Hotel Parco dei Principi

We spent a full week here as a family with two kids. It’s a well-laid-out hotel rather than a huge resort, with pleasant indoor and outdoor facilities. The small pool is cozy, and there’s direct sea access with sandy space for sunbathing and a rocky seabed. The rocks mean clearer water and more fish, which made swimming better for us. We mostly stayed at the hotel instead of taking the shuttle to the lido, 3 km away. You have to book the shuttle the day before, and it gets quite full, which can be stressful on vacation. The lido is a proper sandy beach, but if you’re late or unlucky you may end up in the 15th row of umbrellas. The water there is fine and very shallow for dozens of meters, all sand, so it may suit families with small kids better. We only went once out of curiosity and didn’t feel the need to return. At the hotel, the sea access felt more pleasant, with fewer people and clearer water. There’s no bar service at the pool or by the sea, though, so you have to go back to the main bar near reception. It isn’t especially well stocked, mostly packaged ice cream, water, sodas and coffee, with a few alcoholic options. The food was generally okay. The buffet is limited to appetizers, desserts and fruit, with a choice of two primi and two secondi selected on the spot. The primi were cooked to order and usually very good. The secondi weren’t always as good, and the fish dishes were sometimes surprisingly disappointing. The appetizers also had a lot of repetition. More local produce on the buffet would have been a real plus. Breakfast was standard Italian style, with the nice extra of scrambled eggs and crepes made to order, though the crepes came only plain or with Nutella. There wasn’t much fruit or other fresh local produce, which was a letdown for me since breakfast is a big part of every hotel stay, but it was okay overall. WiFi had clear limits in both speed and coverage. It reached only parts of our two rooms, so we couldn’t use it. One room’s bathroom was blocked, and since we arrived on a Sunday they couldn’t fix it until the next day. The fridge in our other room didn’t work. Our room faced the main inner square, which got uncomfortable at night when baby dance or other events started. I used the small gym almost every day. It had pretty much everything you need, but you have to switch everything on yourself, including the AC, since the power is turned off when no one is there. We also tried the spa downstairs and had a very pleasant time. Prices aren’t exactly low, but the quality was good. We were there in July, so I expect we benefited from there being fewer guests. The experience may be harder in August with more people around. The hotel’s location is what it is. The surrounding area doesn’t have much appeal beyond the sea, and while Torre San Giovanni can get lively at night, there isn’t much beyond restaurants and bars. The short walk there is a bit risky along the dimly lit, fast-traffic litoranea. All in all, we had a good stay, with some things that could be fixed, and hopefully will be.

It really felt like bella Italia here. Big applause for the manager and the staff 👏

We booked for our family with two small kids and were so disappointed with the room and pool that we left the next day for another hotel in the area. The pool is VERY small, people are crowded together, and there aren’t enough loungers. It’s made of some kind of concrete, and my daughter cut both her feet the first time she went in. It really isn’t suitable for children. The standard room was tiny and shouldn’t be offered to families. They put in a very old bunk bed, rusty and constantly shedding paint. I wouldn’t want my kids sleeping on a bed like that. There was barely room to walk, so a standard room should be for two people only. The bathroom was very old, the hair dryer barely worked, and there was just one plastic chair on the balcony. On the positive side, dinner was nice and the staff were friendly.

The owners are really friendly and down-to-earth, and the service is excellent. The atmosphere is tasteful, and there are comfortable rooms, a miniclub, several lunch and dinner options, a wellness center and direct access to the shore.