Relais Ginevra

We had a great stay, and breakfast was a treat, with pastries that I think came from a local bakery, bread made by the manager, and excellent coffee. The rooms look recently renovated, are clean and stylishly furnished, with comfy beds and a great shower. There was a mix-up with our two room keys when we arrived late, but the proprietor sorted it out quickly after a call. Lovely location, highly recommended, and reasonably priced.

The room really is beautiful, and the view is amazing. We stayed in the honeymoon suite, with a very comfortable bed, a jacuzzi, a fireplace, and remote skylights with automatic shutters. But at €190 a night, proper upkeep would have made a big difference. We couldn’t get the jacuzzi or remotely operated fireplace to work, and there were no instructions. The water took more than an hour to fill the tub. The skylight shutters were programmed to close in the middle of the night, making a loud noise. The air conditioning didn’t cool, and its remote batteries were weak, as were the TV remote batteries. It was hot enough that we opened the windows, but the room is right by the road, so trucks and cars were noisy. You can see why the photos look great, but the little problems added up.

The restaurant next door was a real highlight. The mixed grill and pizza were excellent, and Guilia was especially helpful and spoke with us in English. We had a good stay, but the place is definitely not five-star as it’s advertised. The accommodation itself is very good, though the road was noisier than we expected and the air conditioning needs attention. There was an AC unit, but apparently it wasn’t connected. Breakfast was quite basic and pleasant enough, but on Monday nobody was there to serve us. I’ve stayed several times at Locanda Gli Ulivi nearby, which is rated two stars, and this place felt on a par with it, maybe two or three stars.

The rooms have an appealing style that matches the pictures, but there was very little hygiene or service. The place felt like a ghost hotel, and the garden wasn’t really usable since there were no sunbeds. Shower pressure was so low it was hard to wash, and the rooms weren’t truly clean. What they called breakfast was watery juice and reheated croissants, nowhere near enough to start the day or what we expected. We had to collect the key at the restaurant next door, which seemed unprofessional. There was very little communication in English, so we couldn’t point out the problems. This is neither a five-star hotel nor a resort. If you expect five-star treatment, you’ll be bitterly disappointed. The room style earns the one point. It’s a shame, because the accommodation has potential.