Amfibietreks Camping

The new Glamping Suite Plus was lovely, comfortable and fully equipped. We also appreciated the added partition between the bathroom and sleeping area for privacy, and the gate just beyond the steps, which helps with small children and guests bringing dogs. We came back to Cala Pineta after enjoying our holiday there last year, and the kids asked to stay at the same campsite again. Thanks to all the staff for being so welcoming and friendly, especially Mr. Marco, Elias and Giuseppe. See you next year, Manola and Massimo.

The location was a rough start to our holiday. After a 13-hour trip, we spent an hour trying to find our reservation. The services were advertised with misleading pictures and a false description, and what we bought wasn’t what we got. We paid €197 for two nights, sheets, all-inclusive meals and drinks, and a shared bathroom. There were no sheets. “All inclusive” meant meals, plus just two drinks for the whole day. The food was barely passable at breakfast and awful otherwise. I can’t tell whether the bathrooms were cleaned daily or weekly, since the bins looked the same from night to morning. The showers are yellowed with wear and could use renovation, especially for what they charge. The bartender was the friendliest staff member. The young waiter didn’t welcome anyone except regulars, and didn’t explain the all-inclusive service properly. He made us get up from a table set for three, with a glass, napkin and cutlery, because we were only two and he apparently couldn’t be bothered to move one place setting. We had our two dogs and had chosen a spot that wouldn’t disturb others too much, since the tables were packed very close together. At checkout, the same person who checked us in held us up because he couldn’t find our payment, even though he had checked it when we arrived. Thanks to them, the holiday began terribly. They should go to Romagna and learn the trade there. The people there may have the downside of the sea, but their service and especially hospitality are top notch, and they make you feel completely at home.

These weren’t tents so much as burial sites. Paying for towels and tourist tax is fine, but €10 for sheets isn’t, especially when I found hair between them. We also paid for a refrigerator that wasn’t there. Avoid this place.

The tents were a bright spot: attractive safari-style, with their own clean toilet and shower, simple furnishings, and a shady covered veranda. There was a small fridge in the bathroom, two little pools, and a nicely done happy-hour bar that opened shortly before dinner. The evening meals were delicious and varied, clearly made with care, and there was always plenty of wine and other drinks. Lunch was mostly pasta, monotonous and heavy on carbs. My daughter liked it, but I couldn’t stand it after a few days. Breakfast was okay, though the cheese and ham were the same each day. They put out a few fresh apples, peaches or grapes, and the brewed coffee was fine. The bar also made a really good cappuccino. I came with my 9-year-old daughter for 14 days in August 2018, drawn by the website’s lovely pictures and the idea that she’d be supervised while I went biking or hiking. Very little of what was promised actually happened. Supervision was advertised from 9 a.m. to noon, but tours often started at 8 or earlier and sometimes ran until 2. I was told to find another family to look after my child. Tours were often cancelled at short notice for lack of participants, or nobody turned up at the meeting point, not even a guide to apologize. One morning, three of the eight mountain bikes were broken and needed repair; the working bikes were in poor shape too, with chains that hadn’t been oiled in ages. On a guided hike, the guide got lost right away and had to ask for directions. Several scheduled massages had no masseur show up. The beach was stony and unappealing, though daily shuttles to nearby sandy beaches were available. Reception’s young staff looked stressed and busy dealing with problems, and several frustrated campers told us things had supposedly been better before. The bar music was incredibly loud in the evenings, so we had to change clothes right there at the campsite. The restaurant was badly organized. On our last night, we waited 90 minutes for pizza, which arrived burnt, and the salad came just as we were about to leave. We left two days early and explored the island’s north instead. What a shame.