LHP Hotel Santa Margherita Palace & SPA

The rooms look lovely at first glance: they're large, the beds are comfortable, and there's plenty of storage. I'm sure the main hotel is quieter, but we chose the residence for space and privacy and ended up beneath a residential flat. A child ran around overhead late in the evening and early in the morning. That's not the family's fault, but buying the ground floor of an apartment block seems an odd choice. The residence is also right by the train line, with trains passing after midnight. When I mentioned the noise at checkout, it was clear this is a common complaint, but no solution was offered. That's a big gap between a three-star and five-star hotel. This isn't a five-star experience.

The staff were amazing, friendly, and attentive. We enjoyed a good dinner at the restaurant, the breakfast buffet was good too, and the service was great, with cheerful, attentive staff. The location is also great, and the AC worked, as you'd expect when paying for a junior suite. My main issue is the five-star claim. It sets expectations, and I think people might rate the place better if it were described as four-star. The website doesn't clearly explain that there's a main building and a separate annex. We stayed in the annex, which is a walk down an alley from the main building. Its lower and first floors have been converted into hotel rooms, with the spa and gym there, while the upper floors are residential and occupied by local Italians. I think the hotel bought and renovated the building, then rented out the floors above. The furniture and decor also didn't seem five-star quality to me. I found them tacky and low quality. A low price for a supposed five-star stay shouldn't make you expect a true five-star experience. If that's what you're after, book the imperial palace or the continental, but expect to pay twice as much. Lesson learned: you can't pay a four-star price and expect a true five-star stay.

Our “Superior Room” wasn't even in the main hotel. It was in a separate building with public residences and private flats, something no one told us beforehand. The listing photos also didn't show the reality of the place. We were given rooms on the ground floor near the main entrance and even in the basement. People coming and going all night made it impossible to sleep. When we complained, a staff member, Ismail, brushed us off and said, “If you are not happy, go and stay somewhere like Belmond, it’s 20 minutes away.” That's a shocking attitude for a property claiming to be five-star. The hotel is completely misleading and nothing like its online advertising. The accommodation was poor, the photos misleading, and the service unacceptable. Strongly advise avoiding it.

The location was just right, and the hotel was lovely and very clean. My husband and I spent three nights here, and we'd happily recommend it.