Sentido Michelizia Tropea Resort

The hotel is near town, so we usually walked in, though transfers to town and the beach were available. We’ve just come back from a week there. The pool was lovely, the grounds and pool area were well looked after, and there were always sun beds available. Our premium room was a letdown: there was mould in the shower, and several rubber filters were missing from the shower head, so water came out heavily rather than flowing properly. We were half board. The menu had a different fish and meat option each night, but we didn’t think the food quality was very good. The fresh pasta was excellent, though the desserts lacked variety. Breakfast was similar, with no change in the fruit, always watermelon and pineapple.

The resort was amazing, and we really enjoyed our time there. The area is beautiful and the pool is lovely. The service was great, and the staff were very helpful. But it wasn’t child friendly at all: both pools get deep straight away, with no section for children, and there were no activities for them. Our room also felt unsafe for our daughter, so we had to put a sofa in front of the stairs to stop her going there. The floors were filthy when we arrived, and we had to ask for them to be cleaned.

The breakfast staff were friendly and proactive, which was the one bright spot. The receptionist who dealt with us came across as poorly trained and had no charisma or courtesy. Room cleanliness fell short too, as our towels and sheets weren’t changed during the stay. Water also leaked from the bathroom shower all over the floor, which made things uncomfortable.

The resort looked beautiful and the rooms were well kept, but the service really wasn’t good. We had to book shuttle times for the beach and return, then weren’t allowed onto the shuttles for the times we’d reserved. At the beach, drivers called the front desk to check our bookings even after we showed them a picture of the reservation. At check-in there was an extra room on our booking that we said we hadn’t booked. They agreed to remove it from the charge, and we only used the rooms we had booked, but the key for that extra room was never taken. Then at checkout they tried to charge us for it, despite saying it would be removed, and also charged for shuttle buses we’d been told were included free in the hotel package. The buffet dinner wasn’t worth 30 euro per person either. The food was old, the butter was moldy, and there wasn’t much choice. A good-looking place can’t make a stay great without good service.