Hotel Paradiso Napoli

Very good 4-star hotel with a breathtaking view over the bay of Napoli. Clean rooms, overall nice front desk staff, efficient housekeeping team and a good breakfast buffet. They have a wonderful rooftop terrace with a good restaurant too. Thumbs up to Alessandro, one of the waiters there, who was outstanding!

I so looked forward to this holiday and it was booked as a 60th birthday surprise for my other half, but I don't think staff in this industry - or at least this hotel - understand how much saving and anticipation goes into a holiday, I don't believe I got any value for money and frankly was quite disappointed in all, you do have to make an effort to make the most of the area and get out and about, but if you fancy a quiet day in there's little to do at this hotel. The hotel is special but the external images are photoshopped - it's shown the opposite way to cover the building at the end, it is not as glamorous as it looks, I had noted another review saying this and it was vehemently denied by the hotel - why I don't know because it is obvious and a blatant attempt to mislead. The hotel was mediocre, the staff were hit and miss, you cannot fault the views - the best in Naples, but beware when getting taxis as they will use the hotel as a springboard for more money, knowing that it is not a cheap place to stay, plus the area is expensive so they will extract as much money from you as they can. It was clean and the cleaning staff were very nice. The bar and restaurant staff were surly, very difficult to get their attention for food or drink, however it was noticed that they carefully selected who to attend to, then we discovered that a well placed 'note' would make them more friendly, which may be the norm in Italy but this was our first time. Breakfast was typically continental which my other half made the most of but I found it bland. I had chosen a basic room, which was more than adequate as the idea is not to spend too much time in there, but if I was to go again I would chose to pay more money and get a room with a balcony as the view is spectacular and it would be a nice change to stay in for a while before venturing out for a day of discovery. Our A/C was poor and ineffective. The restaurant was expensive and not basic but fancy food - bland though. I did hope for more variety but many locals use the restaurant so they cater for them instead. I would have liked more typical Italian dishes but I suppose you can get them somewhere else, but that does mean a trek up and down the hill which is not relaxing. Its position is a long way from anything, again I chose it for the views; there is a Funicular nearby which is a big help but be wary as the pay machines don't always work and the service can shut down without any notice leaving you a minimum 30 minute uphill walk, and the local streets are filthy for such an exclusive location - many apartments are easily ??1m plus so it unfortunate to see so much litter, not ordinary litter but soiled nappies, beer bottles and cans, butts, dog doo and more. If and when you do get to the street level stroll along the front to the left side and find the Bar Napoli on the corner of Via Tommaso Campanella and V. Francesco Caracciolo, they do very good food and their service is excellent and very friendly - and their food had flavour. Forget taxis and get to the Metro at Napoli Mergellina, a little walk but saves so much time and money in the long run, an hours taxi ride (noise and hassle) is a brilliant 12 mins on the train, all for 1.50 euros each anywhere, and nearly everywhere can be reached. Pompeii is a must and Herculaneum, Naples city centre is lively and cleaner; we went to the museum but queued for over an hour and a half and were exhausted before we got in; the Castel Sant Elmo has amazing views but little else on the site. The hotel has limited amenities, I did look at the 'pool' which I had accepted as being small and mainly as a refreshing plunge, but the 2 chairs and 4 loungers were tired looking and you needed to book in advance, so I didn't. The reception is serviceable but really only used for waiting for your transfer, good views but as the bar is upstairs you cannot sit and relax with a drink. The 'bar' is only a service point so you cannot sit there and relax, you are required to sit at a table but if you haven't booked a table for dinner then don't expect a seat with a view. If you go to Naples there is a lot to take in for a first visit so if any of this helps to improve your stay then that's good - if we returned it would certainly be easier but I would not stay at this hotel again which is a shame because it could be so much better, it being part of a chain makes it less friendly compared to family owned and run hotels/b and b's, some staff tried but on the whole they did well at looking busy but doing as little as possible.