A Volcanic Stay (Grand Hotel Vesuvio Sorrento)

Member Name: HS28

Product:	Grand Hotel Vesuvio Sorrento
Date:	17/04/09 (150 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Stunning views, beautiful surroundings, lovely food

Disadvantages: Be careful who you book it through!

**The Grand Hotel Vesuvio **

The Grand Hotel Vesuvio is a 4 star hotel in Sorrento in the Neapolitan Rivera. The hotel lies a few miles out of Sorrento town and has a courtesy bus that runs frequently through the day to and from the hotel to the town. The hotel is situated in a stunning setting with the Sorrento coast line and Mount Vesuvius as a backdrop (hence the name Vesuvio). These views are simply breathtaking especially around sunset. Sorrento is famous for its stunning scenery, greenery, lemon groves and coastline. The lemons have been made into every kind of souvenir you could imagine. (Seriously you can get lemon soap, lemon liquor, lemon coasters etc)

What drew me to this hotel in the first place was its star quality, the price and I also checked out review by others on trip advisor and then visited the hotels website before booking my half board package deal. I knew it was slightly out of the centre and I wanted to know about transport links to Sorrento Town, what the rooms looked like, what the food would be like and if it had a pool! The hotels own website was extremely helpful too. http://www.vesuviosorrento.com.


**Getting there**

If you go on tourist holiday like we did then you will get an automatic bus transfer to the hotel door. If you go independently then you would have to fly to Naples and get to Sorrento by bus or train or ferry or hire car. From Sorrento you would then have to get the public bus to Sant 'Agata and there is a stop outside the hotel, or use the courtesy bus. You could get a taxi but they really do cost a lot in Italy!


**Reception and Staff** Rating 10/10

When you pull up to the Hotel you know you are in for a treat and the hotel has some beautiful gardens, lemon and orange groves, swimming pool and decking areas. The whole hotel is very glamorous and feels very traditional. The reception is quite grand and it reminds me of the 1950s. The hotel has gorgeous marble floors throughout and all common areas like the bar, restaurants and reception look glamorous. The reception staff are pretty helpful and check you in speedily. There are some nice seats in his area and a tourist hotel shop (expensive though). Reception goes out of their way to help with queries on hotel issues or even how to get to a destination. In fact I found all the staff polite, friendly and helpful.


**The Bedrooms** Rating 6/10

This is a big hotel and has been extended and you have to pay a premium to get the views. When we booked out tour operator (groan at Thomas Cook again lol) booked us into the smallest room going and we weren't happy as you couldn't swing a cat, the toilet leaked, it didn't have a balcony and was hidden away in what looked like the servant quarters! I was not amused considering this was rated a 5 star hotel by them I felt I wasn't getting my moneys worth! But enough of me moaning as I saw reception and they were fabulous and gave us two room options to change to. We then got our balcony (yeh) and a bigger room. The room had marble floors again and air conditioning which is needed in the height of summer. We didn't have stunning view which was a shame but again that wasn't the hotels fault but the tour operators! The room had a lovely marble bathroom with a bath and shower. Every room has a TV with satellite channels, a telephone and also has a mini bar which is handy to store your own drinks too!


**Breakfasts and Dinner** Rating 10/10

If you go half board then you eat in the main Vesuvio Restaurant for Breakfast and Dinner. The timing for these are pretty generous so at breakfast you can eat between 7am - 10am and for dinner you can eat between I think it was 7pm-9pm. You are greeted every time by the waiters who find you a table promptly and were always courteous. At breakfast the waiters would offer you tea or coffee but you can also order whatever type of Italian coffee you wished to come separately and for no extra cost, so I often indulged in a Cappuccino. Breakfast was self service and mainly cold dishes which consisted of fresh fruit, cereals, meats, cakes, breads, yoghurts, pastries etc. There were lots of varieties of juices too and it would fill you up for a days sightseeing or sunbathing.

Dinner was a fabulous experience as it wasn't a buffet service but silver service. You were better going down earlier in the evening and would always first hit the salad bar and eat the bread for a little aperitif. The main dishes always had 3-4 choices and you got a starter then main meal. There would always be a fish option, meat option and vegetarian option. I found the choices weren't limited and always enjoyed my chosen dish. A waiter then came round with the dessert trolley so you could choose your calorie treat! The waiter used to let us pick a few to test instead of just one dish! For drinks we used to order a jug of water and the occasional soft drink or wine which cost extra (you would need to factor extra money in). The thing that made this so special was we stayed when the fish season ended so they had a festival and they did an evening out by the pool with 5 courses and had a band playing. This was so unexpected and absolutely brilliant.


**Swimming Pools and Garden** 7/10

The swimming pool was of a good size and it had a Jacuzzi too but this did get very busy so it wasn't always easy to get a sunbed. Every guest was given towels for the pool to use and it was open up until about 7pm. We didn't use the pool much as we went sightseeing and shopping lots but when we did it was busy but then again it was August. Although there were hammocks and sun beds in the gardens which were free and these stayed much quieter. There was even a lady who gave aromatherapy style massages there too. The pool had a snack bar but we didn't really use it except for the odd ice cream and water and it was more expensive than the resort.

**Getting to Sorrento** Rating 9/10

The hotel had a courtesy bus to the resort which ran frequently in the morning and afternoons and evenings but stopped during siesta time (1-4). It was free to use (some hotels charge) and the driver was great who would take tips. You had to get it from the front and be there early as it cold fills up quickly. It was handy to use even just to nip down for a little shopping or whether you were out all day. It stopped where all the hotel buses stopped just at the walls to Sorrento. You could walk to Sorrento from the Hotel but it would take about 20 minutes and I wouldn't recommend it if you have heart conditions or can't stand the heat.

**Cost** Rating 6/10

You could DIY your holiday by getting a flight into Naples and paying the hotel direct but to be honest this region is so expensive that you really are best going with a package deal. We paid £550 each for 1 week half board in August with Thomas Cook but off course Thomson, First Choice and other companies go to this region and hotel too. Even though this was expensive the half board quality in Italy is top notch and well worth it in the long run as the cost of eating out in Sorrento is quite expensive! You can opt to switch your evening meal to a packed lunch too if you want to try eating out elsewhere.



**My Overall opinion** Rating 8/10

I went half board to this hotel in August 2008 on Thomas Cook Holiday to Sorrento and I stayed here for 7 nights and saw it in the ''peak season'' when the staff are pushed to the limit and it's at full capacity. We booked our deal through Thomas Cook who claimed it was 5 star when in reality it is only a 4 star and that is all the Hotel claims as well as other reputable tourist companies. Whilst I was not happy with Thomas Cook I can say the opposite about the actual hotel. Overall I was happy with the hotel and their customer service in dealing with any issues and making the stay enjoyable and memorable.

The hotel isn't in central Sorrento but the free bus to Sorrento is fab and it means you get more for your money. If you like a great views then this is for you as you see over the Sorrento coast and across to Vesuvius. I would recommend this Hotel to those wanting to go to Sorrento for the stunning views, fabulous meals and quality customer service. Just pick your tourist company carefully and if you want a sea view pay that little bit extra. If you can't get in to here I would also highly recommend the Hotel Nastro Azzurro which is also 4 star but I think is better than this one. It is similar position from Sorrento, offers fabulous views and top notch service.

Summary: A beautiful hotel and overall a delightful stay