Yvie
  • (Member) (Topic Starter)
(Member) (Topic Starter)
I have just returned from this trip and had a great holiday.  However, the location of the Hotel Palma in Pompeii was disappointing.  It is a nice hotel and the staff were really lovely and friendly, but the food was extremely disappointing and the bar was very poorly stocked e.g. no soda water or Campari.  They appear to be running the hotel on a very tight budget.  This holiday was not a cheap holiday and so my expectation that the food would be very Italian and good was not unreasonable.  The portions were small at dinner and limited to only two choices.  Presentation was poor and on occasion the food was overcooked and difficult to cut.  Desserts were very poor e.g. water melon as a dessert?  If you didn't like what was on offer the hotel offered an omelette or a salad, which for dinner, is really poor.  There was no water on the table at dinner, you had to buy it.

The roof terrace is lovely, but the cushions for the rattan furniture only came out after three days and were never put out on the sunbeds which made them uncomfortable to lie on.  The jacuzzi was great and good after a day on a tour.

If you haven't booked on all the tours, Pompeii is not an easy place to access other places.  A few of us wanted to go to the beach one day but had to get a taxi which cost 50 euros.  Pompeii is not a particularly exciting place although there are some good bars and restaurants but it feels dowdy.

It is a great holiday, but Just You should base the holiday somewhere other than Pompeii and in a better quality hotel.

Vickie
(Member)
Hi Yvie,

Thank you for your feedback about this trip and I'm glad to hear you had a good time overall 🙂

I've passed your comments about the hotel to our Product team and they are looking into this further.

Many thanks,

Vickie

jennyf
(Member)
I did this holiday a year ago and also enjoyed it, but my comments about the hotel are about the same as yours. I'm vegetarian and didn't fare at all well at mealtimes considering Italy is the home of delicious veggie and cheese pasta and pizza dishes, neither of which was offered to me.
shoskins
(Member)
Ive just returned from this trip, my first with Just you and I was really happy with it.  Pompeii was a lot less crowded than Sorrento in July and the people were very friendly. It is also within walking distance of  the archaeological site  and I think it was a good base for the tours. Several tours were just a half day which allowed free time  to  chill out on the roof terrace later and this was great for sunbathing ( no pool but small hot tub!) .There was a shower up there if you needed to cool down.   The trip felt relaxed , not frenetic.

We had some super evening meals  ( 3 courses + a lovely selection of antipasti to start) and quite a lot of fish and local dishes  and there was a good choice of cake, cereals, eggs , fresh yoghurt etc at breakfast. This is a small , family run, city  hotel and they really couldn't do enough for us.  I suggest you take ear plugs if you sleep lightly or don't want the air conditioning on though.

 

Italy isnt cheap- expect to be paying 4 or 5 euro for a coffee or a beer and allow 15-20 Euro for lunch. but this area is quite poor and tourism is really important so it was good to support the local bars .People were really friendly and Pompeii felt a very safe place to visit. 

We had a lovely  guide ( Titziana) and a great tour guide ( Laura)  and  I was part of a lovely group ( 10 ladies, 3 men.)   All in all I thought that this was a great holiday .

jennyf
(Member)
There is a super and popular ice cream parlour just a short walk from the hotel which is well worth a visit if you're an ice cream lover. There's also a good little supermarket/deli a short walk from the hotel which was n excellent place for multi packs of water and 'snacky bits'. A trip up to the top of the church tower is not expensive and gives super views for those not scared of heights.
pat534
(Member)
I am on this trip in October.Hope they will have sorted out the menu by then.

Did you do all the add on tours and would you recommend them

jennyf
(Member)
I did all the add on tours as I don't like to miss anything! However, there are some little extra optional trips that might be available so allow some extra cash. I'm sure you'll enjoy this trip.
pat534
(Member)
thanks Jenny. will definately be going on them.
pat534
(Member)
'pat534' wrote:

thanks Jenny. will definately be going on them.

would you recommend taking walking boots for this holiday.thinking about going up Vesuvius  and wondering what the terrain is like.

AELB
  • (Member)
(Member)
Hi Pat

You probably don't need walking boots but certainly take closed toed comfortable walking shoes. It's a cinder path up to Vesuvius - steep in places but not excessively so. You just have to watch your step if it's been raining because it can get a bit loose and slippy. It's a nice hike up and there is a small café at the top (but no toilets - the last ones are behind the car park where you transfer from your coach to the 4x4) 

Have a super time, this tour is one of my favourites (I did it in 2015 and would happily go back). I hope you get Laura as your local guide - she's an absolute force of nature. Heaven help any stroppy coach drivers who try to get in her way!! 

All the best

Mandy

pat534
(Member)
thank you Mandy.

Hoping the weather is good and we have amazing views.

Laura sounds interesting.