Alla Corte delle Terme — Hotel in Viterbo

When my wife and I were looking for an upscale hotel for our overnight trip from Rome to Viterbo and the Terme di Papi, the Alla Corte came up as a very promising choice, with very high ratings overall. Then I saw some recent reviews that were less than positive and got a bit concerned. Bur our trip showed that there was no cause for concern. We purchased the all-inclusive package, which turned out to be a terrific value, and had a great time. The staff was exceptionally warm, welcoming, helpful and patient with our middling Italian (although they spoke extremely good English). The room was clean and comfortable, with a very nice bathroom. Dinner, included in the package, was top-notch; we did add a few supplemental items, which cost a bit extra, but still, for a full Italian dinner and wonderfully tasty and beautifully presented food in an elegant setting, it was a pleasure. Breakfast was also impressive. And the package included a free shuttle to and from the nearby hot springs, two entry tickets and a spa kit of a robe, slippers and towel; making the overall cost even more reasonable. I even treated myself to a massage; not included in the package but very much worth it. Overall, we couldn't have been more pleased. The weather was cool so we couldn't take advantage of the resort's outdoor amenities, but we'll leave that...

This is a difficult property to review... it did some things very well... 1) room was large, clean, well furnished 2) breakfast was good 3) female server at breakfast was very good 4) the location is remote, but near some beautiful fields, olive groves, and Etruscan site 5) two of the three front desk workers were good... however, there were many things that, for a four star hotel, were not done well. 1) On check-in we were given no explanation of breakfast time, etc. 2) no welcome bottle of water in the room... for a four star hotel, that’s off. 3) coffee pods available in the room ... for €3! Again... highly unusual for a four star hotel. This minor detail is usually always free at a place claiming to be four star. 4) when I asked reception for restaurant recommendations that delivered... she said ‘just call the restaurants’...ok... 5) finally... we had the gold room with jacuzzi bath and there was a rather unfortunate incident with the tub... I won’t post pictures, but the tub was not cleaned and maintained properly. I brought this to the attention of the receptions, it was fixed, but no offer of any compensation. Overall, we wouldn’t stay...

I read a few reviews raving about service. In our case, in early July, it really depended on who was providing service. The front desk was not very helpful at all... they would answer questions, but never give an alternative. However, the food serving staff were wonderful and bent over backwards to provide the best. My examples of bad service by the office: • check in - no offer to carry luggage in, provide cart etc. • Paid for the 'food plan', and was never advised that it's the same menu every night (make sure you like fish) • Two days in a row the pool bar either did not open or opened late. The front desk never gave an option on what do to for a drink... in fact was told that there is nothing served unless it's meal time. Meanwhile, serving staff were more than happy to offer alternatives and provide. • You're on your own to open those large umbrellas... some people struggled to get them open. • Sign in our room said "Enjoy our robe and slippers". We only had slippers in the room. When I inquired at the front desk, I was told you don't get robes.

I would...