We came here on our minimoon for a weeks ‘wellness’ package through voyage privé two days after our wedding and it was a really nice way to see the Amalfi coast and surrounding without having the stress or organising the trip yourself, after having organised so much for the wedding. The hotel had left a welcome gift of a bottle of Prosecco and fresh fruit in our room, which was very thoughtful and a lovely touch that made our stay feel special from arrival. Also ischia itself is really nice and far less crowded a place to be staying and was our personal favourite of the islands. I’m going to talk a bit out the entire package trip as well as the hotel, as the whole trip seemed to be organised through the hotel anyway. So bare with me, if you are just staying at the hotel. It might be worth knowing the excursions they offer, in any case. The deal included half board, a mini spa package, which was a 30 minute body massage and facial on site, which was great and day trips to positano and Amalfi on one day and Capri for the day on another, all were great to see, but please be advised that positano and Amalfi in one day is a long day of travelling as it’s about a 2 hour journey each way and so the stops are pretty rushed, particularly at positano, I think we barely go an hour there. Before moving on to Amalfi for a couple of hours and then a couple of hours travelling home, but both are lovelymplaces. The day trip to Capri is better because it’s only about an hour away by boat, but you get the whole day there. We decided to pay extra to buy a guided tour (by bus) from a vendor on the boat. I can strongly say don’t bother with this. It’s rubbish. It’s an uncomfortable glorified taxi that simply takes you along with a bus full of people to only two stops on the island, ana Capri and Capri itself, for ‘shopping for the ladies’ as they seem to think that’s all women are interested in… it also cost us 25 euro each for this privilege🙄 we wanted to see the landmarks and history of the island but no such luck. The final inclusion was a ‘day at the beach’ in nearby lacco ameno, here on the island. Was a bit disappointed with this, as the hotel inexplicably cancelled on the morning we were supposed to do this, with only an hours notice, when we had got up early to travel there, which was annoying. They rescheduled it for another day, but unfortunately that day was cloudy when the original wasn’t, which was frustrating and the cancellation ruined the illusion of the seamless prebooked package trip we paid for. Nonetheless, the day was nice when it came around and the included light lunch at picoletto was a highlight and we enjoyed the limoncello tasting afterwards, though of course there is an obvious onus on you to buy something, but we were happy to oblige! Now about the hotel itself, it’s in a lovely setting with a backdrop of a large very green mountain, but it’s pretty basic. Location wise, it’s a short downhill walk to the beach and forio itself, which is a cute little port town, with nice restaurants and bars, but there is no park so you have to walk on the road which is pretty hairy! Fortunately the hotel do provide a free shuttle bus every half hour, but you have to book and we tried and there were no spaces… The best thing about the hotel is the food and the staff, both are excellent, we really looked forward to our included à la carte meal every night, the quality and choice of food was brilliant and we never had the same thing twice in a week, which we were super impressed by. Also a special mention to all the staff. Who are brilliant, their care and attention to detail really elevates the hotel and everyone’s stay here. There are only a few things that really let this hotel down, but they are notable and those are these; 1. The aircon in the rooms doesn’t work, apparently they don’t switch them on til mid June… what?!? It’s boiling, I was having nightmares I was that hot in my sleep. They did give me a fan in the end, which helped but it’s no substitute. 2. You HAVE to wear a swimming cap in the pool at all times, everyone, even boys with short hair and you have to pay for one! (2 euro each) of all the crazy rules I have ever heard, this has to be THE most ridiculous. Made me not wanna get in the pool, what a joke. For what reason in 2023 can people not have their hair uncovered in the pool. Is this pool more special than any other around the world in any other hotel I have been to?! 3. You have to pay to use hotel towels around the pool 3 euro each per day. It’s not a deposit, it’s per day, per person! And no one tells you this. When we took towels they asked for our room number but I just thought that was to keep track of the loan, not because they were charging it to our room each time! What a joke! 4. We also found it really frustrating when buying any extras such as drinks round the pool or with dinner etc that you can’t pay as you go. Everything has to be charged to your room which is pretty hard to keep track of or verify when you are presented with it at the end of the week. But that’s just a small thing perhaps not everyone will mind this. 5. The beds are pretty uncomfortable, really hard and particularly the pillows, I woke up with a stiff neck most mornings. It feels like all the bedrooms need upgrading. But I want to finish on a positive note overall to say we enjoyed our stay and we would recommend this hotel for the food and staff alone as well as the good price, but if you want more luxuries, maybe stay somewhere else. We just wanted to give this feedback as think it’s is important for the hotel to improve and future guests to be aware.…