a few kinds of cake. Even the cream-filled items were semi-frozen. The "buffet" was a small slice of a selected dessert, served in tiny frozen portions by staff. We'd never encountered anything like it. Meals also took too long. With limited waitstaff, they were delayed by 15-20 minutes even though we'd ordered a day ahead. Each four-course meal took at least an hour. On dessert buffet day, dinner started over 30 minutes late with no notice, leaving guests waiting in the hallway. Cutlery, plates, and coffee cups were often in short supply. Italian theme night was the worst for food and waiting, lasting nearly two hours. The animator shouted into a microphone, and the same dishes from other nights came out late. The only new addition was poorly prepared roasted pig, raw and with a foul odor. Tiramusu was disgusting. There was also supposed to be an indoor play area or club for children, but the hotel had no such facilities. I could say more, but won't bore you. This isn't a 3* hotel. Don't go unless you're very tolerant and don't have much experience to compare it with among hotels in Europe.