Grand Hotel De La Ville

We visited this hotel on a couples weekend in September. It’s a classic Italian style hotel, very conveniently located for the town of Sorrento. Overall, the hotel is excellent. The food quality was very good and the service was not only good, but enjoyable. The staff had humour and engagement with you, it felt personal. The rooms are classically Italian style, so don’t expect modern, but it felt like a nice experience. Would recommend.

We were very impressed straight away on arrival. The staff were instantly friendly offering to take our heavy suitcases up to our room. Everything was explained to us clearly making us feel welcome straight away. The room did not disappoint, it was very spacious with a comfortable bed with a safe provided for valuables. We had an amazing view of Mount Vesuvius which we were very impressed with (we booked a premier room with a sea view). Breakfast and dinner was lovely, lots of choice and a separate vegetarian menu. The dinner was a La Carte and it was nice to have table service rather than a buffet. The staff were friendly, accommodating and made you feel very welcome. Staff also left a chocolate on our bed each night, which was a lovely touch. The grounds were nice, on ground level there was a big pool, which we did brave late afternoon however it probably was too cold as the sun went down. We also tried the smaller pool on the rooftop overlooking Mount Vesuvius which was an experience. Location was perfect for us, a short walk to the town of Sorrento to pick up our coach for our day experience to Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii. It was also near to the train station for another one of our planned day trips to Herculaneum. Finally, the hotel also provided us with a takeaway breakfast on departure as we were leaving for the airport before breakfast time. We would fully recommend this hotel.

A beautiful hotel with great reviews. Unfortunately, the service was less than desirable. The women at the front desk were friendly and helpful, but the males were not. We received a call to confirm our airport transportation and were told we would be provided a box breakfast since the restaurant would not be open yet. When we asked to change the time the man at the front desk said nothing was arranged without even looking. We insisted there was and he finally checked a notebook and found our arrangements. The boxed breakfast was not available upon our departure as promised. The restaurant had wonderful staff and service. I sat in the bar for about 20 minutes and was not acknowledged so decided to go for a walk instead. Our room was to be a garden view. We were on the 3rd floor and faced an apartment building with balconies filled with laundry hanging, storage cabinets, Brooms, and mops. Looking down, you could see the hotel patio with seating. Not a garden view. The temperature-controlled pool was cold. Housekeeping was marginal. We would receive 1 - 2 bottles of water on 3 of our 11 days, turn down service with chocolates, on 2 of 11 days, and find a cleaning rag left behind. The instant coffee was replenished anywhere from 2 to 3 cups, but never the 4 we experienced our 1st day. There was no consistency. They may have been short-staffed.

While this hotel has some excellent features, sadly there are some elements which mean the total experience was only average. First the positives - the garden restaurant is lovely, shaded by mature trees and an ideal place for lunch. The rooftop pool and bar have superb views over the bay of Naples, ideal for sunbathing, watching the sunset, or a drink after dark. The location is good, a short 10 minute walk from the centre of Sorrento and away from the busiest parts of the city. Sadly, the hotel could do with a refresh, our room smelt “musty” and they obviously got a good deal on ceramic tiles for the last refit, they are everywhere. The public areas, especially the main restaurant were more brightly lit than the average school canteen, and the evening meal food was simply awful, at best bland and lacking flavour (such a contrast from lunch) and we certainly regretted paying for half board. Book here for the positives, but avoid the evening restaurant.