Hotel Girasole

We booked this hotel as it was affordable, therefore aware it was a walk from the centre of Sorrento. It is in need of a little refurbishment but it was clean and immaculate. It is very quaint and has Italian charm, sitting under the grapefruit trees was a first. Cons.. The hairdryer was pretty useless. We were lucky to get a room facing Mount Versuvius however could still hear traffic and people in next room talking and snoring! Take some earplugs. Very low key nightlife we sat outside and in the Bar after our meal and there was no music and very few people so not much atmosphere. Pros.. management and staff very friendly and helpful. We thought the food was delicious best scrambled eggs I've ever tasted. The portions on a night are a little small but you get 3 courses it was all delicious and I tried Italian food I've not tried before, if I'd gone out I'd have probably ordered Pizza. The drinks in the hotel were alot more reasonable than I thought they would have been for a hotel in Sorrento. 3 euros for a glass of house wine. The first night we got there late and they brought us up a tray with some food which was lovely. Also we got a couple of pastrys and drinks when we left as we had an early flight. For what we paid I think it was well worth it and would recommend staying here. The walk into the centre was no issue for us, felt safe, there are some very narrow paths so could be a problem for anyone less mobile.

If you are looking for a flashy, modern all singing and dancing hotel in Sorrento, then Hotel Girasole is not for you. If you need to think about budget, and want a small, old fashioned but very Italian family run hotel, then this hotel will be up your street. Pros : it’s affordable, it’s not right in the centre of a very busy Sorrento (which is a bonus, unless of course, you like that sort of thing). It does need modernisation, however, we couldn’t help but feel that the décor is perhaps part of its quaintness. The staff are friendly and attentive. There is a lovely pool and outside sitting areas in among the citrus groves. The pool bar staff are particularly friendly. There is a small but charming bar next to the dining room where you can sip limoncello after dinner and chat to the also friendly bar man. It is only a 15 – 20 minute walk either into Sorrento or Sant’Agnello and although the pavements are narrow, we never felt unsafe walking. You will discover the traffic is completely bonkers and constantly busy. Sorrento doesn’t sleep. I found it busier than New York! But what an experience – it was a wild ride, and we loved it. Cons : It is right on a very busy and noisy main coastal road. If you are unfortunate enough to have a room overlooking this road, you will need ear plugs! We had the air conditioning on, wore ear plugs, and we didn’t really hear anything. You do get used to it. Try and get a garden facing or Mount Vesuvius facing room as that is away from the road. We were unable to as the hotel was full. It was very entertaining to lean over the balcony and watch the business/chaos in the street below. Moped Central! The room we had was small, with the tiniest shower I have ever seen – lots of very hot water with the ability to control the temperature. If you are a very weighty person, you may not fit in it! The room was old fashioned with a very annoying sticky wardrobe door. However, it was clean and the beds although slightly hard, were comfortable. Breakfast buffet, although generous, is exactly the same every day. Pastries, bread, ham, fresh tomatoes, limited fruit, yoghurts, two types of cereal, scrambled egg and rather uninspiring tiny sausages which looked as though they have been taken from a tin and quickly fried off. There was no bacon or mushrooms. They have two coffee machines which were absolutely fine – a wide range of hot drinks, and a nice touch is the hot milk you can dispense from the machines as we like milky coffee/latte. We were staying on a half board basis, so breakfast and dinner were included. The menus for dinner are somewhat strange - quite limited/bland, and very pasta and tomato based. Portions are small. If you want alcohol, you have to pay for this. We ate there twice and decided to eat out after that. It was disappointing that the hotel staff didn’t help with tours or the booking of them, unlike our hotel in Paphos, Cyprus where they did everything for us. Fortunately, our TUI rep assisted with the main places to visit and administrated the bookings for these. But then, the hotel is rather small and perhaps a concierge function is not appropriate, or has not occurred to them to provide such a service. If you do not have a tour rep, then there are numerous outlets in Sorrento to book day trips. We didn’t let any of the “cons” spoil our holiday - we had a fantastic time, and we made the decision to just throw ourselves into it and embrace it for what it was. After all, a hotel is merely somewhere to sleep and rest – not to live in for the entire week. Would we go back? No – there are better hotels. Tip : If you’re looking for an extensive menu of all sorts of reasonably priced food and the best limoncello spritz in Sorrento, go to BAR KONTTATO on the main road through Sorrento… when you exit Girasole Hotel, turn right and keep walking. It’s on the left hand side of the road, across from multiple parked mopeds. It was our favourite place. We tried limoncello spritz at several other places and they didn’t even come close!

After some of the reviews we had read we were wondering what to expect. However, we had a wonderful holiday and really enjoyed our stay. It is out of the centre of town and it is on the crazy Corso Italia. However, thanks to a previous review and a freebie map we turned down the Vico 1 Rota (on the right as you leave the hotel), headed all the way to the bottom, turned left and followed the road into the centre of Sorrento; a much quieter walk. It was a good 20 minutes but we really enjoyed it and there is an amazing Bay view along the way. We were half board and really enjoyed the food. It was well cooked and very tasty. There was a good selection at breakfast and we really enjoyed the evening meals. I agree that the main course wasn't huge but if you eat like the Italians and have pasta or risotto as your primi piatti before your secondi piatti there was more than enough. We had a garden room (33) which had amazing sea and Vesuvius views. The room was a little old fashioned and the bathroom could have done a freshen up (which we put down to it being the end of the season) but we weren't disappointed. Would we come again? Definitely!