BB Casa Trucchi

The breakfast is very traditional Italian style, so it may be different from what you expect if you’re used to bacon, eggs and toast, or cereal and porridge. The bed and breakfast itself is beautiful, with comfortable rooms and enough space to stretch out after a long trip or rest your tired legs after walking around Ventimiglia and taking in the sights.

Cristina, the owner, gave us such attentive care. The place is cozy, with a lovely terrace and sitting room, and breakfast came in generous portions. They welcome little dogs too. A handy choice when you're travelling to or from Italy.

The cold rooms were a problem from the start. We visited in May, and there was no heating or radiator. The air conditioning had to be switched on remotely after we called, but it only blew dry air, was noisy, and didn't warm the place. At breakfast, we still sat in sweaters over our pajamas and felt cold. Breakfast itself was meagre, with the same cheese and cookies each day; the coffee was the only part we liked. The shared water supply made showering a struggle. The shower was fixed overhead, more than two metres up, with a slippery chair beneath it and no handheld option. Water could run cold and weak for minutes, and if someone in another room used it, it stopped. A woman staying in room Bice on 6-7 May told Simona before leaving that her shower had stopped completely while she still had shampoo in her hair. The bidet was just as frustrating: every day we got shocks of freezing or boiling water, and it could take half an hour to get a few seconds at a normal temperature. It was particularly uncomfortable for anyone with long hair. The toilet seat was too small, shifted when we sat or stood, and made a loud noise. Wi-Fi was slow too. We were in room Lena, while room Ida was occupied all the time by four Albanian construction workers on a site in Ventimiglia. They got up at 6 a.m., and their breakfast noise just outside the rooms woke us. We also had to fit our evenings around them: after they returned from work, we'd wait until they left the room again so we could shower with fewer interruptions. The owners ran the washing machine every morning, drawing on the same water. This place only makes sense if you don't plan to wash. I was taken in by the pretty photos and the very unrealistic overall score. This was my first stay where the reality fell so far below a property's average rating. I hope you don't end up as disappointed as we were.

Ventimiglia's old town has plenty to explore, and this was a great place to stay.