Name: Terrible to say the least!
Item: Circeo Park Hotel
Rating: 1
Author: M974ASlaurac

4 - 9 of 502 reviews

Julia L

Tallinn, Estonia

9439

Reviewed September 10, 2017 via mobile

It's ok

Service is nice, located just next to the sea. You can sunbathe for free with a hotel voucher, towel costs 1 eur per person. Breakfast is good and parking is free. However, room is quite old furnished. Bathroom is spacious.

Date of stay: September 2017

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Johndot_12

Salisbury, United Kingdom

205111

Reviewed September 7, 2017 via mobile

Bitter Sweet high season visit

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.

Date of stay: July 2017

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Pioneer649407

Reviewed June 10, 2016 via mobile

Strange

This hotels is an extreme remain of the '80s however its maybe built later. Funny and bizarre at the same time. Cleaning stuff doesnt listen to "do not disturb" sign which leads to unexpected visit during private times :D Serving is nice, breakfast is totally oldschool. I love the insanly huge mirror in front of the double bed :)

Oh, and the city is maaadness. No people here. The beach is empty :D

Date of stay: June 2016

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David J

Reviewed April 3, 2016

Not quite 4 star

We stayed here for our honeymoon having booked for 2 weeks.

Service at the front desk was very competent and friendly, however the service in the restaurant was not what i would expect at a four star hotel, there was a little too much testosterone in the air. If you are a great fan of star wars the interior decoration, being unchanged from the 70's will please your eye, otherwise it could generously be described as dated. The location is excellent with a beach right over the road and San Circeo a 15 minute walk and full of very charming and friendly people with some lovely restaurants, a rental car is helpful. The beach is lovely providing a superb view for breakfast, which is good as it helps to distract from the inordinate number of flies. The pool is very old and uninspiring.

Our favourite aspect was the quality of the food and coffee in the restaurant, we most disliked the outdated and overly green decor/lemon yellow couches and the service in the restaurant sometime was very slow and inconsiderate.

Getting to San Cireco is a real issue, we took the train from Rome and it was a nightmare, either book an airport transfer or rent a car.

This hotel would be a good 3 star, but 4 star is flattering.

Room tip: Avoid the rooms overlooking the bins and the terrace, higher the better.

Date of stay: August 2015

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MrMrsUK

Yorkshire, United Kingdom

127158

Reviewed September 8, 2015

2 star hotel in dire need of refurbishment

This hotel is appalling. It is NOT 4 star. One reviewer says it is boutique- it is not!!!!

Despite being full, the hotel felt dead, soulless and miserable. It did look like it was ready to shut down totally.

The staff were mostly arrogant and unhelpful

It rides on the back of a beach club with a pool which is across the road although that is terrible too

Normally, it is difficult to think of the negatives but here it was so easy as there were so many bad things.

Negatives:
- basic room, very 70s in style
- tiny shower and bathroom with broken tap mended with glue, shabby and rotten woodwork
- beds were memory firm. Ok for an hour but hard to change position in and very hot to sleep on
- very poor air con. Staff just say " it is slow" and refuse to look at it
- reception was basic and drab worse because it was a large space with ugly dralon yellow settees that had seen better days
- very narrow balconies and one single chair
- manager/owner walked round with his arms folded and an arrogant look. We had queries at reception and he wouldn't help and asked you to ask receptionist next to him
- the bar in the hotel was poor, never anyone drinking there.
- wifi very weak and slow. No signal in bedrooms

- breakfast was very BAD. Even at 9am (1.5 hours before end time) there were no bowls no forks and very little left to eat. There was no manager for the five mornings we were there, and staff were clueless and surly. Choice was very poor - stale bread, tinned fruit and inedible bright yellow scrambled egg. It was served at a restaurant across the road at La Stiva

- the pool area was poor and needed maintenance.
The pool water was dirty, full of hair, flies and dirt. I asked for it to be cleaned but staff was rude and said it was clean
- pool area not private, just roped off from harbour so you would get non guests walking by or worst annoying beach sellers would come into pool area to your sunbed. Staff never stopped them
- the pool staff were abrupt and unfriendly and made you sit at a certain bed on the beach or by the pool. You couldn't sit where you wanted and you couldn't sit on the front row on the beach, although he let Italian guests
- you had to pay for pool towels 2 euro each a day!!!
- there were no change facilities on your last day unless you used the pool shower which was disgusting or the hotel toilet, but then you had no towel or hairdryer. When your journey takes 10 hours this should be provided
- hotel promotes bike rental. But they only had two
- hotel promotes hot tub. This is one bubbly jet in children's pool!!

THIS IS NOT A FOUR STAR........ BAD FOOD, BAD DIRTY FACILITIES. POOR AIR CON, CHARGEABLE POOL TOWELS, ATROCIOUS BALCONIES. TERRIBLE SERVICE.....all things that should be excellent with four stars. WE HAVE FELT CONNED AND RIPPED OFF

The positives? We really can't think of anything good and can't wait to leave this grotty place.
This hotel needs to be shut down and totally refurbished with staff retraining. Or be given the two stars it is worth.

Tips
- if you arrive by sat nav it takes you 1/3 mile away from the hotel but because there is one way street you have to drive on road always heading to towards sea and you reach back of hotel where the car park is
- this area only has fish/ sea food restaurants so avoid if you dislike or are allergic to seafood
- you are charged everywhere for parking, even on roads away from town. This makes. for quite a stressful time, understanding signs, parking rules and having coins as machines don't take credit cards. You can park in blue lines, but not yellow.
- for English speaking tourists, don't expect Italians to try and communicate in English and very few menus are in English. I am not saying they should as you are in Italy but just a point to note.
- San Felice Circeo is in two parts. New town nearest beach and old town up in hills. This is a beautiful historical square, with plenty of life and atmosphere so one not to miss
- as TA reviews have said, restaurants are hit and miss. Generally not very good. Avoid Il Grottino ( all three) poor food and poor service, grumpy waiters. Avoid Bressola on front. La Stiva-nice. L'Argonauta ( next door) pricey but good. QB in old town very quirky. Dal Marinier (old town) great pizzas.
- stop by bar Central in old town square for Prosecco and people watching. You also get served a tray of aperitifs which are delicious.

Getting about if you have a car (you do need a car here)
Although we hired a car we did Rome by train. We drove to Latina rail station (40 minutes away) parked in a free car park and took the train to Rome (45 minutes) easy!!!!
You could also take train to Naples. We thought about taking a train to Sorrento, 3 changes, or drive 3.5 hours

Recommend visiting Sperlonga ( beautiful seaside resort, full of character) 45 minutes by car and Terracina ( fabulous busy sqauare, great shopping and pristine beaches) 20 minutes away.

Hope this review is useful. I know everything is subjective and depends on what standards you expect and have experience in a holiday. The area is beautiful but there are plenty of lovely hotels much better than Circeo Park hotel to stay in.