Majestic Palace Hotel — Hotel in Sant'Agnello

I generally believe in the adage "if you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all" however our experience at this hotel was so comically beyond the pale that I really must comment to warn others.

Room arrangements were made through a travel company; which ended up meaning hotel staff was rude to boarder line hostile as we were not really considered by staff to be "their" guests. We were treated very much like unwanted intruders. Our nine person group paid for 5 rooms and was initially provided two 4th floor rooms, two second floor rooms and single basement room. Basement room was AWEFUL. Room was literally below grade/ground level, showed very obvious signs of unrepaired water damage, smelled strongly of mildew and damp rot and the electrical and bathroom fixtures clearly had not been updated since the 1970's.

Additionally, 2 days into our 5 day stay one of the fourth floor room was taken away to be resold to someone else for a higher rate and I was involuntarily moved into another basement room. On the same day the second 4th floor room was also taken away to be resold and members of our group from that room were simply "condensed" with others from our group into one of the second floor rooms with a roll away bed being added to the room. This move also was not voluntary. Further, unlike the involuntarily loss of the first of the two 4th floor rooms we were not even informed that this was going to happen. This simply was done while we were out for the day and we only discovered that this had happened when we returned in the afternoon to find out our card key to the second 4th floor room no longer worked. When we went to the front desk for help with what we assumed was a "malfunctioning" card key we were simply informed that our fourth floor room had been taken away and that the individuals from that room were now condensed into one of our second floor rooms with the people from our group already in that room. All of the unpacked possessions from the fourth floor room had been put into plastic bags and "dumped" along with the luggage into one of the already occupied second floor rooms.

There were multiple other issues as well but in the interests of brevity I shan't go into them.

Through everything the hotel staff was unapologetically rude and uniquely unhelpful to boarder line hostile.

BTW, as you may have surmised, although we paid for 5 rooms we ultimately only had 4 rooms for 3 days out of our five day stay. However, the hotel absolutely refuses to issue a refund for the 3 days where we paid for 5 rooms but only actually had 4 rooms; not to mention that we paid the same price for all five rooms but two of them (basement rooms) were clearly sub-standard; I sincerely do not believe those basement rooms would pass an honest health and safety inspection.

I have traveled widely both in the U.S. and abroad and stayed in many, many sorts of accomodations ranging from group accomodation hostels to 4 star high end Marque hotels to mid-range chain hotels to un updated roadside 1950's motels. I have NEVER had an experience anywhere near as bad as this anywhere.

It may sound cliche but you could not pay me to...

So before I start my review, I just want to clear up a couple of errors on this Trip Advisor page. There definitely isn't 43 restaurants and 14 attractions within 0.3 miles of the hotel, in fact, nothing like that. However, what is nearby is very good.|We are first time travellers to the area, and when booking, struggled to find somewhere good with a pool at a reasonable price in Sorrento. This seemed like a good compromise, and it didn't fail. Okay, so it's not in Sorrento, and it is a trek to get there, but why would you walk all the way thete, when just 5 minute walk away is a train station. You can get the train into the heart of Sorrento for €1.50. Trains run every 30 mins.|During our stay, there was building work going on in the building next to the pool, which was a bit of an irritation, and the road outside can be a but noisy too, but we still managed to relax and soak up the sun.|The pool is small, but very nice. 3 metres deep at the deep end which is unheard of at a hotel. Middle section is 1.8 metres deep, so still quite deep, and the shallow end is about a metre, so not safe to leave toddlers and young non swimmers unattended. There is a life guard on duty though.|The hotel has some stunning gardens full of fruit trees. This is at the back of the hotel, and if you don't go looking for it, you will never know. A real gem of an oasis.|For those that complain about the breakfast, it is definitely adequate. It must be very difficult to cater for multiple nationalities whilst trying to avoid obscene levels of waste. It's fresh and very good quality and anyone who can't get a belly full to set them up for the day probably needs to see a dietician!|We stayed in a superior room with a partial sea view, and wonderful view of Mt Vesuvius. It was great! Good size with lovely modern en-suit. Balcony was huge, although they only had 2 sun loungers. A table and a couple of chairs to sit at and take the world in would be really appreciated. The room and balcony is certainly big enough to accommodate them.|We didn't have a problem with the road noise really. Okay so we were woken a couple of times by morning bin collections and overly noisy mopeds, but went straight back to sleep.|The rooms are air conditioned which was a must, as it was hotter than the sun. Rooms are cleaned daily to a very good standard. |A word of warning. The well stocked fridge is not complimentary. We heard a couple of people complaining at check out. They don't tell you at check in.|The hotel has 2 levels of dinner time food options. Either Michelin star at around €150 pp, or pizza at €12. Food was okay, but most people seemed to eat out.|Roof top terrace is stunning, but the asthetically pleasing plastic chairs are probably the most uncomfortable that I have ever sat on. Some soft cushions wouldn't go amiss.|Staff are lovely and can't do enough to help.|So, on the whole, a very good hotel in a very nice and safe area with a non tourist, very Italian vibe. We loved it. The hotel isn't perfect, but the price doesn't suggest it is. A few little tweaks would make a big difference though.|We would be very happy...

I am unsure when The Majestic Palace Hotel was given its name — long ago it very well may have been a palace, a majestic one even — but in 2025, it is a hotel barely clinging to the levels of service and amenities reasonably expected of a 3-star hotel, while calling itself a 4-star experience.

Your stay begins at the front desk, where the host will kindly take your credit card information for incidentals and any charges at the minibar (more on that to come) and hand you a very special envelope. Inside, it contains a piece of lamented paper you can exchange at the pool for two towels (strict limit) and a coupon for 10% off beverages at their Michelin-starred restaurant. Hang on to that one, you might be able to shave your 438€ dinner down to 421€.

Now, this point would it be too much to expect them to acknowledge the email I had sent prior to our stay, explaining that we were on our honeymoon and if there was any little things they could do to help make it feel special, it would be appreciated? A glass of prosecco? A “congratulations”? Maybe even just one more of those towel vouchers? Guess so.

Then, the room. We’ll start with the good stuff — it was pretty clean! You can tell, because the entire place is void of any color, art, or interest. After your long journey you may want to relax with a beverage from the minibar, where you can select between a single bottle of still water or a single bottle of sparkling water. We went with the sparking water.

Other Majestic amenities included: a soap pump, two pre-wrapped plastic cups, and…wait that might be it.

But, whatever. We were in the most beautiful place on earth and were determined to make the most of it. Even if that meant asking for an iron was met with “yes but you need to return it right away” and it was delivered without an ironing board. Or, if the air conditioning in the room ran for about 4 minutes before shutting off. Or, if the beautiful view out the balcony on the website was actually a tree and the building across the street in reality.

On a positive note, the staff was generally kind and accommodating. They truly just do not have a lot to work with.

If this place was listed and priced as a 3-star hotel, it would have been fine. But it’s not.

The Majestic Palace Hotel is not majestic. It is not a palace. However, after staying there for three nights, I can confidently say it is a hotel. One that we checked out of two days early. If you’re reading this on May 13th, 2025, room 215 is paid for and...