Hotel Mion - Silvi Marina, Italy 

I have just spent a couple of weeks at this beachfront hotel, owned and managed by the Mion family. Its greatest strength is the food, really superb for a relatively small 4star hotel, with dinners of four courses and, at each course, the choice among five dishes almost never repeated; besides, a good selection of wines at fair prices. All the interiors are very clean, well furnished and comfortable including the rooms even if the size of the bahrooms is terribly small. The private beach is sandy,very broad,clean and well kept, with sunbeds and umbrellas at a reasonable distance between the relevant users. The service is excellent at all levels inside the hotel ( reception, rooms, bar, restaurant ), while it should be improved outside, where it is carried out by the pool and beach attendants, boys who are most nice and friendly but insufficiently trained and/or supervised. In fact, at the beach they are practically invisible ( but, if you manage to find them, they are kind and helpful ); at the swimming pool they are always present but unsuited to the role. For instance, during my stay there was a group of Britons, surely not among the winners of a good manners competition, who did completely ignore the international behaviour rules to be observed at the pools, also towards the other guests, but no attendant or anybody else did ever intervene. Other positive features of the hotel are the presence at night of an unusually good pianist and vocalist, the free use of bicycles and the free, unlimited use of a computer with access to internet. In conclusion, the warm hospitality of the Mion family, the first-rate food, the beautiful beach and, last but not least, the fair prices, make this hotel a recommendable one. Rinaldo Pellegrini, Milan ( Italy )