Well, where do you start. Ischia is a small island off the Bay of Naples.
Transfers from the Airport - Ischia taxi companies will charge 200 euros one way for an escorted transfer - - take note : Come out of the airport, and straight outside is a bus that will take you to the bus terminal for 3 Euros each (children free), on arrival at the port, buy your ticket (49 euros approx for 2 x ads and 2 x children) .... when you get off the boat at Ischia this hotel is a 10 minute walk. We were unsure where it was, however be careful - the taxi driver charged us 15 euros for no more than a 5 minute journey navigating the "long way" - hence we walked back ! !
The hotel. The hotel is in a great location, however luckily we had paid for a sea view, the view over the pool to the sea is absolutely fantastic. We were in Room 205 which is directly over the pool and was a family room of a good proportion. The air conditioning stopped working and they promised a fix the next day, however it was another day before resolution .
Meals - we were half board. THe breakfast is adequate, truly continental. Evening meal has to be ordered at breakfast time and is of a mixed standard - very strange combinations of dishes and especially what they put with it !
Pool- is relatively small compared to others we've seen in other parts of Italy, however was clean. There are hardly any sun beds and as such Italians seem to secure them at an unearthly hour and use them for 5 minutes during the day ! Sun beds on the beach are chargeable at 7 euros each so be careful as the cost adds up
We visited this hotel in August when many Italians holiday. The majority of people in the hotel at this time were older Italians that sat at the pool edge and didn't want kids to play. . so long as you bring yourselves to ignore the minority that clearly didn't want you there you get by !
overall, this hotel is of a good standard, but as with many European hotels it's a good 3 star ... the only thing that the hotel provides that we think deserves the 4 star rating is the waiter service at dinner.
Ischia itself is lovely, but exceeding expensive. 4.50 Euros for a beer is excessive compared to mainland Italy. There is a really good shopping street in Ischia town, however can be a little monotonous after a while ! Little night life exists here as the evenings are spent sauntering up and down the streets
A great experience, mmmmm 11 nights was adequate - would we return ? The hotel is good, but not exceptional and once been to Ischia you'd have to really fall in love with it to go back.
- Solemar Terme Hotel
