Praia Art Resort

A refined oasis of tranquility. The place is only suitable for people who are looking for rest away from traffic and crowds: daytime and night time rest are ensured. The suite numer 119 is on the first floor with a magnificent view of the pine forest and the sea. Entering the suite you can smell the very pleasant essences of an emanator. The suite has minimal furniture, wide space, about 43 square meters a functional bathroom, with a large marble sink. The wardrobe is adequate. Missing shoehorn. Room cleaning excellent and high quality linen and towels; in addition to the bathrobe, there are flip-flops. Personally I prefer the more comfortable slippers. The floors are concrete and wood, on the terrace there is a large bathtub. At night the double curtains of the terrace window guarantee perfect darkness for sleeping; the curtains on the two side windows do not completely block out the light, it would be better to replace them. There are 2 restaurants, one with a Michelin star. The staff is prepared and very kind. Near the midday restaurant, where we had breakfast and dinner, there is a nice pool and bar service. Along the pool, there are three hundred year old olive trees. Breakfast is varied but can be improved in the offer. Excellent local cured ham to order and a wide variety of local cheeses. At noon the restaurant by the sea offers excellent salads of various kinds and the catch of the day. In my opinion the best dish is a kind of three-layer sandwich with fish of the day, melted scamorza cheese and potatoes: excellent and original. A path crosses the resort and through the pine forest, leads to the sea. On the beach there is a lifeguard service: each guest is entitled to a daily towel service, an umbrella and 2 deck chairs. The sand of the resort's beach is kept perfectly clean. There is so much green, typical of the Mediterranean vegetation of southern Italy,and during the hot days the silence is broken by the chirping of cicadas. Strangely, but fortunately, there is an absence of flies and mosquitoes. It is difficult to find such a pleasant place in Calabria.

What a marvellous place to stay in! It has everything you might need during your vacation. Quite, elegant, with a gorgeous private beach and an extremely friendly and helpful staff, stylish and modern rooms, delicious breakfast and a Michelin starred restaurant - it???s a perfect destination for holidays. Had the best few days during our stay in this hotel, didn???t want to leave!!! Will definitely come back!

Although it has the potential, facilities and there are redeeming features it has a long way to go in terms of service and overall quality. Negatives - The hotel is situated in amongst a busy Italian holiday resort not a tranquil setting - No clear signage to reception resulting in getting lost upon arrival - if you are walking from the pool back to reception it is signposted but why would you be approaching from that side first time? - There are insufficient parking spaces provided: ~6 spaces for many more rooms so it???s a total lottery where you park outside - In all of the newest block of rooms the showers flood meaning you need to use towels to trap yourself into the cubicle to make it watertight. It took over a day before any member of staff was honest about this and admitted the problem stems back to the architects - Restaurant service is highly inconsistent at the bistro with lots of mistakes being made including: ham cooked in a vegetarian omelette; pots of tea with no tea bag; drinks arriving with a 15 minute delay; staff completely ignoring you and clearing other tables whilst you and many others are waiting for service; 2 salt and pepper sellers for 20 tables; inconsistent process for signing the bill at the table or walking to the bar; food supplies at breakfast such as pastries and fruit running out over and hour before the end of breakfast and not being replenished - On the first night the beachside restaurant was open but only offered fish or meat grill. They offered no vegetarian options and the bistro was shut meaning either don???t eat, leave the hotel or visit the Michelin star restaurant and foot the bill - Settling the bill was challenging due to language barriers. The hotel was unable to provide change when paying in Euro notes. Additionally, when checking if breakfast would be available for a 07.15 departure we were informed that it doesn???t start until 07.30. No alternative arrangements were offered. Positives - The staff are very friendly - Complimentary upgrade on arrival (undisclosed initially) - The room was clean, modern and stylish with an outside seating area and bath as well as modern Bluetooth speakers to stream your own music - Molton Brown toiletries replaced most days - The bistro food is nice (when it turns up) especially the evening meal, desert and cocktails - The beach is a big positive. Large enough to accommodate guests, free loungers, parasols and towels, very close to the bistro/pool and with hammocks in the sea. - The pool/bar/bistro area is very attractive This has been a disappointing stay given the gap between genuine 5* quality and what is offered and we have not received value for money relative to what we might have received elsewhere even in a 4* hotel. There have been moments where this hotel deserved a 3 or 4 rating but due to the overall experience and inconsistency we feel that is has genuinely earned a 2. Finally, there is just no effort to go the extra mile as you would expect in other hotels boasting 5* status.