Plus points for this trip were:

A really nice group of 25 who all got on and mixed well.

A great TM -Marina who was so helpful and who worked hard.

The chance to see a really untouched part of Italy with little developed tourism.

Very friendly and hard working hotel staff ( apart from in the bar - not unfriendly but didn't seem to be bothered.)

An amazing beach setting - once you got down to it! Crystal clear sea which was wonderful to swim in.

Perfect weather.

Spectacular views / sunsets

Breakfast on the terrace

The hotel is in an amazing location but totally isolated - there is nowhere you can walk to apart from the hotel grounds. The hotel has a mini bus and will tale you into the nearest "town" Cetraro, some of us went on Sunday and it was closed!!

Getting to and from the beach is  a real marathon, hundreds of steps, a tunnel, a lift built into the cliff and more steps. Going down is okay but coming back was  a problem for me  I as I am asthmatic. The hotel will collect you from the bottom of the hotel in a golf buggy if you ask.  This is definitely not a good spot if you have mobility issues. Once on the beach there is a restaurant run by the hotel  which is opened for lunch.

Several people were not happy with their rooms as we all had back of hotel rooms which faced directly onto the cliff face so were dark. Mine was okay as it was at the end of the hotel and had a side window as well. The "good" rooms were all allocated to wedding guests - there were 3 weddings in the week we were there, this seems to be big business for the hotel. 

Food was just about okay, disappointing as I was expected something better but I wonder if we "lost out" to the weddings?? The hotel only sells its own wine which was an acquired taste (!) but got better as the week went on!

We had no salad or fresh veg all weeks although plenty of (rock hard) fruit available at breakfasts.

The evening meal we went out for was enjoyable - a scary ride up to it! 

Trips out were fine although there really is not a lot to see! It's a holiday to relax and enjoy the setting, probably not for anyone who likes to be more independent and explore the local area.

Jane

Thank you for your write up, I hope JY can address the food issues in time, sounds like a relaxing break, I would not be able to cope with getting to the beach etc so I hope that is mentioned in the brochure.

Cindy

Thanks for your review. I did this trip in 2014 and loved it. I enjoyed all the excursions and the food too was not bad. The hotel uses a lot of its own produce and the grounds are nice for a long walk. If one is not very mobile then they will have some problems because of all the steps. This is a nice holiday as you have plenty of time to relax.

Jaya

Had my long awaited trip to Calabria thanks to JY using flights from Stansted to Lamezia! No long transfers from Naples.

Plus points for this trip were:

A really nice group of 25 who all got on and mixed well.

A great TM -Marina who was so helpful and who worked hard.

The chance to see a really untouched part of Italy with little developed tourism.

Very friendly and hard working hotel staff ( apart from in the bar - not unfriendly but didn't seem to be bothered.)

An amazing beach setting - once you got down to it! Crystal clear sea which was wonderful to swim in.

Perfect weather.

Spectacular views / sunsets

Breakfast on the terrace

The hotel is in an amazing location but totally isolated - there is nowhere you can walk to apart from the hotel grounds. The hotel has a mini bus and will tale you into the nearest "town" Cetraro, some of us went on Sunday and it was closed!!

Getting to and from the beach is  a real marathon, hundreds of steps, a tunnel, a lift built into the cliff and more steps. Going down is okay but coming back was  a problem for me  I as I am asthmatic. The hotel will collect you from the bottom of the hotel in a golf buggy if you ask.  This is definitely not a good spot if you have mobility issues. Once on the beach there is a restaurant run by the hotel  which is opened for lunch.

Several people were not happy with their rooms as we all had back of hotel rooms which faced directly onto the cliff face so were dark. Mine was okay as it was at the end of the hotel and had a side window as well. The "good" rooms were all allocated to wedding guests - there were 3 weddings in the week we were there, this seems to be big business for the hotel. 

Food was just about okay, disappointing as I was expected something better but I wonder if we "lost out" to the weddings?? The hotel only sells its own wine which was an acquired taste (!) but got better as the week went on!

We had no salad or fresh veg all weeks although plenty of (rock hard) fruit available at breakfasts.

The evening meal we went out for was enjoyable - a scary ride up to it! 

Trips out were fine although there really is not a lot to see! It's a holiday to relax and enjoy the setting, probably not for anyone who likes to be more independent and explore the local area.

Jane

Interested to read this as I had been keen to go but appalled if it's really the case no salad or veg with the meals - to me an essential ingredient and what of the organic food fame of this hotel? Another thing that really puts me off as not conducive to feeling well is absurdly early flights being used.