Starhotels Cristallo Palace - Bergamo, Italy     

I went to Bergamo on business and stayed at this hotel. The weather was very nice and the reception at check in was excellent! The staff are well trained and help as much or not as you want. I stayed on the second floor in room 211. The view was ok but not great. The room however was very nice with a king sized bed that was new I think and had a soft pillow top mattress and lots of pillows to choose from and several types. The television is small by US standards 17 inch I think and is the one thing that needs upgrading. The carpet while not new felt and looked well kept. There is a well stocked mini bar but it's expensive. The bathroom is large by standards but the shower stall is tiny. Be careful when you turn round inside as you tend to either scald or freeze yourself when you touch the handle. The temperature stays as you set it however. One great plus the room is nearly soundproof as advertised! It makes sleeping undisturbed a giant plus. I ate the breakfast and had Italian coffee both were good. The bar service in the evening leaves a lot to be desired. The service when you can find someone is excellent but you have to go looking for a refill. The prices were in line and ok. I will stay here again for sure. I think I paid about 160 Euro's per night. The old upper city is very close and you can walk if your up to it. The restaurants offer fantastic food of every kind and choice. The bonus is the true beauty of the old upper city and the views of the old lower city below.

This is a very nice hotel, but expensive. it is remote from everything and hard to get to. Costs 13 Euros by taxi from rail terminal and another 17 euros from hotel to airport. There is nothing nearby (restaurants, stores, etc.) It is a 1/4 mile walk to the bus stop to go downtown and then you find a very expensive place with very fancy ipscale stores. Finding a place to by a bottle of wine was a hike and buying same at the hotel would be far too expensive. Same with dining. We bought a pizza and carried it to the room. Next time I would ask "Booking. Com" to find us a hotel with an airport shuttle and nearby stores.