Casa Flora

Lovely place, and the view is perfect 💛. It’s up in the hills near the start of the Amalfi Coast, a good base for exploring in different directions...

We stayed May 20-31, booking three rooms for six people for 11 nights. With taxes, it cost £3,701.51. We chose Casa Flora because it was described as a B&B and expected a more personal stay than an Air B&B. Breakfast was not included. At €10 per person per day, it would have added €660. The views are wonderful, and it could suit people who like hiking. Getting around was less convenient. You have to take the bus to town, and a one-way ticket costs €1.40. Buses run hourly. The very small shop in Raito, which sells food for breakfast, is only open in the morning, so for other things you need to go to Vietri. At check-in, Mario greeted us after we’d climbed 137 steps, with nobody there to offer help with our luggage. We were given little drinks, about the size of a shot glass of water or juice. After a long journey, another drink would have been nice. Mario scanned all our passports and explained a bit about local buses and restaurants, then showed us to the rooms. Flora or Mario were on site at different times, but their presence was inconsistent, though they could be reached on WhatsApp. The rooms were okay. Since we were staying over a week, we accepted the offer to change the towels and bedding. My son got sick and vomited on one corner of the bedding. I hand-washed it straight away and asked for a clean sheet. Flora said we’d have to pay for laundering it. I explained how much the holiday had cost and that the bedding would be washed when we left anyway. The next day Mario messaged to ask how my son was. I said I’d take the sheets to the Lavanderia, and he then told us not to worry, they would handle it. Toilet rolls weren’t replenished unless we asked. The ones supplied were very thin, and we thought complimentary rolls would have been a nice touch at that price. When we ran out and nobody was there to ask, we bought our own in town. The kitchen had plenty of utensils, but the cloth for wiping the counters smelled awful and looked as if it had been used around a toilet. The sponge was worse. There’s no kettle, so you have to boil water in a pan, and there’s no cooker, just a gas hob, so there’s no elaborate cooking to do even if you wanted to. We had an early flight on departure day. Mario messaged that nobody would be there to check us out before 9 a.m., and told us to leave the keys on the table outside the office.

The view is amazing, but I came back from 11 nights at Casa Flora with a family of six feeling that the owners spoiled what should have been a once-in-a-lifetime Amalfi Coast holiday for three generations. In my view, they showed no social or business manners. Roaches in the kitchen and lots of mosquitoes felt more welcoming. If you can’t manage 169 steps from your room to the nearest bus stop, don’t stay here. There’s no kettle for making tea. Be sparing with toilet paper, because you’ll have to beg for more. We got fresh bed linen and towels only five days before leaving. I found that disgusting. We paid for B&B including breakfast. Five days before we left, you asked us for another €10 per person per day. When we booked, breakfast was shown beside the price in bold green as included, not optional. Then you changed it. The local grocery shop opens whenever it feels like it, as we learned while waiting outside. When we needed help with our suitcases on those 169 steps, Mario stood at the top watching me, aged 78, and my two grandsons struggle. He didn’t offer to help. How much extra would you have charged for that? There was also the bed linen issue. Flora clearly said we’d be charged, rather than asking about the sick boy. Heartless. We don’t need a hotel with a 24-hour reception. We’ve stayed at proper B&Bs on the Amalfi Coast twice before and were very happy: fantastic breakfasts, rooms cleaned daily, and fresh towels every other day. This time we wanted a change, and it was the biggest mistake. This place wasn’t a B&B in any form. You replied quickly to a bad review, but weren’t so prompt or attentive with us as guests, and now you call us liars. The perfect host. You don’t know what warm, authentic, attentive hospitality means; we saw none of it at your place. Name two false claims. There’s no need for others to defame you or your property, you’re doing a good job of that yourself. Considering the hundreds of people coming through your doors, you have only a few good reviews. They must be from friends and family. The rest must have been too polite to complain. Do you list a kettle and toaster as amenities? We call them basic. This review isn’t defamatory. If we save even one person from a nightmare holiday, we’ll be happy. The description of your B&B and hospitality is pure fiction. A week later, we’re still waiting for you to name two false claims. Are you struggling, or too busy looking for a course on warm, authentic and attentive B&B hospitality? Don’t give up your day job!!!!!!

This place was a nightmare, and I see it as a serious health risk. The rooms had mold, bugs, and dirty bed sheets. The whole facility felt uncared for and dirty. Look at the pictures. If you want to feel comfortable on vacation, don’t go there.