We arrived early evening after a long drive from Rome, were a little exhausted and possibly a little short tempered but the reception and staff were extremely nice and very helpful. English was a little scarce upon arrival but it seems most other staff spoke enough English to get a conversation going.

The hotel is just across the street from the beach, we had lovely views of both Vesuvius and the sea / beach which was really lovely. Common parts are clean and nice.

The room was spacious, relatively clean (bathroom could have been cleaner) and the air conditioning was really great! TV was a little outdated, and a little bulky for the size of the room - flat screen TVs anytime soon? Other than that a very lovely room.

The breakfast was very simple - lacking freshly pressed orange juice, and cold milk for breakfast. A buffet with many selections, from cereals, yogurts, bread, fresh fruit, cold meats... Really lovely. With tables overlooking the bay - what more could you want! The teas and coffees however are self service from a large heated container which isn't as nice as one which is made specifically for you, or with a nice coffee machine!

The surrounding area is very poor, and filled with locals who do not speak English (or French or Spanish for that matter). Although on the drive to the hotel you see many restaurants or caffees, they seem to be empty at night, and not manned, some lovely bars on the beach where a nice drink can be enjoyed watching the sunset over the bay. For dinner however - the best bets are Pompeii town center or a little further for Sorrento which are a little less poor filled with lovely restaurants and great local wines.

Very close to Herculaneum, Pompeii, Sorrento, and Vesusius - all of which are worth seeing. (especially Vesuvius - although the people working there were despicably impolite and rude, speaking barely any English and very very short tempered - be sure to have the exact change for the parking and entry tickets, €2.50 for parking and €8 to get into the national park - have it to hand or else be dismissed to the back of the queue / be shouted at by people working there. No press concession, and for EU students with student cards €5)

The restaurant part of the hotel is... absolutely astonishingly good. Manned only by one man, who does both cooking and waiter-ing. Although the service may be considered a little slow it was absolutely fantastic. The fish was very fresh, the meats were excellent, the salads (although a little salty) were extremely good and the deserts (although not many on the menu) were very good. The pasta dished were second to none and all that done by a single man. Absolutely astonishing. The pricing is extremely fair - with dishes nearing €8 on average - really excellent. So good we actually ate there twice in a row out of three nights.

The down side to the hotel is that there is not direct access to the beach, the nearest is directly opposite the hotel but it seems to be a private beach which can only be accessed by a caffee / bar - they seem to want you to pay for the use of the beach. Something not quite right there. The rooms can be a little noisy. The hotel can also be a little difficult to access without a car. The hotel's internet access is extremely hard to setup - and does require a laptop rather than just a phone.

If you decide to drive to this location - BE WARNED - other drivers (guessing locals) are TOTAL IDIOTS (when driving). We had many very near misses due to other drivers claiming right of way or pulling out of places without indicating, or notice. It seems that the use of indicators does not exist in Italy nor does the use of mirrors for that matter. All drivers are impatient and driving like utter lunatics. Avoid Via Nazzionale if you want to live.

So all in all a lovely hotel - if in a little disheveled area, and no free beach access. A little noisy but very good nonetheless. Do have dinner at the hotel' restaurant - absolutely excellent.