Hotel O Sole Mio

The hotel is situated less than 10 minutes from the village of St Agata. It is in a quiet area, but you can easily walk into the village for drinks / food. (Highly recommend Bar Orlando where you see the pictures of the smoking cat. Food and drinks are delicious! Long Island iced tea comes with a jug of Coke - it’s needed as it’s so strong!) There is a lovely little church there and our first evening saw a procession from the church and a firework display, whilst the next evening there was a free open air concert with a full orchestra and some opera singing. Rooms Our rooms were 312 and 314 overlooking the Bay of Naples and Vesuvius. There is a carpark opposite, but doesn’t detract from the view. The room is not huge, but is spotlessly clean and excellent quality furniture. (No wear and tear like we have found in other hotels we have stayed in.) There is a large balcony and plenty of room to sit outside on an evening. Our soon joined us on some occasions and there was plenty of room to sit outside with a drink. The bathroom was one of the nicest we have experienced - large rainwater shower which is a blessed relief after a day in the sun. Pool Pool opens at 930am and there is never a fight for a sunbed. Most people are off out and about - many guests seem to use it as a base or as a stopover. It gets a little busier late afternoon when people return from trips, as you are desperate to cool down in the pool. We did find a Sunday rather busy, when the place seemed a lot busier. Lots of Italian families appeared to be around the pool and it was quite noisy. We didn’t recognise some of them, so unsure if some locals come on a weekend? The area is well maintained and there is a bar in the gardens which serves drinks and food. The cocktails are rather nice but a little pricey at €9. Courtesy bus to Sorrento 4 times a day. You need to book through reception but we never had a problem booking this. Many guests used it as a taxi to get to Sorrento if leaving - it beats paying €70 for a taxi! One day there was an issue with the bus and the hotel arranged for staff to transport us in cars. Thankyou receptionist Marco and his dad! This bus was brilliant if you booked trips yourself, as well as opportunities to visit sorrento. Reception 24 hour reception with fantastic staff. Marco, Candida and Veronika you are an asset to the hotel and your friendliness and genuine interest in guests was second to none. Food Waiting staff are once more friendly and attentive. It did take some adjusting to for us, as the dining experience was different for us. We had stayed in Italy before and knew that we would need to order our food the evening before. This wasn’t an issue and there was 3 choices for a first course - usually soup and pasta or risotto dishes and 3 courses for a second course. (Often salmon, turkey, chicken, fish, or pork.) These can be changed if you speak to the staff. The food is well presented and prepared using fresh ingredients. On a couple of occasions we asked for a change. We did have a couple of teething problems upon arrival however, as my husband is a chef and therefore more fussy 🤣 and a chat with reception resulted in a happier husband who has actually come away with some new ideas to try. I do feel that a salad bar would be of benefit as I really missed having that option. On another note, there is always the opportunity to have bread but it’s never served with butter. We did ask and always got portions with no complaint - it was only after returning home that we discovered that butter is not the norm in Italy. Olive oil is often used in place. Thankyou for a wonderful stay - the staff make this hotel 5 star!