Majestic - Chianciano Terme, Italy 

The hotel’s management had recently walked out. A Newmarket tour director had complained and asked to take his group out for dinner – and was instructed to pack his bags and leave the hotel. Our Cosmos Tour Director confirmed that the staff were unknown to him, although they apparently claimed to have been there for some time. On our first evening we were required to go straight into dinner with no opportunity even to wash or change. This is not four star!! We received phone calls in our rooms to go into the dining room – but subsequently the phone arrangements did not work. Procedures for wake up calls broke down, much to our tour director’s annoyance. Moreover he was repeatedly transferred to the wrong room on trying to contact us by phone. There were distinct problems with supplies and service. On one morning there was no bread at breakfast, no croissants on two mornings and cold coffee every morning. Breakfast was unrelentingly monotonous each morning and the diet at diner was anything but balanced and healthy. Bread was always the stale seeming, hard Italian variety. We saw no bread rolls, no vegetables and no fruit throughout our stay. Waiting staff were few and ever changing. Only one of the dining rooms was used. This room was overcrowded, making it noisy and hot and causing parmesan to arrive only after the pasta course for which it was needed. The overcrowding was a particular problem at one breakfast where a large coach party elected to queue - making it impossible for us to return to complete our breakfast. This UK party had several very rowdy, discourteous and racist members who had caused problems at the bar – and were then appallingly rude to a very gentlemanly and frail Cosmos holiday maker in his 80s who attempted to finish off his breakfast – saying that he was too old to be there and to learn new ways. In the bar on the previous evening they had grabbed the milk which he had for his tea rather than obtain their own at the lengthy and disorganised bar queue. Shortages affected the bar where various drinks, including tonic water, were unavailable. Even ice was unavailable. The barman (in fact the head waiter) had clearly never operated the coffee machine before. Despite asking regularly, no batteries were provided to allow room safes operate. Our brochure also mentioned that there would be entertainment on most evenings. There was a keyboard player / singer on one evening – whilst everyone was out of earshot at dinner! The lights by the door in our room did not work – making it difficult to see into the wardrobe. The air conditioning was turned off throughout. (Some evenings were rather cool.) There was no porter service and only one very small lift. This lift did not dock properly, giving hazardous entry and exit.

Stayed as part of a group for 5 days. Faulty Towers is an apt description! Hilarious!........to a certain extent. Evening meal service slow. Bar facilities not very good. A very clean hotel. Bathroom/Toilet facilities very good. Plenty of clean towels. John (Wales)