Hotel Antares is advertised as a 3 star hotel but don't let the stars fool you. The first room they offered us had paint peeling from the walls, built-in wooden closets with make shift curtains for doors, a lock which looks like it was tampered with, and a desk with no chair to sit on. After I told the receptionist that this was unacceptable for my mother, he offered a slightly better version of the first. This room (room 111) was bigger, with a twin bed and 2 twin beds to make a queen bed. There was a chair for the desk on this one but the shower had no divider so when one takes a shower, everything gets wet. The toilet seat is actually in a direct line facing the shower so, I told mom, you can poop and shower at the same time....ingenious!
When asked about wi-fi, the receptionist claimed that we could not get it in the rooms, but they did have 1 computer in the "lobby" which we could use. Thanks, but no thanks. As it turns out, we can connect to the rooms and the signal is quite strong.
Lunch at the hotel consisted of a fixed menu of the Italian version of baked Mac N Cheese and baked chicken with carrots. It actually didn't taste bad, but nothing compared to the meals we have gotten accustomed to in Italy.
The Hotel Antares redeemed itself on the second day. The manager arranged for pizza to be delivered. Although the pizza came 1 hour late, it was cheap and delicious. When asked for a blanket, after translating it in Google, we got one. When asked for a schedule of boats to Naples he printed one out very quickly and efficiently.
Just by observing, this hotel caters to an Italian clientele. The Italians staying in this hotel were quite happy. But for the American traveler, when a hotel is advertised as a 3 star, we expect, at the very least, that the receptionist can speak fluent English and not have to translate every other word on Google. And we definitely expect more than the conditions I described earlier.
- Antares Hotel Lacco Ameno
