We enjoyed our stay and would consider returning. The location, the service and atmosphere was great. A very happy stay. The beach and availability of sunbeds was a bonus. The surrounding area - the town was delightful and worth a visit- all round great holiday. Our only comment is that the bathroom could be updated but in difficult times it probably would be expensive.
I don’t even know where to start with this review. I was born and grew up in this region before moving abroad and, if you are a local, it is a well-known fact that San Felice Circeo used to be a top destination in the 50’s and 60’s, but has since declined due to lack of investments and general care. This hotel is a prime example of it. I am sure it was fabulous 40 or 50 years ago, but when in that time you haven’t bothered renovating once or ensured your staff is properly trained, the result is simply disastrous. Add the unreasonable costs (we paid almost 300 euro for 2 nights), the staff’s arrogance and lack of care, and you’ve got a rip-off.
Just a few memorable moments from our stay:
- We arrived and entered the parking lot. On the right hand side were a lot of free ones, but it looked like they were not available. Indeed someone from the hotel directed us to the very (ugly) back of the hotel, where there was a last narrow slot available. The ground is gravel, so you can’t wheel luggages. He didn’t allow us to unload in front of the entrance, nor did he offer help. He showed us the slot and ran away, leaving us to deal with it.
- The hall of the hotel is a like traveling back in time, and not in a good sense. The carpets and yellow couches are horrifying and, in all likelihood, haven’t been cleaned in decades.
- The hallways where the rooms are located are straight out of the movie Shining, but ten times worse.
- Shower head was rusty, no shower cabin but rather an old moldy curtain and the absolute certainty that everytime you take a shower, you will flood the entire room.
- Hard bed, mold, dirt, damages everywhere in the room - as can be seen from the pictures.
- Poor selection of food for breakfast. We asked 3 times for a coffee and it was never served.
- Last but not least: the first night we went out and returned at around midnight. We parked next to the cars of other guests. There was a sign warning that they were shooting a movie and it was forbidden to park there until 10pm. It was well past the time and hotel staff saw us parking and said nothing, so we assumed we were good. At 1:30 IN THE NIGHT, staff rings at our door. Conversation unfolds like:
Staff: “There is an emergency!”
Us (alarmed): “What happened?”
Staff: “You parked in the wrong spot. We are shooting a movie and your car is in the way. You have to move it!”
Now: this is NOT an emergency. You don’t wake up people in the dead of night shouting there is an emergency, when the only thing that is out of place is your utter incompetence. My husband - alongside a dozen other guests, had to move the car so they could shoot. Was there a further apology? A compensation for the way they messed up - a discount on the rate, a glass of wine, literally anything?? No, like it never happened!!
Sorry to say, but such places deserve to close because they simply ruin the reputation of the town. For such creepy accommodation I would pay 50 euro a night, not one cent more!
Our stay here was like stepping back into the 80's. The establishment was falling apart. The carpet is dangerously peeling away & we tripped many times. The Staff were rude and unfriendly. The room was dirty and the bathroom was old and rusty. The sliding door to balcony was blocked and faulty. It was dangerous & impossible to open or close.
Breakfast was nothing to write home about - basic and old fashioned and it was all too much for the rude Staff who were troubled when we asked for a coffee. Service with a grimace.
The beach was nothing special. The surrounding area was a disappointment. Lots of run down places just like this one.
Definitely a Hotel to be avoided and in fact how they are still in business is beyond us.....an expensive nightmare stay all in all. There are so many more amazing places to visit and stay - this doesn't deserve 1 star.
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.
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.
