Booked this after reading the last review and was a bit dissappointed. Asked for the best room available which being a corner room, had a balcony on both sides. Unfortunately, one looked out onto the lorry car park and the other, the extractor system of the Hotel directly opposite which was whirring loudly all day and night. Fortunately the room was sound proof and had air con or it would have been a huge problem. Apart from that, it was clean and looked reasonably new. Dreadful drain noises from the bathroom early in the morning and a few dodgy smells from time to time, so bit of a plumbing problem there. It is also quite close to a really busy railway line which has a lot of commercial and passenger trains.
The pool looked like it needed re-grouting and was not particulalry clean, and there is a charge for using the beaches, the sea is so shallow, that you can not really swim, but ok for a cool off.
We arrived at the Hotel at 7pm, and was told that dinner was at 7.30, by the time we had stowed our bags it was 7.45. We stood like lemons for 10 minutes waiting for someone to show us to a table. We sat or a further 10 minutes before we were offered drinks. When these arrived, we asked for a menu. and the waiter laughed! The meal arrangements work like hospital food (and taste worse!) , you pick what you want the night before, and new arrivals get whatever is left! The salad bar from which you may help yourself looked as if it had been attacked by a plague of locusts! Nothing was replenished, so we skipped that course. A plate of cold spaghetti was eventually thrown in our direction followed by a cold turkey escallope which had been squased by a steam roller and fried in breadcrumbs, served with a delicious helping of cold soggy green beans. What came after, who knows, we were outta there! We went for breakfast one morning only, which was usual for Italy, but the breakfast room was shabby and dirty and the toilet facilities were quite disgusting.
Most of the Hotels in Cattolica seem to offer this half board arrangement and restaurants are therefore not exactly plentiful. That said, we had some wonderful meals, but if you are foodies, do not expect to see authentic rustic local dishes. But on the upside we only saw one English theme pub and thankfully, no one offered english breakfasts, which always puts us off!
All in all, the Hotel was ok for a 3 star. Food wise, we were expecting better but enjoyed eating out. The resort is Hotel city, but it does have a nice buzz and vibe. It's a good base to explore the beautiful surrounding countryside. If you like the convenience of a half board arrangement, but enjoy good food, then go for 4 star. The difference, from what we could see is huge.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
