Sentido Michelizia Tropea Resort

I have travelled extensively worldwide and have reviewed many hotels and have not given a low rating like this before. This is a pity as lots of good things about this hotel but the poor elements are due to poor management which could be rectified. The good bits: Nicely maintained buildings outside and gardens; lovely pool area, very good food, excellent staff. The not good bits: We booked 2 sea view adjacent rooms (through Great Rail Journeys package), on arrival at 1am we found these rooms were not only at opposite ends of the complex but my room was up a long steep slope then a steep flight of steps; we were told it would be sorted out in the morning. I spoke to reception as did our rep and explained that I found access to my room physically challenging and wasn???t happy with the location. We were again told that the hotel was ???full??? but people booked in and out every day so they would see what they would do. The next day a large group booked in, so I assume those rooms would have been empty the day before or available to swap. I said I would forego the SV for easier access. I heard nothing more ; the management had no intention of changing my room: they had my money and had no interest in any customer satisfaction. This spoilt my enjoyment of the holiday. Appalling. The rooms: A huge variety of rooms. My room slept 3 in 2 linked rooms, the only storage was one small wardrobe, no shelves, no drawers, nothing; I lived out of my suitcase. One small shelf in the bathroom and one hook on the wall for what could have been 3 bath towels. The shower always had hot water and good pressure but was tiny and a poorly fitted bifold door meant that you had to be sylph like to get in (the same was true in my friend???s room which had a sliding door but only half opened!) Beds were comfy, good pillows and aircon and nice balcony. Don???t bother to pay extra for sea view, it is a thin blue line some distance over trees and houses. The room had a fridge and hostess tray which was replenished. Easy to use safe in the wardrobe with no charge to use, well done! Suggestion to management: put some proper storage in the bedrooms and bathrooms. The dining room: The food was very good: excellent choices at breakfast and main meals and the waiters were efficient, a special mention to the lovely pasta chef. However, the hotel dictated that the group all sit down for dinner at 7.30 in a designated area. Sitting in one area wasn???t a problem but when 2 groups all came at the same time and the antipasti table was a circular 6 foot installation, people were standing 3 deep to help themselves, not a good look. Why insist on this set time. This also meant that people were going to the bar for an aperitif at roughly the same time, service was slow there anyway so the problem was exacerbated. Given the good food in the restaurant, we were all appalled at the disgusting packed lunches that were served up: a large paper carrier with a sachet of mayonnaise, knife and fork, bottle of water and one thick dry doughy roll with a sliver of cheese and ham. They went in the bin or the nearest pigeon. I concede that this was probably because of a financial agreement with Great Rail Journeys but it only reflects badly on the hotel so I would suggest they opt out of such a poor standard of service. If someone didn???t go on a trip, they were told they had to pay 30 euros for a meal in the restaurant! On our final morning we were supposed to have lunch at 11.30 and this was confirmed several times by our rep. However, when we went to the restaurant the waiters told us 12.30, and they should know as it was their shift pattern. The hotel had decided to do what they wanted never mind what had been agreed. Maybe if you are a private customer at this hotel they show you respect and some customer care but I certainly felt that, being part of a group, they had no interest in anything but the bare minimum having received payment and not having to bother about repeat bookings from the visitors. Oh yes: and they charge for a pool towel! Really! I have bever been charged for a pool towel, maybe a small payment to change a towel; this isn???t a quality hotel behaviour. All the issues I have raised could be corrected by better management,

The hotel was amazing, clean, great facilities that were well maintained. The staff were amazing and really made us feel welcome from the get go right the way through to check out. Maria at reception was fantastic, nothing was too much for her, she really made our stay even more enjoyable and relaxing. The breakfast that was included was great with a good selection. The pool was great with beautiful views over the sea and a relaxing area with a bar.