Hotel Mega Mare — Hotel in Vico Equense

Hotel Mega Mare has spectacular views, but the positives end there. The location is at the top of a hill which, for walkers, is only accessible from the local train station via a roughly 30min walk along a speedy road which has poor pedestrian access. The other option is a taxi, for which you will be charged extortionate amounts of money (sadly, true for the entire area).||||However, the real problem with this hotel is its manager. Upon arrival, there was another non-Italian couple who asked about the time to access the swimming pool. They were informed that the pool opened at 11:15am - which they (correctly) noted was not stated on the website, and asked if they could secure earlier access as they like to swim in the mornings. The manager responded "if you don't like it, go somewhere else - no problem for me." ||||The same day we required a taxi and so used the hotel's "service" (around 45 euros for a 15min trip to Sorrento). The "taxi" driver was in fact an elderly lady in a private, rundown old Fiat. She was perfectly nice - but this is certainly not a taxi service.||||The following morning we "enjoyed" breakfast - which consists of cold cuts of meat, some jams, croissants, and cereal that looks like it's been there for months. We returned to our room and around 11am received a call from the manager: "When do you leave the room? We want to do service." "Oh no service required today, thank you," I responded. "No... I want to do service," responded the manager. "OK," I said, we're leaving around 1:30pm." "OK, we come later" said the manager. Around 12:30pm we made our way to the pool, and a staff member came along to ask for our key to service the room. "I already told the manager, we're leaving in about an hour," I said. "OK" said the staff member. Shortly afterwards, we returned from the pool - and sure enough there was the cleaning staff, and the manager inside the room, which had obviously been accessed with another key, disregarding our request to wait until we had left. So we had to stand and wait outside the room while they finished.||||When we left that day to attend a wedding, it was insisted upon by staff that we again handed over the key. I gave it to them and left. When we returned that evening there was a light on in the room - clearly the room had been accessed without consent, which raises the question as to why, given that it had been serviced earlier in the day. The following day, shortly after leaving, we discovered my wife's bag, which had been left in the room during that day, was now magically short of more than 100 euros. ||||Prior to that discovery at check-out time the next day, I again asked about a taxi - this time to the train station. "No taxi today" was the reply from our chain smoking host. "Oh why is that?" I asked. "Car broke - no taxi." "Are there any other options?" I asked. "I suggest you walk," came the reply. At check-out there were no questions about our stay, whether we had enjoyed it, if everything was OK with our room, just the request of: "Pay tourist tax - six euros - cash."||||All of these exchanges were with the manager himself, who the remaining staff appear utterly terrified of and who have to go to him to answer even the most basic queries. I'd like to liken the manager to Basil Fawlty, but I don't recall an episode of Fawlty Towers where Basil thought he was on The Godfather. ||||As for the room, the views from the balcony are obviously fantastic - but the room itself was tiny, with barely any space to walk around the bed, and a bathroom that is little more than a wardrobe in terms of size. However, that's not the big issue. Until Hotel Mega Mare addresses the series deficiencies among its management it will continue to receive the series of bad reviews it has been collecting on TripAdvisor. Sorrento is a beautiful place - you'll get good views in other hotels. Steer well clear...

Hotel Mega Mare has spectacular views, but the positives end there. The location is at the top of a hill which, for walkers, is only accessible from the local train station via a roughly 30min walk along a speedy road which has poor pedestrian access. The other option is a taxi, for which you will be charged extortionate amounts of money (sadly, true for the entire area).

However, the real problem with this hotel is its manager. Upon arrival, there was another non-Italian couple who asked about the time to access the swimming pool. They were informed that the pool opened at 11:15am - which they (correctly) noted was not stated on the website, and asked if they could secure earlier access as they like to swim in the mornings. The manager responded "if you don't like it, go somewhere else - no problem for me."

The same day I required a taxi and so used the hotel's "service" (around 45 euros for a 15min trip to Sorrento). The "taxi" driver was in fact an elderly lady in a private, rundown old Fiat. She was perfectly nice - but this is certainly not a taxi service.

The following morning I "enjoyed" breakfast - which consists of cold cuts of meat, some jams, croissants, and cereal that looks like it's been there for months. I returned to the room and around 11am received a call from the manager: "When do you leave the room? We want to do service." "Oh no service required today, thank you," I responded. "No... I want to do service," responded the manager. "OK," I said, I'm leaving around 1:30pm." "OK, we come later" said the manager. Around 12:30pm I made my way to the pool, and a staff member came along to ask for the key to service the room. "I already told the manager, we're leaving in about an hour," I said. "OK" said the staff member. Shortly afterwards, I returned from the pool - and sure enough there was the cleaning staff, and the manager inside the room, which had obviously been accessed with another key, disregarding the request to wait until departure. So I had to stand and wait outside the room while they finished.

