Cocumella - Sorrento, Italy 

We had asked for a room with a view and were upsold to a much larger room than we needed to get the view we requested. When we arrived we had absolutely no view except for the pool. We complained and they totally stiffed us. Later we found out that what had happened was one of the hotel's "regulars" had decided to stop by at the last minute and the hotel staff just changed the room we had reserved from the one with the view to one with no view.. Ultimately, we had to have Amex intercede to get the charge for the hotel reversed, but the whole experience was terrible.

The Cocumeila has a quirkiness about it that you would expect from a converted monastery, the hotel has great service and a quiet location, however the bad points were too numerous to recommend this hotel until it has received a lot of money and some tender loving care! We chose a junior suite with sea view. You could just see the sea over the tree tops, the room was musty and felt like your granny had just left. The fabrics and furnishings, not to mention the sheets, towels and robes all needed replacing to a level you would not expect of a 5 star hotel. The room was small and cramp with all the furniture in it. We looked at all the junior suites in the hotel, so I can tell you that there aren't any ones bigger or of a different standard. Because of our disappointment, we were upgraded to a suite for the last few days of our stay (we stayed 8 nights) which was lovely, though I would say, it was the standard I was expecting all along. The suite was on the 1st floor and because of the beautiful gardens between the hotel and the sea, you had practically no sea view. The pool was peaceful and there was plenty of space. Probably the worst part of the hotel was the toilet/shower block by the pool. This needs knocking down; it is old, out-dated and was not cleaned during the day which was totally unacceptable for the number of guests using it. The hotel is at least a 25 minute walk from Sorrento and there isn't pavement all the way. There are no good restaurants close to the hotel for dinner. For lunch try La Terrazza which you can see from the Cocumella. A taxi into Sorrento is about €15 . There are some wonderful rooms in the hotel, though these are saved for weddings and external events, so the guests do not get to enjoy them, The breakfast room was tired and probably the worst public room in the hotel, though breakfast itself is great. The Cocumella grounds run right to the cliff edge, but there is no place to have a drink or opportunity to eat down there and enjoy the most fantastic views. The hotel has some great features which it unfortunately does not make the most of. The best points are: - the service from all the staff who are exceptionally helpful and professional - the restaurant - whilst dinner is pricey, it is excellent and you cannot fault it at all. (We also ate at the Excelsior Vittoria and this was no where near as good in food or service, but there is a better view.) - the quiet location out of a busy, noisy Sorrento where you are still able to get to all the historical sites & attractions very easily.