Villa Ersilia

We had a nice five-night stay, and the staff were friendly. The views are lovely, there are two pools, and the location is okay, though walking means tackling a steep hill. Breakfast and lunch were perfectly fine. Still, this didn't feel close to a four-star hotel. Our suite had several problems: the air conditioning kept cutting out, the lights flickered, and using the iron caused electrical trouble, so we had to find the fuse box. The building also had dirty toilets and abandoned restaurants. One pool had an indoor spa area that looked abandoned, with building materials scattered around. These issues are worth knowing about.

We were so disappointed that we left after two nights despite booking five. The hotel's management showed no real service or customer focus, and didn't offer even a small concession when we raised the inaccurate claims on the hotel site and Booking.com. They didn't offer to move us to a park-view room either. We had asked about the misleading facilities before booking, and still ended up with a highway view, despite being told the hotel wasn't very busy. The photos showed a smaller, older villa section that didn't seem open during our visit. We stayed in the larger newer section, which felt stuck in the 1990s. What was listed wasn't available or was broken: of the two pools, one was closed and the other didn't look clean to us; the sauna and whirlpool weren't available; and there was no breakfast buffet, just an offer to eat in our room. The room had one chair and no table, among other issues. We booked through Booking.com, whose support was no help either. As long-time customers, we're very disappointed in their service. We feel badly misled and frustrated, and would never book here again.

The location was a real plus, near the center and beach, though walking there is a strenuous hike. We had a private parking spot with the suite, a lovely sea and city view, and the hotel was happy to allow a late checkout when we asked at the last minute. The stay itself was disappointing. Nobody explained the extra facilities or activities on arrival, and the indoor pool, spa, and gym were inaccessible, possibly due to covid. The receptionist never greeted us in the morning, and we got the sense that nobody cared about our experience. We'd expected more from the suite. The first one was small but looked new, with wooden floors and new furniture, and had no bathtub despite the suite's facilities listing a "spa bath," "hot tub," and "bath tub" on Booking.com, and "Jacuzzi" on the hotel's website. We were moved to another suite. That one was much bigger, but the furniture was old and it looked dated. A huge tree blocked half the view, while ordinary rooms had unobstructed views. Its old bathtub had weak bubbles that couldn't be adjusted because the buttons were broken, and it couldn't fit two people. When we asked to switch back 15 minutes later, we were told other customers had arrived, so it wasn't possible. Water also appeared in three spots on the bathroom floor, perhaps from a leak. Breakfast was very disappointing, seemed at least two days old, and had few choices. The bread looked cheap, the ham was dark, and the cappuccino had no foam. We have lots of friends and family nearby and might have become regulars at what is supposed to be the area's best hotel, but after this visit we won't consider it again.

My room was very large and had no carpet, and the air conditioning was quiet with a precise temperature setting. There was also free covered parking. I'm grateful to the staff at Villa Ersilia for a memorable vacation. Great value for money!