When I left that day to attend a wedding, it was insisted upon by staff that I handed over the key. I gave it to them and left. When I returned that evening there was a light on in the room - clearly the room had been accessed without consent, which raises the question as to why, given that it had been serviced earlier in the day. The following day, shortly after leaving, I discovered a bag, which had been left in the room during that day, was now magically short of more than 100 euros.

Prior to that discovery at check-out time the next day, I again asked about a taxi - this time to the train station. "No taxi today" was the reply from our chain smoking host. "Oh why is that?" I asked. "Car broke - no taxi." "Are there any other options?" I asked. "I suggest you walk," came the reply. At check-out there were no questions about our stay, whether we had enjoyed it, if everything was OK with our room, just the request of: "Pay tourist tax - six euros - cash."

All of these exchanges were with the manager himself, who the remaining staff appear utterly terrified of and who have to go to him to answer even the most basic queries. I'd like to liken the manager to Basil Fawlty, but I don't recall an episode of Fawlty Towers where Basil thought he was on The Godfather.

As for the room, the views from the balcony are obviously fantastic - but the room itself was tiny, with barely any space to walk around the bed, and a bathroom that is little more than a wardrobe in terms of size. However, that's not the big issue. Until Hotel Mega Mare addresses the series deficiencies among its management it will continue to receive the series of bad reviews it has been collecting on this website and elsewhere. Sorrento is a beautiful place - and you'll get good views in other hotels. Steer well clear...

I stayed for 2 nights. First of all, the view is absolutely stunning. Each room has a spacious private balcony where you can enjoy a breathtaking view. Unfortunately, everything else was terrible. For those considering staying here, I would like to share my experience below.

・If you don’t have a car, the location is arguably one of the worst in the world. It took me two and a half hours from Sorrento port. Basically, there is no transportation. The bus rarely comes, and if it does, you can expect to wait 1–2 hours. Even if you press the stop button, they don’t let you off where you request. Taxis cost an outrageous €60 for just 15 minutes, which is unaffordable for most people. I ended up climbing the mountain for an hour and a half with a 25kg suitcase, almost getting hit by cars. There are no sidewalks, so you must walk on the road itself or just on the white line. Of course, there are no streetlights, and cars and scooters rush past you at incredible speed. Unless you have a very strong will of “I will reach the hotel even if it kills me,” never attempt to come here without a car. Because of Sorrento’s steep cliffs and slopes, it is extremely dangerous. I even tried hitchhiking, but since the roads are very narrow and cars cannot stop, it was nearly impossible.

・When I finally arrived, the air conditioning was off. When I asked the front desk, I was told, “It’s already on.” I checked again and it was clearly off, so in the unbearable heat I contacted the front desk again. A staff member came to my room, pressed a switch, and magically the AC turned on. It was obvious that the main power had been turned off to save electricity, preventing guests from turning it on themselves.

・Every morning the AC was switched off again, and I woke up in the stifling heat. When I asked, I was told, “The staff needs to rest, so the AC in guest rooms can only be used in the evenings.” How is it acceptable that paying guests are inconvenienced so that the staff can rest?

・In the restaurant, the AC was also turned off, making it impossible to comfortably eat breakfast.

・Eating and drinking in the room were prohibited, alcohol was also not allowed, and I had to leave the room key at the front desk every time I went out. This made me feel anxious, as if my belongings might be stolen from the room every day. The security measures were very uncomfortable, and I had to lock my suitcase every time I left the room.

・Used toilet paper rolls were left in the bathroom, there was no complimentary water, and everything had an extra charge. After the room was “cleaned,” I thought my slippers had disappeared, only to find them kicked far under the bed as shown in the photo. I was so shocked that I laughed.

・The bath towel was not actually a towel but a tea towel, and it had no absorbency at all.

・The breakfast quality was unbelievably poor. Stale bread was left out, seemingly for weeks until it was gone. The other items were not tasty either, barely edible at best.

・I was carrying a heavy suitcase and backpack, but not once did anyone offer to help. Instead, the front desk staff repeatedly flirted with me, saying things like, “I will never forget such a beautiful woman as you.” The owner kissed my hand. I couldn’t tell whether this was a common gesture among Italians, but I found it very unpleasant. When I asked, “Could you please help me carry my suitcase?” the answer was a blunt “No.” I was so stunned I was speechless. If this is Italian hospitality, then I never want to visit Italy again.

There are more issues than I can even list here, but overall, the location and service made this the worst hotel experience of my life. The hotel is extremely stingy in every respect. While it may be cheaper compared to other hotels in Sorrento, it is still expensive—and absolutely not worth it, even...