We were visiting the area for the first time and have written highly about that separately. We had decided not to book anywhere before arriving in the area, and of course in high season that can be a challenge. After lots of research in the area we chose the Circeo Park. It was more than we had wanted to pay, but it was 4 star rated so we were expecting a good overall service.
After a series of staff misunderstandings and bad communication. We eventually were able to get into our cleaned room nearly an hour later than advised.the good point was that we were able to get away from the dreadful sickly yellow worn out sofas littering the whole of the ground floor. Please get rid of them at the earliest opportunity.
Not a good start, compounded with the fact that there was no WIFI signal anywhere other than in the reception area- that is 2 * quality. The room was a strange decor and needed some updating. We did not like the cigarette burn marks evident around the lip of the main basin and a broken side light. And no WIFI.
That said, the hotel private lido just across the road was a joy. The sand was fine, the area fantastic and due to the position the sun stayed late. There was a bar area, a salt swimming pool and more than adequate lounger and umbrellas available. You walk by the restaurant to get to the lido, which is also where breakfast was served. Staying in this location was the height of our visit.
And therein lies the dilemma. If you want to be in the lido, the hotel is just that place across the road with intermittent WIFI where you go to shower, change, sleep and spend as little time in as possible. The dormitory. It was always deserted and clearly run with less than adequate numbers of staff.
Breakfast was served across the road in the part of the restaurant open like a loggia to the lido and facing the sea. Proper coffe to order and a good spread was available. On closer examination though the room was looking tired ( paint flaking off the ceiling and the large curtain at the far end of the room looked scruffy and partially unhung.) I saw over ripe fruit being pointed out to the staff, who were to a person without any agreeable facial expression: they were there and doing it, we did not seem to matter as the 4* guests. We arrived within the suggested time just after 0930 hours, but the scrambled eggs and pancetta slices had been sitting for for far too long and were getting cold and congealed. They should have been renewed. The whole breakfast show was missing that vital thing - the person in charge, for if he or she was there, it was not evident. The " Hello sir, good morning, I hope you slept well. Let me show you to a table and explain the layout to you if this is your first time here. Would you like a table by the open window, or further back? You can order your coffee here and it will be brought to your table. If you have any questions please ask me or any of my staff"
In the spirit of letting hotel staff know when you are not happy, I did, but it took some time in the main hotel to discover who was actually in charge at that moment. That said I was courteously dealt with by the bookings manager who said he would pass my concerns onto the manager. The manager was not on site and my offer to meet was politely distanced, but I have written instead.
We loved San Felice as a beautiful small seaside town and the lido area, but found the actual hotel and staff fell well short of our expectations for a 4* hotel. As an aside it's worth looking up the definition of how * for hotels are defined - its all a bit wooly. It is up to the hotel to state its number of stars within these guidelines.
I do not think that we were too fussy, we just thought that we were going to get a lot better than we got.
A deep look by an outsider and some structured staff training would quickly identify some lessons which could then be addressed. I would willingly return to examine what improvements had been make and report again. It doesn't take much effort, but it does require those in charge to take better responsibility. I am sure it will be fine.
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