The Sanctuary Eco Retreat — Restaurant in Rome

My friends and I visited the bar at The Sanctuary Eco Retreat with high hopes, as the setting is truly breathtaking. With a walk-in pool, day beds, lush greenery, and a serene, Bali-inspired vibe, it seemed like the perfect place to unwind with drinks. Unfortunately, the experience was completely ruined by the terrible service and unethical behavior of the staff.

From the start, the ordering process was chaotic. There was no signage or direction. We went up to the bar and ordered from a woman who was immediately rude. After we paid, she gave us our receipt and said nothing — we were left standing there, confused. Eventually, a bartender came up (just a couple of feet from where we ordered), asked if we had ordered, took our slip, and then asked again what we had ordered — clear evidence of poor organization and communication.

One of the most disturbing parts of the night happened when I ordered a Tito’s with sugar-free Red Bull. The bartender couldn’t find the bottle, and when I pointed it out, there was barely a shot left. He walked away and came back moments later — with the same bottle, but now partially refilled. As someone who has bartended in the U.S., I knew immediately this was not just wrong — it was illegal. I refused the drink and asked for a refund. The woman from earlier tried to explain that the liquor came from “another bar” on the property, but the optics were terrible, and the practice was clearly shady.

After returning home and researching Italian laws, my suspicions were confirmed: refilling liquor bottles is illegal in Italy, just as it is in the United States. This is not just a bad look — it’s a serious health and safety violation. It makes you question everything else they serve and whether guests are truly getting what they pay for.

Despite this, the woman reluctantly gave me a cash refund (even though I paid by card) and informed me they “don’t usually do refunds” — only substitutions. Under normal circumstances, I’d have picked something else, but witnessing an illegal and unethical practice made me not want anything more from them.

In general, the staff seemed poorly trained, inattentive, and genuinely uninterested in the guest experience. No one took drink orders around the pool area. No one checked on guests. With the number of employees milling around, you’d expect even basic hospitality — but there was none.

It’s such a shame. This could easily be one of the best places in the area to relax with friends over food and drinks. Instead, it’s being run by people who don’t follow the law, don’t communicate, and don’t care about the customer experience.

Unless management completely overhauls the staff and their standards, I cannot recommend this bar to anyone. Beautiful location — but looks can...

⭐☆☆☆☆

My first night in Italy was supposed to kick off a celebratory birthday week, but instead it turned into an awful experience at The Sanctuary Eco Retreat in Rome.

We were a group of five, arriving in two separate Ubers. Myself (a Black woman), my Black male friend, and my Hispanic female friend got there first and walked right in—no reservation required, no issue at all. Minutes later, my brother and another male friend showed up, but the staff suddenly denied them entry without a real explanation.

At first, they said their clothing was “inappropriate.” Then it changed to “no reservation.” Then it became, “someone saw them on the cameras and said no.” None of it made sense, especially since we were already inside as part of the same group.

When I came back out to explain and bring them in, the staff were shockingly rude and dismissive. They even tried to have (what seemed like) their only Black employee talk to us, clearly to deflect accusations of racism. It felt very deliberate and insulting.

My Hispanic friend politely asked to speak to a manager or the owner; we even sent them a picture so they could see we were all together. The manager did come down, but just argued in Italian, and nothing changed.

Worse still, I overheard a woman at the door mockingly say, “Oh yeah, we didn’t let you in because you’re Black.” The doorman then tried to call the police, who were already standing across the street—just to intimidate us further.

Inside, there were plenty of people dressed casually, so the “dress code” excuse felt like pure discrimination. We came straight from a long trip from the US, just wanting to have drinks and start my birthday week in a good mood, but instead we were met with open racism, foul language, and aggression.

To top it off, we had already ordered drinks before my brother and friend were turned away, and they refused to refund us when we eventually left—basically forcing us all out. The woman at the door, tall with long black hair, was particularly nasty, using foul language and treating us like we didn’t belong.

So much for the “sanctuary” or “retreat.” If you are a person of color, avoid this place completely. Racist, rude, and an absolutely horrible start to what should have been a special celebration.

As you can see from the picture, my friend and my brother were dressed appropriately. Where others head on everything from T-shirts...

We wrongly chose this bar for my birthday on the 12th of August, as it was close to where we were staying. It turned out to be the worst decision of our trip.

I arrived in a dress and heels, and my partner, a BRITISH ACTOR who has walked red carpets, was dressed in a designer smart shirt, trousers, and shoes. Yet we were refused entry on the excuse of “what he was wearing.” The reality? This had nothing to do with clothes. People in cheap t-shirts and casual clothing were walking in freely. The only difference was that my partner isn’t white.

When questioned, the excuse given was “This is Italy,” which the woman on the door delivered before openly laughing at us, a truly vile attitude. It was racism, plain and simple, dressed up as a “dress code.” And it was backed up by a steroid-stuffed bouncer itching to be confrontational and seemed desperate for an excuse to be hands-on and aggressive.

The irony is, this bar could have had free positive publicity to a much bigger following than their own had they treated us properly. Instead, they lost out on customers who would have happily returned throughout our stay and spent generously. Instead, they chose to humiliate a British actor at the door because of the colour of his skin. That’s not just ignorant, it’s disgraceful.

To make matters more surreal, a local Italian couple who didn’t even know us witnessed everything, apologised on behalf of Italy, and told us the woman was ignorant and that the bar wasn’t worth visiting anyway. They were right.

If this establishment thinks it can operate by discriminating against people while its staff parade around in cheap nylon polos and €2 dresses, it’s already doomed. Racist, unprofessional, and laughably tacky, this place will run itself into the ground.

And since the bar had no problem making a scene at their door, they shouldn’t be surprised when my partner names and shames them publicly to his following, a level of attention this so-called “bar”...