Sorrento Studios Lemons Hill

The terrace view was lovely, and the apartment itself was nice, though it could have been cleaned better. It's up on the mountain. The pool was being worked on, but the cooler weather meant we didn't mind. Communication with the owner was very good. We asked for an airport pickup and he collected us. There's also a free shuttle between the apartment and the street, about a 15-minute walk away. When we needed a ride, he arranged one within minutes.

My fiancée and I had a really bad stay during our Italy trip. We chose this place hoping it would be a great way to finish our week in Sorrento. The Tripadvisor reviews and photos looked promising, and we'd expected something very different. I know some Google reviews can be exaggerated by people with impossible standards, so we took photos and videos because the problems we raised were real, despite what the property later said. Would you pay $1300 for this? The one good part was the pickup from the train station, which was a nice perk. A friendly contact from the property met us. After that, things went downhill. Construction was underway on the property, and we hadn't been told. It was right on the driveway to the accommodation, and the noise carried loudly into our room. The grounds were also poorly maintained and didn't look like the pictures. The pool area was dirty, with insects and soil; the grass was overgrown; old food was stuck on the uncleaned BBQ grill; tablecloths and the kitchen had stains; and there was mold in the bathroom and inside the AC in the main bedroom. Pool chairs weren't set out, and the ones folded to the side were dirty. In general, the grounds felt neglected and uninviting. We weren't expecting perfection. We'd stayed in other places and were looking forward to somewhere rustic and quieter than downtown. But this went beyond a few chips in the wall or pool water being the wrong temperature, and paying that much for a week didn't make sense to us. We contacted booking.com and the property to ask about leaving early, since we planned to find somewhere else. That same evening, we told the property we were leaving because of the issues. We offered to pay for the first night, even though we didn't stay it, and asked for a partial refund for the remaining nights. Changing the dates would have opened the property calendar for new bookings and helped avoid a loss for them. booking.com later told us the property refused any compensation or partial refund. We hadn't stayed the first night, had found another hotel, and were still willing to pay for that night. The property then stopped responding to our messages. Instead, booking.com told us the property considered our complaints unfounded and wouldn't offer anything back. We spent $1300 on this stay, then lost hours over two days calling booking.com during our vacation and trying to find a solution. We were told our account wasn't true and not offered a single dollar back. We had to scramble at night to find available rooms in Sorrento and book different places for the whole week at the last minute. It was very stressful. We tried to find a solution that wasn't just a win for us, but the property ignored us. If they contact us, we'd still be open to resolving it, but we haven't heard from them.

The studio was cozy and well looked after, and the peaceful surroundings made it easy to relax. The owner was very pleasant. Since it's on a hill, the owner offers rides to the station or town centre. There's also an outdoor pool.

The hosts were lovely and helpful, and the apartment had a wonderful view of Sorrento. I'd love to come back.