LH Roma Montemario

We got lots of apologies, but nothing actually got fixed. When we raised issues with desk staff, all we heard was “can’t do anything,” delivered with a blank look. The bathroom door was broken, and they said they’d ordered a new one. The restaurant wasn’t open in the evenings because of staff shortages. We booked through Booking.com and asked for compensation, but got a useless response. I deleted my account and won’t use it again. Parking is limited to five spaces near the entrance. If they’re full, you have to park down the hill and walk up a steep gravel road. There’s a sewer smell in the lobby and rooms. The air conditioning was broken, so I had to endure the heat, made worse by my high blood pressure. They said it was only available at the desk. There were exposed wires near the entrance, so keep an eye on kids and pets. The whole place felt like the owner or owners were in debt or close to bankruptcy, keeping everything on a shoestring.

The room had electrical issues too. I had to unplug the lamps to turn them off at night; the wall switches made a noise but didn’t do anything, and there were no switches on the lamps themselves. The desk said they’d check, but nothing happened. The bathroom was large, but there was no stool or place to hang the towels left on the bed, and the shower was a tiny corner unit. Our pilgrimage group had more than 40 people, and nobody had air conditioning for the whole four-day stay in mid-September. The desk kept saying they were working on it, but that was obviously just a line. Breakfast was below par, with cold eggs. This was the last of three hotels on our trip, and it was a real letdown after the previous two. It put a damper on an otherwise inspirational pilgrimage.

The restaurant was closed even though we went during its listed opening hours, so we couldn’t eat there as planned. Breakfast was mostly cakes and sugary things. If that’s what you like, you may be happy, but the other choices were limited and disappointing. There was a strong sewage smell from our bathroom. A helpful employee tried to deal with it, but the odor kept coming back in waves. Also, the website gives the impression that pool access is included, but it costs €10 and you need a swim cap. We’d read the hotel’s comments saying these things had changed, but they haven’t.

We’ll be back next year. The staff were welcoming, friendly, and really helpful, and the rooms were clean and comfortable. The location is good, with a local bus stop 750 meters away and the train station five minutes by bus. Breakfast leans heavily on pastries, though they also offer scrambled eggs, salad, rice, and cereal. The evening menu could use some improvement.