Hotel Alpha

Overall we had a very pleasant stay at Hotel Alpha, but there are a few things to note. The location of the hotel is fairly convenient. We ventured into Sorrento centre a number of times during our stay, walking there each time with our young son who is 4. It took us around 25 - 30 minutes to walk to Sorrento, but that was pushing a buggie so could probably be done quicker. There are 2 routes and we often opted for the scenic walk with views of the coast, but you can go via a busy road which is slightly shorter. You can get a bus or the train to Sorrento from nearby the hotel. There is a fantastic supermarket just up the road and the train station next to it, less than a 5 minute walk. The train is very cheap to travel by, we went to Pompeii one day and cost under ???3 per traveller for a single. Beware though trains are often delayed and extremely busy. The hotel itself was very clean throughout our stay. However the room we were initially given did not look like the photographs - it was much smaller than thought and there was no shower. We complained about this and were transferred to another room within our price bracket but was much larger, with a shower. We had a nice view of Vesuvius from the balcony behind a busy street. The food was excellent - plenty of options at breakfast and for dinner you are given a 3 course meal, which we never saw the same options on there twice, so always had variety. Giuseppe and his colleagues were very welcoming. They had a kids menu available every day, which contained more basic food for the kids and always stayed the same choices. We had a problem with our son's food one day which was swiftly rectified. I will mention that on our last night, our son desperately wanted a Pizza to see off the holiday as he already tried everything else on the kids menu, and the "big boss" (did not know his name) refused to let him have one, so points lost there for disappointing a 4 year old. All the staff were generally friendly and spoke decent English. The reception staff helped us with planning trips around the area, particularly Carmela. We visited during late April, so the weather was around 19 / 20 ??. The pool was BALTIC I don't know if it was the time of year but couldn't stay in it for more than 20 seconds without getting hypothermia. The prices for drinks are pretty high, we had an enjoyable bottle of wine the first night but didn't really go beyond that. I would recommend this hotel for the price and the food being the big selling point, a thoroughly enjoyable stay.

The hotel itself is decent enough and our room was a good size and was very clean apart from the stained bedding. The hotel is situated on a reasonably busy road and traffic noise was definitely noticeable in the evenings/night in the garden room we stayed in. The room was also situated close to the kitchen so you get the noise from there in the early morning. The staff are friendly and helpful. The most negative thing I could say is that the evening meal was very disappointing. They offer a choice of starters, mains and desserts which are waiter served - main portions are small and the vegetables tend to be overcooked. If I returned I would look to eat elsewhere next time. Local transport is all close by and reasonably priced. Trains run regularly to Sorrento/Naples and the addition of the express train is useful for trips to Herculaneum etc.