Baia degli Aranci Village

The room doors were a serious problem. Mine wouldn't close when I arrived, and maintenance couldn't fix it. The next day I was moved to another room where the door had the same fault and could be opened without a card. The boss came to check whether I was telling the truth, tried the door with her fingertip, and said nothing was wrong. When I showed her it was still open after I'd opened it without my card, she had no response. I asked for a complimentary service or some compensation, but she told reception in Italian she wouldn't offer anything because this was an upgrade, which it wasn't. The door was finally fixed on day three, meaning it wouldn't close for three days, and they seemed fine with that. The maintenance staff member was very polite, and the issue seems to be with the system they use. The room electrics were faulty too, and it took two days to charge my phone. The reception experience was poor from the start. Check-in took nearly an hour, and they took our passports, so ask them to photocopy them instead. Checkout took about 30 minutes, and getting help depended on your luck. One man on the reception team was polite and spoke English, so everyone went to him. Other guests said they'd had similar experiences. This doesn't feel like four-star service, and the team has a lot to learn. The housekeeping staff, by contrast, were very polite. Breakfast was another letdown. I expected Italian food and fresh fruit and vegetables, but the fruit was all tinned, such as pineapple, peaches, and plums. There was no watermelon or other local fruit. Staff couldn't keep the food replenished, and the restaurant manager didn't apologize, just said it was a busy time. If there are lots of guests, they need to manage it better. The waiters were running around replacing food while the manager only walked around. Water also costs extra, and there was no kettle available when I asked for one to make tea in the room. The pool and outdoor areas were very well cared for, and there's a nice pool bar. You need a swimming cap to use the pool: it costs 3 euros there, or 1 euro at a local shop, and you can't pay for it by card. The rooms are a decent size and look nice, with towels and bathrobes provided. The location is okay, though it's around a 25-minute walk to the town center. One other unpleasant thing: the reception boss regularly smoked outside the hotel, leaving a disgusting smell that guests with children had to walk through. The place needs to improve a lot, including changing the management staff, to provide better customer service.

We visited in October, outside the busy season, and stayed one night. The room was clean and alright, but we had to let the shower run for ten minutes before hot water came through. The receptionist who checked us in was quick and nice, and gave us great recommendations for places to eat in Vieste. Breakfast was very poor, as other reviews have mentioned. The cappuccino and pineapple juice were both awful, and the food was mediocre. The building feels a bit old, and to me the hotel seemed more like a three-star place than a four-star one.

The beach by the hotel was lovely, with fine sand and clear water, and the location just outside the city still made it easy to walk in. Our sea-view room seemed newly renovated, with plenty of space, modern furnishings, and it was quiet and clean. Parking was available, though crowded; our spot ended up between trees and partly in the bushes. Breakfast had a wide range of very good food, and we were happy with the quality. The main drawback was the reception team. They came across as unfriendly, we didn't feel welcome, and they weren't much help, so we had to ask about everything ourselves.

The place sits in a fantastic spot, and the town is beautiful, cozy, and quiet. But communicating with hotel staff was hard without Italian. We had to resort to gestures, and even then it was a matter of whether they understood. The hotel says Wi-Fi is free, but practically there's no usable internet. It kept dropping in and out, and was too weak to even read email.