Antares

We hope our next trip to Reggio Calabria can be a proper vacation. This time my mother and I had come from Cetraro (CS) because my father was in the hospital. We were lucky to find this B&B only a short walk away. We had every comfort we could have asked for, and the host's kindness and willingness to help meant a lot. Everything went smoothly.

Paolo was wonderful, a truly exceptional guy, and the hospitality was fantastic. The location is especially handy if you need to get to Reggio Calabria Riuniti hospital.

The room had several basic problems: the toilet was broken, there was dirt beneath and behind the bed, and the TV didn't work. We were given just one toilet roll for our 5 days and had to buy more. The so-called private parking has only 5-6 spaces for the whole building, so a spot isn't assured. Breakfast meant two coffee capsules and two packaged croissants, and the bathroom had two single-use soap packets. The room sheet said cleaning would happen daily from 10:30 to 11:00, but they cleaned only twice during our 5 days. We could hear everything through the walls, too. Check-in was a mess from the start. Booking listed 11:00 AM, but by phone the host said 2:00 PM. We came back at 2:00 and called to be let in. The man told us there was a problem at the B&B, with plumbing work underway and a technician fixing it, so we couldn't enter yet. After an 8-hour drive from Rome, our phones were out of battery. A tenant happened to leave, and we went into the entrance hall for some shade while waiting. Nobody was there to tell us what to do or how to get in. The housekeeper arrived around 3:00 PM and kindly let us in, then we waited until 4:00 PM while she cleaned the room. It was rushed and not done well. When we went upstairs there was no plumber, no leak, and above all, the host wasn't there. The host isn't at the property and can only be reached by phone, and he didn't keep to the times given. A terrible experience.

We chose the property partly because private parking was listed as an amenity, but the owner admitted it wasn't actually available. We couldn't stay at the B&B because we arrived after the latest check-in time, despite having paid for the room. Given the obvious difficulties we were facing, the owner showed no flexibility. We stayed polite on the phone, while Mr. Filippo was rude and stressed how much our calls were bothering him. It left us with a terrible memory of Reggio Calabria.