Gran Paradiso - Sorrento, Italy 

firstly let me list all the positives about the hotel of which there are many,we had a room on the top floor at the front and the view across the bay was absolutely fantastic although the room furniture was a bit old ,the room was very clean and the maids always did a really good cleaning job . The pool was very good size ,ideal for anyone who likes some serious swimming,also there always seemed plenty of sunbeds for everyone,although they did seem prone to collapsing if you went down too heavy on them,at first I thought the integral adjustable shades on sunbeds were quite good but as the temperature rose to 37degrees in our second week, not everyone likes to sit in direct sun all day, there was a big need for some umbrellas round the pool. The staff were on the whole friendly and helpful,I must make a special mention for guiseppe the head waiter he was always a good laugh. We thought the food was pretty average,Im not a great fan of continental breakfasts,also the fruit juices were rubbish so was the coffee,some mornings the croissants were stale and normally if we go half board my breakfast sees me through till evening meal ,but not here, every day we were hungry at lunch time,so over the fortnight had to spend an extra 350 euros on lunchtime snacks . With regard to the evening meals they were ok but,much as I like pasta ,we got fed fed up of eating it most of the time,and a lot of the vegetables were out of tins and not fresh. We did not enjoy having to rely on a courtesy bus to get out from the hotel ,and a right old banger that was too. The hotel could also have done a lot more to inform their guests about the local attractions,although the staff were very helpful if asked about information,we felt there could have been lots of literature about the places to visit,rather than just one photocopy sheet of the the bus and train timetables One thing that was very noticeable to us was that at times the hotel seemed more like an old peoples home,alright a couple of nights a week they had a singer ,but I dont go away to listen to an engelbert humperdink soundalike, Even allowing for the negatives it did not spoil our stay here,but would say this hotel is 3 star standard , generally it needs to raise its game in a lot of areas to be called 4 star.

This hotel is amazing, the views are stunning and the food is authentic and beautfully prepared. If anyone from the hotel staff reads this I would just like to say a huge thank you for making our holiday so special. Sorrento, and indeed Italy, is a beautiful place and the staff at the hotel complement this. Giuseppe, the head waiter, was charming and a true gentlemen. He made us feel very at ease and treated us with courtesy and politeness, so it's worth going just for him! All the staff were a delight and we will definitely be back in the very near future!