Hotel Savini Rimini

For €500 for three nights, three people, half board, we felt treated like second-class guests because we'd booked through Booking.com. The owner was the worst part. His wife and the girls were kind, helpful, and smiling, but he was rude and spoke as if doing us a favor, even though this is his job and he took our €500 Booking.com payment. In the parking lot the cars were packed so tightly there wasn't even room for a finger between bumpers. The buffet starts at 7:30 PM, yet by 7:35 there was no food left, and nothing was brought out to replace it. Meals seemed prepared ahead and barely warmed, if at all, in a microwave. They even brought orders to our table when we weren't there, though the food was already cold. The tablecloth and napkin weren't changed during the whole week. Our room was clean, to be fair, but dated, very 1970s. They claimed there was a hair dryer, but there wasn't. The bathroom was tiny, though apparently you could pee and brush your teeth at once and save time getting to the buffet. The shower was just a showerhead behind the door, with no stall or curtain, and the drain was in the middle of the bathroom between the sink, toilet, and bidet. The toilet flush was so noisy it was impossible to use at night. There was only one outlet for the TV, which looked like it was from the 1800s and wasn't flat-screen, and the fan. Bring a power bank for your phones. They had four free bicycles for the whole hotel, but you could only use one briefly, ten minutes max, for errands.

The staff were friendly and helpful, and I hope they improve things. The room price felt out of proportion to what was provided. There was one outlet in the whole room, far from the bed, already taken by the TV, cable box, and fan. They gave us a power strip, but it felt like a camping fix. The toilet didn't flush reliably, and showering meant using the shower behind the door with no stall or towels, so everything got wet, including the toilet paper. To err is human, to keep doing it is diabolical.

We had a lovely time here. It's peaceful, the rooms are clean, and the hosts are warm and friendly. Meals are home-cooked with plenty of choice, and breakfast is generous. You're near the sea and buses into the city. Nadia's cakes deserve five stars. Recommended.

The owners are welcoming, but there's dust all over the room floors and they forget to refill the shower gel. No hair dryer either, and the faucet leaks. Well, take your pick...