Do you own a Ferrari? Are you embarrassingly wealthy, positively rolling in money? Do you spend your life travelling the world, staying in the grandest places and being fawned over by tip hungry hotel staff? No? Then the Grand Des Bains is not for you, beacause unless you fit the above criteria you will be invisible to all but a minority of the staff.

Never in all my travels across the world has a hotel proved to be such a disappointment. Firstly I cannot imagine how it sees itself as a 5 star hotel. Think of what that usually entails and then dismiss that from your mind. Ever been in a 5 star hotel where the receptionist watches you carry your own suitcases into the hotel when you arrive and again when you leave, without the slightest concern that it might be his responsibility to offer some asssistance?

When is the last time your 5 star room had a hole in the ceiling, no ironing/pressing facilities, no tea/coffee making equipment and flaking discoloured paint falling into the bath every time you showered? How many times have you walked past staff members only to see the majority avert their gaze and look fixedly at the floor as they pretend not to see you, a cheery hello a distant hope?

These unhappy experiences are related here because they happened. By the end of our week long stay, at least three British guests had confronted the Hotel Director over a range of issues including the provision of 25 sunbeds round the pool for an average of 150 guests (no parasols are provided) and the exceedingly dangerous spectacle of having one of the swimming pool's main underwater lights drop out of its socket and lie forlornly on the bottom amongst the swimmers feet.

On one particularly rainy day a number of guests all retreated inside to the indoor pool to enjoy the 'luxury' facilities. The pool was appalling; a rusty brown stain spread out over the bottom meant any actual swimming was a definite no-no. The room was neglected, dank and grubby.

Faded elegance you can live with. A cramped room with few facilities you can also live with, albeit at a push and if you get up early enough the crowded inadequate pool area is acceptable...Just. What is wholly unacceptable is the attitude of some of the staff.

A few staff were very nice and welcoming and seemed genuine in their dealings with our party. Unfortunately the rest are just awful. Arrogant, dismissive and unfriendly would all be appropriate adjectives. The bottom line here is that they don't care and nobody in authority cares that this situation prevails.

The situation is best summed up by a Swiss lady we spoke to on our final day, who is a frequent visitor to the hotel. She said to me that some of the staff were not suited to hotel work and were not up to a 5 star service. They had started to believe that they were more important than the guests! Until this changes standards will continue to fall.

Riccione by the way is very nice and all the restaurant, shop and bar staff we met were great. We stayed between 1st and 8th August 2006.

Save up for a Ferrari, visit this hotel and you'll be beating them off with a stick..... Or you could spend your hard earned money at a place that might appreciate you for it.

the only five star hotel in riccione. four stars would be more fitting. service very poor, at times non existent. Plates and glasses left in public areas and around the pool. Rooms, most of whioh had a very strong smell of smoke. o.k. but small. No separate showers. very noisy plumbing. Internet charged for and not reliable. Disappointing to say the least.