Lovely reception area, lovely gardens, , Michelin awards-puzzle to me as why- restaurant very unprofessional, staff friendly especially lovely lady in charge of rooms
Rooms just plain dull, boring and very basicN
- Free Wifi
- Free parking
Lovely reception area, lovely gardens, , Michelin awards-puzzle to me as why- restaurant very unprofessional, staff friendly especially lovely lady in charge of rooms
Rooms just plain dull, boring and very basicN
I was interested to read the review by Turistante of Napoli as we stayed at the Il Grillo in June after being very pleased by previous reviews regarding the standard of the food. We had the same experience as Turistante, with a seafood starter followed by a seafood main course. We did enjoy this, I love fish! and the dishes were very well cooked but did start to get a bit monotonous. We thought this was because the season had not yet started (most places in the resort were closed). However, we asked the ever smiling and helpful Gianpiero if we could have antipasti that evening and the chef produced a delicious and welcome array of dishes. Service was a little erratic but the staff willing and helpful even with my very limited knowledge of Italian (it does help to speak a little). The breakfasts were certainly what we expected, scrambled eggs and bacon, ham, cheese, very good bread and delicious cakes. Our morning waitress was also lovely and very kind to our grandson. My husband, grandson and myself had two adjoining rooms away from the main structure, which was a little noisy when there were functions. It is a small hotel and noise will travel. One travelling tip - I always take earplugs wherever I go! The rooms were basic but very clean and spacious. Our hot water wasn't working the first day, but a word to Gianpiero and this problem was fixed immediately. We loved the friendly atmosphere of this hotel and would visit again, although I would have liked to sample the food as featured on the website. The beaches were very clean, water lovely, perfect for children and within walking distance. Although some were closed with no sunbeds as it was clear that the season did not start until the day we left on June 9th when the resort was filled with the sound of shutters being opened!
This hotel was OK. Rooms are very modern and clean. We were there in what was the off-season, so the prices were good. But: The night we stayed, there was a wedding reception in the banquet room, which sits on the ground floor, directly under the hotel rooms. They played loud music well into the night, and anyone in a room above had the feeling they were in the middle of the reception. Try sleeping through that. Do they not know that any event in the banquet room means an uncomfortable, noisy nights for guests on the floor above?
Also, as mentioned in another review, the restaurant service is very slow. I think it took about 45 minutes for us to get our meal, and the waiter/maitre d' was snobbish to the point that it became comical. The food was OK, nothing remarkable.
Bottom line: Make sure you don't get a room above the banquet room.
We stayed at Il Grillo at the end of July 2012 - we chose the hotel on the basis that it had consistently good comments on Trip Advisor - we were not disappointed! The hotel is small (about 18 rooms) and everyone is very kind and friendly. The food was delicious - we eat by the swimming pool every evening.
The sea was fantastic - clear and blue - and no jellyfish! The beach is just across the road from the hotel.
Our room was spacious and comfortable with a lovely balcony.
We had a very happy holiday.
Il Grillo is a nice hotel and we enjoyed staing there. There are, however, two small "but's": 1) The staff do not speak English (pretty much a standard in Puglia as we found out) and 2) the service at the hotel restaurant was SLOW! An hour to serve any food was way too long, especially that there was only one other table occupied.
On the very positive side the staff are very nice and helpful and the rooms good.