GRAND HOTEL HERMITAGE

We loved the location- st agata - daily regular shuttle buses to sorrento centre which we used twice over the week . We walked into the village every evening after dinner in the back path for supermarket or bars . Although the hotel did have a reasonably priced bar with the amazing view of Vesuvius. Our hotel room on 5th floor had an amazing view of Vesuvius with was beautiful especially at sunrise .( it’s more expensive than the villa rooms but worth the £200 weekly extra for the amazing view, )A great base for local trips to Pompeii, Vesuvius, Herculaneum, Amalfi and capri . We also did a cookery class nearly the hotel at chez Barone which was a great day . Food was good quality and varied on the half board basis . And if there is something you’re not sure of on the menu the waiters were accommodating with the children who were fussy and would create them a pizza instead . We would return again :)

We had a week at this hotel as a family. There were good things about the hotel, and some things that could have been better. Location The hotel is up in the hills, and it is a bit of a winding road to get there, which isn't enjoyable if you get travel sickness. The hotel is a 10-15 uphill walk to the local town Sant Agata. The town was fabulous and the highlight of our stay. Excellent food and drink, and lovely gelato shops, all reasonably priced. It felt quite authentic and not too touristy. Rooms We booked through Tui and there were three classes of rooms you could book. We booked the middle and upper one. The most expensive room had incredible views. The other room wasn't as nice but still spacious enough. It had a balcony, but there wasn't much space and there was no table or chairs. We would have been a bit disappointed if we had just booked this standard of room. Shower was very old, but not a massive deal. The air con was excellent. The Pool area It could be difficult to get sun loungers in the morning. The pool area isn't enormous. As a previous review stated, the childrens pool is separated from the main pool by a blue velcro cover, it would look a lot better if it was clear glass and open it up more. The sun loungers don't go upright which isn't great if you want to read. The pool stops getting the sun at around 5pm because of the surrounding trees. The pool closes at 6pm, and empty sun loungers are routinely put down before this which isn't the most relaxing. Food The breakfast is pretty standard fare, there is no fruit juice and coffee from machine. I wouldn't say it hits the heights of a four star hotel but it is adequate enough. The food at the pool bar and the evening meal was the most disapppinting thing about this trip. We had booked the hotel because of the good reviews but we were quite underwhelmed by this. It is a hobby of ours to eat out often. The pool bar menu is quite expensive compared to local eateries, but the quality wasnt as good. The pizzas are stonebake bases and not traditional Neaopolitan bases you get in the local town, and they are twice the price. The evening meal was a very formal affair, but the quality of the food did not live up to this. They have a small buffet with bread, tomatoes, cucumber and beetroot. This was the same every night apart from one night were they had some extra vegetables. Some salami, prosciutto or olives would have been nice. There is then the traditional two courses. There was a few dishes I enjoyed, Canneloni was good and the Parma ham and melon was excellent. My wife enjoyed the Carbonara. The meat/fish course wasn't great quality and came with a garnish of small potatoes that weren't always cooked well, and another veg, which was typically used with all the meat/fish dishes that night. We had a seafood pasta dish one night, but the seafood looked like it had been defrosted and wasn't fresh or great quality. My wife had a prawn dish that was overcooked. They then bring a dessert trolley, but often items had ran out by the time it comes to you, which isn't great if your children had spotted something they liked. If I could make a suggestion it would be to have a simple childrens menu with a few simple dishes on it- pizza, simple pasta dish and a burger for example. We were given mixed messages from different staff about what kids could have and it was awkward asking all the time. Service We had a very warm welcome from reception on arrival and the staff there helped whenever we asked them for help. We found the staff professional, some warmer than others but I understand it is difficult when doing long shifts. Conclusion I think the hotel is good in some ways, but the food doesn't hit the mark. The views are spectacular and I would recommend getting a room facing out into the Bay of Naples. The restaurants in the local town were what we were looking for for our first trip to Italy. We would like to come back to Sant Agata , but I think if we came back to the hotel we would have to do bed and breakfast and im not sure it would work going back and forth to the local town for lunch and dinner.

Sadly, we have just returned from our fabulous week long stay at The Grand Hotel Hermitage. The staff could not be more welcoming, helpful and polite. As a family with small children, we loved the hotel and its facilities. Nothing was too much hassle. Forgotten charger, fussy eaters? All sorted with no fuss! The pool area is excellent. The rooms and food are lovely and traditional. A major point of excitement each night was the dessert trolley! The views from our seaside view room were exceptional. Sorrento is a quick shuttle bus (included) away. Thanks for having us!