Grand Hotel Riviera — Hotel in Sorrento

My wife and I stayed here for 9 nights in May celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary and used it as a base to visit places along the Amalfi coast. There are plenty of things to commend about the hotel and a few little niggling things that detract from the overall satisfaction. Let's do positives first; It's a lovely looking hotel in a brilliant location only a 10 minute walk from the bustling main square of Sorrento. It's also very quiet, although we had a deluxe sea view room and it might be noisier if you were in rooms on the road side of the hotel. Because it's perched on the cliff edge the view from the sea facing rooms and the terrace and restaurants is amazing. You look out over the bay of Naples and can see Vesuvius and Capri in the distance. At night the sunsets are fantastic. The staff are generally very helpful, particularly Gianni who is the Head Concierge. The swimming and sunbathing deck at sea level, which you get to via a lift that goes down through the cliff is brilliant and has a small bar that does food as well as drinks, changing rooms, showers and toilets. It's a great place to chill out in the sun after exploring/shopping etc. The pool at ground level is also really nice and secluded. Rooms are a reasonable size (for Italy) with high ceilings and very bright (due to the white paintwork and tiles). Breakfast is a buffet with a reasonable choice, although not as extensive as a comparable hotel in Spain. The less good points; We only ate once in the bistro and that was disappointing. The food was poor in flavour, appearance and execution. Having said that, we had a couple of lunches on the terrace that were very pleasant. We didn't eat in the main restaurant. This shouldn't necessarily put you off though because you have so many good places to eat in Sorrento. It was just a disappointment given the quality and price point of the hotel. Housekeeping is strangely variable. On the plus side we got fresh sheets every day without asking. However, fresh towels in the evening were only occasionally provided and bathroom servicing in general was quite poor. This was made more frustrating because the bathrooms themselves are very dated. By modern standards they are small and all the fitments were years old. It didn't help that the shower is over the bath either. A walk in shower is surely the minimum you could expect these days. One thing to be really careful of is the slippery floors. The rooms are tiled throughout but the tiles are very slippery. My wife slipped twice during our stay and narrowly avoided serious injury on both occasions. I think quite a few hotels in this area have a similar faded elegance to them and it's probably part of their charm, but it's time to modernise. So in summary; A beautiful hotel in a fantastic location, with helpful staff, great chill out areas and a view to die for. But with a few irritations and...

Stayed here for 3 nights in October. The positives are that it is a very nicely decorated hotel with stunning views. The lobby, bar and restaurant are beautiful and the views over the bay are as good as you will get. The private terrace for swimming in the sea is one of the main benefits too.

Unfortunately the rooms and the service were severe let downs. We stayed in room 98 and it is in definite need of a revamp. Ants got into the bathroom during the night despite us not having any food in the room. This didn't massively bother me and I understand that because the hotel is surrounded by citrus trees this can be an issue but there didn't seem to be much effort to prevent them getting in e.g. there are loads of gaps between the bathroom tiles and the mirror. They could also wipe the bathroom with a lemon cleaner to discourage the ants to come in.

We didn't get great nights sleep as there is a large gap under the door which lets light and noise in. We probably could have asked to move to another room but that's not really practical at 2am. All that's really required is a bit of effort to block off the bottom of the door. Again it seems to be just another small detail which has been overlooked.

There is also no iron in the room, which is unacceptable for a 4 star hotel in my opinion. I believe the hotel claim this is a safety precaution but plenty of other hotels seem to survive whilst allowing their guests to have an iron. It might seem trivial but the Do Not Disturb sign was very tatty and worn as well. My impression is of a hotel which puts all its efforts on looking good but little effort on the minor details.

Service in the bar was also lacking. There were plenty of staff but they were never in much of a rush to check if you needed another drink. Twice we had to go to the barman as he was spending most of his time looking at his phone. I decided to eat once and ordered some pasta which was decent enough. My wife ordered some french fries, expensive at €8, but when we got the bill they had added on a €5 service charge per person, so the french fries ended up costing €13! On top of this, drinks were very expensive, a bottle of Peroni was €6 when it would cost around €3/4 in the town. I'd understand if service was fantastic or this was a 5 star, but it really wasn't. Pure profiteering as they know the majority of their clientele will just pay it.

Lastly, the pool is quite cold until the sun really starts to hit it. A solar powered heater would be a small, but...

My husband and I had the pleasure of spending five nights at the beautiful Grand Hotel Riviera in Sorrento. Leading up to our stay, the team working at the hotel, in particular Francesco, was incredibly helpful and informative in making our journey to Sorrento seamless. The level of communication and helpfulness was so impeccable. As it was our first time traveling to Sorrento during our trip to Italy, it was so crucial to have such tailored support from Francesco and the rest of the concierge team. From activities to restaurants to transportation, the team provided us with all of the details we needed.

Upon checking in after a long day of travel we initially were not placed in the renovated room that we had booked. However, after expressing our concerns, the team quickly worked for a solution and we were moved to a different room with a beautiful view, and finally the renovated room for our final three nights. The renovated rooms are amazing - they feel very refreshed and have gorgeous views! From our communication with the staff, the hotel is currently continuing renovations which is quite impressive. The other common grounds of the hotel are breathtaking - from the lobby to the beach area to the restaurant - everything is stunning!

Breakfast was served each morning with beautiful views and all choices one could desire. We felt very relaxed each day starting with a wonderful breakfast. Additionally, we had the pleasure of enjoying the tranquil beach area which allows easy access to the beautiful waters of the bay. A perfect way to cool off!

As for location, the property is a short and convenient walk from the main downtown area, making it easily accessible for shopping and dining, while being away from the hustle and bustle of the very busy center of Sorrento.

For activities, on a rainy day we chose to book a cooking class at CaSALe del NonNo which was suggested by Francesco. It was absolutely fantastic and a highlight of the trip! Again, Francesco made the coordination of the class seamless on very short notice.

Thank you again to Francesco and the team for a wonderful stay! You are all so kind, warm, hardworking and friendly. We will certainly be back in the future, Sorrento now has a special place...