Hotel Oriente was good, but it could have been better. The guy that picked us up from the ferry didn't even say hello, and the receptionist was initially quite abrupt when giving us our key to the room with no explanation of things to do around the area. Our room was ok, though a bit tired, cracked picture frame, clock on wall not working and generally quite tired. Location to the town was perfect though, and we spent most of our time on excursions which were a 5/10 minute walk away.

As others have mentioned there's ornaments all over the whole hotel, which is great if you like that sort of thing, but to us it just looked like unorganised clutter.

The best part of the hotel was breakfast, there was so much to choose from it was unreal, and the breakfast staff were amazing. When we left the hotel on the last day they had breakfast for us ready before the normal time of 7am, and then we were given a transfer to the ferry port which was really good, though the majority of hotels also seem to offer this service.

Overall I would definitely recommend this hotel to people staying a few days in Lipari.

We stayed at Hotel Oriente for 2 nights in July. We absolutely loved it! The owner was friendly, funny and hospitable. He made us feel welcome from the minute we arrived until he came out to shake out hand as we were leaving. His collection was a treasure trove of artifacts that were made more interesting by his stories. The location is terrific and the breakfast was fabulous. The cottages were very charming. The staff went out of their way to serve breakfast early and gave us a ride to the harbor by 6:30 a.m.

We had a room at the back of the garden which was very private with a patio that we used often. The room was larger than any others we had in Sicily. Breakfast was very good. The staff was excellent - the owner, the desk staff and breakfast waiters. All very helpful.

One hint when you are taking the ferry to Lipari, be aware there are two companies with different offices in Milazzo. Through my ignorance we wound up on the Siramar car ferry and missed the one we were supposed to be on since it's dock is out of sight from the hydrofoil dock. In any case there are more sailings with Ustica, whom I would recommend.

Check the Hotel website for lots of pictures.

Stayed here for two nights on 8/10/09 and 9/10/09. Paid 76 Euros per room per night including breakfast. Booked through Venere website.

We found it difficult to choose somewhere suitable in Lipari and were unsure what to expect given limited information, but it turned out to be one of the best places of the holiday, both for the island and a fascinating hotel.

We had a pleasant and quite spacious room, with an attractive tiled floor. We had our own outside terrace which was very pleasant. Compared to the lengthy staircases in most Italian cities, it was a novelty to be on the ground floor here!

All the walls in the communal areas were covered with an extensive array of knickknacks. There are also extensive gardens with many plants in the middle of hotel.

Breakfast was the best of this holiday. A very extensive buffet, including much fruit and cake, with good service.

Very friendly owner. The hotel provides free transport from and to port, which we used when leaving; or it is a 10 to 15 minute walk.

Given how much we liked this hotel, we are surprised there are so few comments on TripAdvisor.

There is much to do on Lipari and the other islands, as well as relaxing in the hotel and town, so this was the one place in Sicily where we really would have like a few more days. We visited Stromboli, boat trips depart midday or early afternoon and return late evening, with or without climbing the volcano, 30 Euros at this time of year, or much more if doing the climb.