It was a delight to stay at the Hotel Saline, we (my partner and myself) arrived to such a warm welcome. The front receptionist took time to explain about our room and the services which the hotel covers. Our room was facilitated with the expectations we endeavoured, it was cool and clean. The room was cleaned on a daily basis, the cleaning staff was helpful and polite. Our holiday stay at the Hotel Saline is one of the best holidays we have been on and one of the reasons why is down to the helpfulness of the Manager, receptionists, barstaff and restaurant staff. Although our Italian was not up to scratch, the staff was always there to help us and it was so much fun to be taught the basic phrases which helped us as we journeyed to other places surrounding Palinuro. The entertaiment was very good, there was always something going on each night, the DJ, was very up on his music, there were other entertainers who were polite, encouraging guests to partiipate with the thrills of entertainment which was orchestrated so well around and along the beach. There is so much for families who have young childen, activities are arranged for the children to enjoy and join in and have fun, the young lady who entertained the children was like a "Mary Poppins", the children just adored and marvelled around her when she appeared. One of its beauties is the beach, so pure and clear, as you go into the water you feel so refreshed, I would recommend that you wear beach shoes because it is slightly rocky but that's all good because the sea is pure, it is an area for snorkelling too, there is so much acquirium life in the region. The Restaurant food is top class, whether it was breakfast, lunch or dinner, there was a delicious range of 'a le carte' Italian crusine served, the food was full of passion, integritiy and seductive flavours which can only be experienced in that region. I am not an Italian but the food we tasted at the hotel oozed with so many flavours of the sea and the pasta was just mouthwatering "mama mia" - a wow factor in our books. The service was of the most highest professionalism, it was a pleasure to meet Tonito (Head Waiter) with his sophistication and professionalism, he engaged his staff to be proficient which resulted with the most excellent service. Although it was more Italian families, it was a joy to be surrounded with such lovely people and I felt very comfortable amongst Italian families. The Bar staff was so refreshng and friendly, my partner befriended the bar staff who always spent time to chat about Football creating a ambience atmosphere full of laughter and fun. As my partner's Italian was so bad, it was a daily banter and it got to the point that the receptionist purchased a phrase book for us because they could not take his bad italian anymore (which in anybodies book is beyond the call of duty). This is a place of fun, joy, relaxation, excellent food and service, friendly, polite, welcoming and most of all its surrounded by beauty. We loved it and will one day return. Now for some italian we have taught ourselves:

E'stato triste lasciare un poito cosi bello con il personale piu calda e maravigliosa. Ci manca a tutti voi, ma il ricordo vive nel nostro cuore, siamo pieni di gioia e felicita - Grazie per averci dato un meraviglioso soggiorno presso l''Hotel Saline.

Just in case you are not up on your Italiian skills, I will translate in English: It was sad to leave such a beatiful place with the most warm and wonderful staff. We miss you all but the memories lives on in our hearts, we are filled with joy and happiness - Thank you for giving us such a wonderful stay at the Hotel Saline and as a bonus, we have met and made many friends.

Whether you are single, a couple or a family, this is the place to give yourself a special treat.

This July was our second visit to this hotel and, if anything, we enjoyed our stay even more than last year. There were three in our party, myself, partner and daughter, aged 4 and we stayed for ten nights.
The staff are a great asset to the hotel. Without exception, they were all very friendly, helpful and attentive and seemed to go out of their way to make our stay enjoyable.
The hotel itself is very clean, the room was comfortable and plenty big enough for the three of us. It had a balcony and, although small, enabled us to enjoy the spectacular sea views.
The service in the dining room is very good and the dinners were excellent but I do love pasta and seafood!
One of the reasons for returning is its fabulous location - it is right on the coast and has fantastic sea views. We found it ideal for us, ie family with a small child, as there is easy access to and from the beach, and my daughter loved being able to play on the beach one minute and then go in the pool the next. The beach itself is clean and, as other reviews have pointed out, swimming shoes are a must when going in the sea because of the rock. However, we all loved going in the sea and even did some snorkelling.
The Hotel employs an entertainment team, who worked tirelessly all day arranging activities for children and adults alike. My daughter was a bit shy and didn't want to join in all the activities but enjoyed the ones she did. She particularly loved the 'baby disco' and still sings the Italian songs now! The adult entertainment schedule is not really our cup of tea and, other than catching a couple of the shows, we tended to not to get involved and it was nice that there was no pressure to do so.

My wife, daughter aged 5 and step-son aged 9 and I just returned from a wonderful 2 week stay at Hotel Saline.
Service: I got the feeling the staff were falling over themselves to make sure we had a good time. They succeeded. Everyone from the drivers who took us into / picked us up from Palinuro to the people on reception were friendly and helpful.
Food: No complaints. I love Italian food and was able to enjoy it at the hotel. 'Tonio, the head waiter was helpful, polite and very professional.
Room: On the small side for the four of us but as we weren't in it much it didn't matter. We had a sea view which meant we could enjoy the beautiful sunsets.
Entertainments: A very energetic and enthusiastic team were constantly circulating and arranging activities for the "bambini" - although our two don't speak Italian they were made to feel welcome and enjoyed making sand volcanos (!), playing swimming games and drawing etc. I played beach volleyball and my wife enjoyed the "aqua-gym" In the evenings the children went to the "baby-dance" and were watched by parents.
Beach: Clean. Another reviewer mentions investing in swimming shoes and I am glad I took their advice. The coral starts immediately and provides excellent opportunities for exploring, snorkelling and swimming for adventurous kids and adults alike.
If you want a sea with a sandy bed immediately sloping away from the sandy beach you will be disappointed.
Other guests: We met one other English couple during our stay. Everyone else was Italian. I quite liked this and made some friends with good football banter and being able to laugh at my own pathetic volleyball skills!
This is a fun and relaxing place to come with a family. Yes, I would return.

Be VERY careful if you are considering this hotel. This hotel is an Italian 'Butlin's'. If you're looking for a 'holiday camp' then you won't be disappointed. They blast music out across the beach and throughout the hotel morning through to late night. Awful cheesy 'karaoke' style singers all evening (there's no escape from it), baby-disco (I'm not kidding) and 'musical aerobics' in the pool. The hotel's decor throughout is like a tiled bathroom gone wild. To descibe this as a 4 Star hotel is inexplicable. The misrepresentation of the website is shocking. Also, Citalia's misrepresentation in it's brochure is equally disgraceful. Any trust in Citalia has disappeared. None of it stands up to closer inspection - the pool is very small and poor. The beach is poor and totally jammed. The food is terrible (and this is Italy, for heaven's sake!...there's good food everywhere. But not here.) And there's a building site right next door.
We were booked in for 6 nights. After one night we left. Got in the hire car and escaped.