Hotel Terme La Bagattella — Hotel in Forio

As a fit and active 68 year old I have travelled often alone for many many years. I just cannot believe my horrid experience at this hotel. I went to Ischia to see a garden I had dreamed of visiting...that part of holiday did not disappoint.||My room firstly not ready....by 2 hours....had to wait in hot sun...fine that happens...key wouldnt let me in the room 3 times..handle came off door twice...gardener tried...cleaner tried...eventually they managed to release a lever that had stuck...it got worse...then I got locked in the room, for an hour.||I banged on the window of patio door...eventually gardener got me out! The phone did not work...worryingly notice on wall regarding what to do in the event of a fire...ring reception..how...no details...I tried every button.||Towels...One bath one bidet one hand...they had to last 4 days...temperatures very high...2 showers a day....towels werent changed.||Eventually having had other problems I put them in a bag and took them to reception.||Reception tries hard..Stephanie but few people have even a smattering of basic English...that doesnt help.||||I decided to write a formal complaint on back of my booking form...it was still on the reception when I left 3 days later....along with several others...now acknowledgement whatsoever.||||Eventually maintenance came and fixed my door....next day the handle came off again!!!!!||Morning breakfast was fun...buffet style....the wayter was put in the tea pots around half 7...still there...but cold at 8.30...tea wouldnt brew...tried to explain..no action taken.||Day before I left...there were 4 tables all complaining together...several were going to put on trip adviser.||||This is not a fake review it is genuine...I am doing this because I do not want other people to have the same experience...customer service is none existent.||Even in Ischia town...people asked me in the shops where I stayed...when I told them...they said "Mamma Mia".."Oh my God" etc. they said this hotel should have been closed years ago...and its giving the island a bad reputation.||||Ischia is a stunning place with some lovely people...but this spot is worse than I have ever experienced in all my years of travelling||||Its faded grandeur could be so lovely....quaint..yes...beautiful gardens...yes...but its truly horrible...cannot believe some reviews actually liked it...clearly they didnt have...

I have stayed in many hotels over the years but the few that I have checked out of early could be counted on the fingers of one hand. La Bagatella just made that list. This is some completely new definition of what constitutes a four star hotel. Let me explain. ||||The main complaint is that it is shabby. The room is "clean" to a point, but could do with a proper deep clean. The public areas are poorly lit and desperately need a coat of paint. Everything is just a little bit grubby. ||||The staff are friendly, but have not the slightest idea of what constitutes good service. Everything is done by the book - and the book was written in 1970... ||||There's a "spa" - which shuts from lunchtime until 7pm. There's a pool - which has the filtration turned off, resulting in a sheen of sun tan oil and a small sargasso sea of dead bugs and tree debris swirling around you as you try to swim. Oh yes, swimming... Don't you dare try to do so without a swimming cap... Trust me, they have more to worry about than the odd stray hair.||||Food? Yes, that's an interesting one. Having paid for it, we tried to have breakfast there - once. The coffee machine was broken, and nobody seemed in the least bit interested in fixing or replenishing it. God help you if you came down partway through service - once it's gone it's gone, and no amount of asking results in anyone lifting a finger to refresh the tired and sweaty-looking buffet. ||||Ten minutes after pointing out that the machine was not working a cup of coffee was produced. Just the one, for both of us... I can honestly say in thirty years I have not had a bad cup of coffee in Italy - until that one. ||||Dinner? Oh no, not if you haven't booked in advance. ||||Drinks from the pool bar? It took the waiter three visits inside to serve a simple glass of white wine and a campari soda (pre-bottled, no ice...) ||||Nobody actually cares. When we checked out less than halfway through our planned stay not a question was asked, not a word was said. We are only customers, after all. ||||Just one word of advice sums up La...

I have stayed in many hotels over the years but the few that I have checked out of early could be counted on the fingers of one hand. La Bagatella just made that list. This is some completely new definition of what constitutes a four star hotel. Let me explain.

The main complaint is that it is shabby. The room is "clean" to a point, but could do with a proper deep clean. The public areas are poorly lit and desperately need a coat of paint. Everything is just a little bit grubby.

The staff are friendly, but have not the slightest idea of what constitutes good service. Everything is done by the book - and the book was written in 1970...

There's a "spa" - which shuts from lunchtime until 7pm. There's a pool - which has the filtration turned off, resulting in a sheen of sun tan oil and a small sargasso sea of dead bugs and tree debris swirling around you as you try to swim. Oh yes, swimming... Don't you dare try to do so without a swimming cap...

Food? Yes, that's an interesting one. We tried to have breakfast there - once. The coffee machine was broken, and nobody seemed in the least bit interested in fixing or replenishing it. God help you if you came down partway through service - once it's gone it's gone, and no amount of asking results in anyone lifting a finger to refresh the tired and sweaty-looking buffet.

Ten minutes after complaining a cup of coffee was produced. Just the one, for both of us. I can honestly say in thirty years I have not had a bad cup of coffee in Italy - until that one.

Dinner? Oh no, not if you haven't booked in advance.

Drinks from the pool bar? It took the waiter three visits inside to serve a simple glass of white wine and a campari soda (pre-bottled, no ice...)

Nobody actually cares. When we checked out less than halfway through our planned stay not a question was asked, not a word was said. We are only customers, after all.

Just one word of advice sums up La...