We had a fantastic visit to El Faro Hotel in Italy. The location is amazing on a cliff and the water is clear blue. We met very friendly staff that made our stay so nice. It is a bit outside Alghero, and it was very calm, which I think is great for relaxation and vaccation.

Pros: rooms clean (but relatively small).
Cons:
- no wireless or wired internet (although we had been promised that in advance). Just checking your emails on Blackberry will run you frightening roaming fees.
- no beach
- pool is not heated, hence 19°C (in October)
- meal quality is unpredictable: sometimes decent, other times totally unacceptable (e.g. EUR for a dinner consisting of canned tuna salad, pasta, and a nondescript dessert).

Fortunately we paid half-rate (because we were redirected from Hotel Capo Caccia which was shut down); the normal price of 3K EUR/week for full board (2 adults + infants crammed in a small room) would have been outrageous!

Perfect situated, nested at the end of the road on top of a small cliff, with direct acces to the sea. Rooms were note very large, but very nice, bathroom excellent, but the best was the view, with the sea just in front of the hotel. The only problem we had was small mosquitos, which were quite aggressive during night. The hotel had taken precautions and put some "defence-equipment" in the room. However they forgot to inform the guests about it. Restaurant and food were very good. You need a car to come to the hotel and for excursions. The people in reception did a very good job!

Stayed for a few days in late September. This was obviously towards the end of the season as there were very few guests. This can be positive in some ways but the hotel lacked atmosphere. (I accept that this is purely subjective). We had a beautiful room with balcony overlooking the sea with views all the way across to the Capa Caccia (Neptune's Grotto). Sunsets were really special and worth waiting for. A car is recommended however there is good bus service. There is no beach but the seafront area is really peaceful and private. There is a truly magnificent trek through the nearby forest with pine trees literally sweeping down to the sea. The Dining Room is fabulous and overlooks the sea. You can eat inside or outside on the terrace. The meals were good but a bit on the expensive side for Alghero. Again with only 5 or 6 tables occupied there was a lack of ambiance…far too quiet…but again that’s not really Management’s fault. However, why they couldn’t get someone to play the beautiful piano in the middle of the room is beyond me. It’s the first time I ever wished for ‘musak’ in the background!
The only real minus is the lack of sound-proofing between the rooms. We could clearly hear the conversation and ‘other activities’ TWO rooms away. The slightest movement of furniture can be heard from a distance. Hugely frustratingly, we got a very aggressive phone call (from another guest!) in the middle of the night screaming at us to be quiet…they got the wrong room. This was a very unpleasant experience and ruined our night's sleep. On reporting the matter to Management the next morning they were sympathetic but couldn’t/did nothing about it. The sound-proofing will simply have to be addressed. One other thing...Management simply must arrange for the Local Authority to clean up the area ousde the Hotel. I appreciate that it is a public area but 20 mins with a sweeping brush and a plastic bin would add so so much to the overall ambiance of the Hotel.