Review of Grand Hotel Dei Castelli 4*

Really disappointed with this hotel, I'd splashed out a bit, hoping for a bit of luxury as part of our trip, on which it completely failed to deliver. It was extremely poor value for money compared to the other hotels we stayed at in Liguria on our trip, and I am really regretting choosing it. Although the grounds and some bits of the interior of the hotel were quite grand as the name suggested, our room certainly wasn't. Particularly as I'd booked us a suite, I was hoping for something a bit special. I should have taken some pictures to illustrate — but the only adjective I can think of for it is "drab". For a start, I know it's just the way they do things in warmer countries like Italy, but for I just don't like tiled floors. They're cold, unwelcoming, the always seem dirty and are generally not nice to walk on with bare feet. If they can manage to have carpets at the better hotels in Monaco, then why not here? As for the rest of the decor, our "suite" comprised a funny little adjoining room with two decidedly naff tired old sofas, and some ugly faded cheap looking tapestries. The bed was very noisy, the slightest movement resulted in a cacophony of tired old springs. The shower head was plastic and cheap looking. The bathroom was overall kind of bare and had a rather bleak feeling to it. The amenities left a lot to be desired — pretty much just soap and shower gel, and cheap and basic versions thereof. Yes, there was a balcony with a sea view attached to our suite, but which also had an ugly grill fence on one side. Breakfast was a very lacklustre affair — yes, the restaurant where it was served has nice view, but in terms of the food it was really the least possible effort they could make. Just a small selection of mediocre pastries and bread and a few other basic items. Such a contrast from our hotel of the previous two nights (the Savoia in Genoa) where breakfast was a lavish feast. Oh and our room there was less than half the price of this one. The building itself, the grounds, and the setting all meant this could have been a very nice hotel. However the prices they're charging don't justify the poor condition of the rooms or the second rate breakfast.