Villaggio La Pizzuta

At first glance, this apartment village looks more like a botanical garden. The many flowering plants and fruit trees look amazing. Upon arrival, guests hand over their luggage, which is then taken to the door of their apartment by a golf cart. Meanwhile, the receptionist/manager of the complex present the accommodation facilities and other details. Unfortunately, the explanation was very confusing and there was a considerable language barrier throughout our stay, as the staff did not speak English well, and the cleaning ladies and waiters in the restaurant did not speak English at all, though some knew a few German words. The room furnishings were outdated and there were only three electrical outlets in the entire apartment. One was in the bathroom, another behind the TV, and the third was difficult to access behind the bed. This made it difficult to charge our phones. The mattress was very hard. On the plus side, there were mosquito nets on the windows, a small refrigerator, and air conditioning. The apartments are soundproof between each other, but if someone is talking outside or loud music is playing at night, you can hear it inside the room. During our stay, two out of three nights there was a show for guests with loud music playing until almost midnight. So if one is used to going to bed early, it is recommended to bring earplugs. As for the food, breakfast was served quite late, from 7:30-8:00 a.m. and only until 9:30-10:00 a.m. The menu was the same every day, with only green bananas for fruit and tomatoes and lettuce for vegetables. Considering the location, it was a very limited selection. Lunch and dinner could be ordered on site, but we didn't take advantage of this option. As for the activities, one can use the outdoor pool, but a swimming cap is mandatory and can be purchased at the bar. There is also a beach below the hotel, which can be reached either by shuttle bus or elevator, and from the elevator it is about a 5-10 minute walk. This may be a problem for people who have difficulty walking. However, the beach is not very nice overall, with coarse sand and pebbles, so water shoes are recommended. We also saw a sea urchin washed up on the beach. Beach beds can be purchased at the hotel reception - the front rows for EUR 18 and the back rows for EUR 15. The hotel has its own parking lot, which is not clearly marked, so upon arrival, I recommend leaving your car on the street in front of the entrance to the complex with the reception. After check-in, the receptionist will direct you to the parking lot. The entrance to the parking lot is narrow, and you have to ring the reception desk every time you enter or leave so that they can open the gate. A chip card would be better, but as mentioned above, the hotel is outdated. Regarding the hotel's location, the center of Tropea is approximately 2.5 km/30 minutes on foot. The staff was quite nice, especially the lady manager, who was very helpful, but when our chair disappeared from the terrace, I had to ask for a new one three times and still didn't get it until several hours later from the cleaning lady, whom I had to remind that we were waiting for a new chair. So even in this respect, it wasn't ideal. Most of the guests were Italian and German pensioners. Overall, the hotel is more suitable for easygoing guests who don't mind paying a higher price for an older hotel and poorer service. Too little for too much money. Unfortunately, I can't recommend it.

Old fashioned style hotel with beautiful floral garden. Beach in Tropea is much nicer, than in front of the hotel. Breakfast was ok, but nothing extraordinary. In four stars hotel I would expect some good local food, fresh seasonal fruits and more than three types of ham and cheese. The variaty was quite limited. Hotel service was very friendly. I thought this place would be really quite, but when your neighbours are loud, the oasis is blown away.

Abysmal No Wifi in the rooms, so forget calls to mom, sending photos, planning your trips or choosing where to eat next. Level of English is zero, and patience with your bad Italian is not much better, therefore not recommended for anybody other than native Italians. Trip to nearby Tropea is less than a 30 minute walk, but beware the missing pavement. Food at the bar exists on the posters, in reality prepare for fasting on subsisting on ice cream alone. Beach and water are excellent, however the tiny bar is no place to tank energy, but rather an emergency stop with a dozen or so seats. (To be continued..)