Botanico San Lazzaro

I was looking forward to this hotel as it has beautiful views but unfortunately the scenery is all that is 5 star about this hotel. Firstly the handrail walking up to the property was covered in ants. We arrived at the hotel and was told the room was not ready. They suggested we visit the beach club which was nice. But upon return we were escorted to our room which was evidently dirty. The floors were not mopped and were full of dust and some hair. The coffee cups and spoons were dirty with lipstick stains, and the bathroom was inadequate with a bath tub and a handheld shower but no stand up shower or curtain. We were told the hotel was fully booked and that we should be happy they upgraded us to a suite ( it was a loft style with a useless tv and couch on the upper level - again all dusty and unwelcoming). The bed was not clean as there were stained pillows and a dark comforter which could easily hide stains which seemed icky. The worst part of our stay is when we returned from dinner and there were likely a hundred ants lining the walls. The cleaning staff was quick to spray the room with a harsh toxic spray. They did not ask us to remove our belongings before doing so. They changed the towels but a soon after we found dead ants lying on the new towels and robes. We asked the staff if we could change rooms but they said they were fully booked. The only thing they offered was a pizza for our discomfort which we declined. We had booked 3 nights but we wanted to leave the hotel. Management refused to refund the remaining two nights even though Expedia said they could process a refund if management agreed to do so. They offered to show us 3 star properties, but as we paid for 5 star accomodation, this was unacceptable. We ended up going to bed as there was no other option available at that time. To our dismay, we woke up to dozens and dozens of ants in the bed, covering my husbands pillow, and even on his face and hair! We called up hotel staff, but they simply asked if we brought food up to the room, which we did not. We again asked if we could be processed a refund, at the minimum for the days we would not stay, but they refused. We ended up finding another property down the street, Hotel Sole Maiori, which was great. Even they were sincere and sympathetic to the night we had. Pro tip: Do not be fooled by the beautiful views at this hotel, and stay elsewhere!

My friend and I lucked into the happy accident of booking this amazing boutique hotel for our stay along the Amalfi coast during a business/pleasure trip searching out destination Italy wedding venues - with a little R&R thrown in. This little gem is perched high up on the hillside overlooking the quaint town of Maiori. Maiori is a much quieter, less crowded, less touristy, less costly option than staying directly in Amalfi town. You can walk the streets without being jostled about or hawked at like you find in Amalfi proper or Capri. It's a bit of a trek from Naples, but so worth it. Don't let the entry scare you - it's basically in an ally behind a larger hotel and some residential buildings. This is only the entry point and not your actual destination. From there you ride a funicular up the hillside - enjoying the amazing views along the way. Upon exiting there are quite a lot of stairs to get to the lobby level of the hotel. This is not a place for anyone who is not mobile - you will get a lot of excercise just getting to and from town each each day - but that is one of the things that charmed me about this place. Luckily, they have strong young men to carry your luggage up all of those stairs (thank you). The views are absolutely stunning! Views are everywhere - from the restaurant and bar and pool and gardens and the guest rooms. Just stunning. If the views weren't enough, the staff is so incredibly friendly and accommodating. We were made to feel like visiting friends instead of customers. Sara and Lorenzo at the front desk answered all of our many questions, made suggestions for things to do and see and booked our tours. They even made arrangements for a special dinner on my birthday and provided a private driver to get us there and back free of charge. The dinner was amazing - both the food and experience (see my review on Badia Santa Maria de Olearia - the restaurant) Antonio, Guilia and Luisa in the Hotel Botanico San Lazzaro restaurant went above and beyond from breakfast through dinner. The Chef's graciously accommodated my request for vegetarian meals deliciously and without hesitation (in other parts of Italy, asking to customize your meal is not well received, in general). They all greeted us warmly and visited with us at each meal - also offering suggestions to enhance our trip. The girls quickly learned what we liked to drink with our breakfast and it would appear without asking. On my birthday they presented me with a little birthday cake with a candle at breakfast! So sweet of them. It was delicious, by the way. And that evening before heading out to our specially arranged dinner, they treated us to a Limoncello - a delicious lemon liquor of the region. Breakfast was included in our stay and it was a lovely spread each morning. Another of my favorite things of this location and Italy in general - Prosecco with breakfast - yes please. Our hotel room was lovely. Decorated in old-world style with all the charm of an Italian villa. We had an huge wrap around deck with views for miles. On our last evening we were treated to a show of fireworks over the water with the perfect view from our deck! Luiga in housekeeping cleaned our room daily and provided a turn down service with a little treat each evening. She kindly brought us extra blankets and anything else we needed. This hotel only has 18 rooms - it's truly a special and unique place to stay. Aside from our wonderful personal experience at Hotel Botanico San Lazzaro, this would be an amazing place to have a wedding. I will be posting more info on that on my website and Insta pages soon. Can't wait to return. Caio!

My friend and I have enjoyed a lovely tour of Italy seeking wedding venues and a little fun along the way (we are event planners)and this Boutique Hotel was top on our list! The staff and management, Sara, Lorenzo, Antonio, Guilia, Luisa, Luigia were the people we interacted with the most (front desk, restaurant and house keeping) all made us feel very welcome and helped us book tours and suggested a perfect restaurant for my friends birthday celebration and arranged complementary transportation! Our room was beautiful and had an enormous balcony with a stunning view of the sea And mountains! The venue was so charming and romantic with its terraced pool, restaurant and botanical garden. Don???t expect a modern Marriott-expect old world charm, elegance and quintessential Italy! The hotel is high up on a hillside-if you are Mobility impaired this is probably not the place for you because there are several staircases after you exit the funicular (which I thought was super cool) I plan to take my husband on a return trip! I also want to thank the chefs for accommodating our special vegetarian requests as well as the strong young men who carried our bags up And down the staircases! I wish I knew their names and could Mention them personally😊