Best Western Hotel La Conchiglia, Palinuro - hotel review

Hotel La Conchiglia, a Best Western hotel, is in the centre of Palinuro, a little seaside resort in the Italian region of Campania. I stayed in the hotel with my parents for two nights in May 2009. We made our bookings online in advance: one single room for €64 per night, and a superior double room with sea view for €83.90 per night (more below on this special offer).

> Make a booking / check availability at Best Western Hotel La Conchiglia (Venere)

About the hotel

The two receptionists we met were very smiley, friendly and helpful and had an adequate grasp of English. They responded well to requests and dealt with minor problems. There was tourist information in reception, and the staff were helpful with suggestions for things to do, beaches to visit and with taxi arrangements. They were genuinely keen that we should see the best of their town and enjoy our stay, which made a good impression on me. On check-out I realised the hotel was overcharging me slightly for my room - this appeared to be an honest mistake but shows the value of checking bills and of having a printout of your booking confirmation to hand.

The hotel was efficient and modern and, as part of the Best Western network, provided the services and standards that international travellers would expect. An information pack in English and Italian was provided with details of the various services and complimentary items available from reception. These included tea and coffee-making 'kits'. The hotel's facilities include a car park next door to the building, an internet point, a bar with a lovely sea-view terrace and a restaurant.

Location

Hotel La Conchiglia is on Via Indipendenza, the narrow main street of Palinuro, which slopes down to the central piazza, a few minutes' walk away. From the hotel you can walk down the road to the harbour, where there is a beach (around 25 minutes' walk) and where you can take boat trips. There is also a little beach just below the town - head through the little lanes below the hotel - and more attractive beaches slightly further away. The hotel is conveniently close to the town's main amenities and there is a bar serving good ice creams just a few doors away.

Breakfast and evening meals

On the same floor as reception is a bar with a pretty panoramic terrace, and below (the hotel is on sloping land) is the hotel restaurant, also with a terrace, flowers in pots, and splendid sea views. We ate twice at the restaurant as Palinuro mostly offers tourist eateries which were dead during the off-season working week. The typically Italian menu - pasta, local seafood - was decent and not too expensive. House wine was impressively cheap. The waiter who served us both evenings (and at breakfast) was friendly and obliging.

Breakfast was taken in the restaurant - we sat by the railings and admired the views. There were good fresh croissants and bread rolls, foccacia, warm scrambled egg, cheese, ham, yoghurts, cake, cereals, pineapple rings and hot drinks.

Our bedrooms

Superior double room with sea view

This room was a good size and neutrally decorated with cream walls and a tiled floor. The balcony - terrace really - was furnished with plastic chairs and atable and had a superb view over flat rooftops towards the bay, headland and coastline. For a non-refundable rate of €83.90 per night my parents had a deal including a daily newspaper, a welcoming bowl of fruit and a free mini-bar. This price was a lot cheaper than published rates, and was booked through the booking links featured on this website. The bed was two twins pushed together, which is typical in Italy. There was a small desk in a corner, with a chair, two more chairs, the mini-bar (all contents free, though not replaced, thanks to the special offer), two good mirrors, a wardrobe, coat hooks and bedside tables. The bathroom waas spacious. The television was rather small and on a high wall-bracket, but it did offer Sky channels.

Single room

The single room was rather less luxurious - I didn't get a minibar or direct sea view. However, the room did have a balcony overlooking the road and - if I leaned out and peered around the corner of the building - a view of the sea and headland. For a single room it was a a reasonable size, comfortable and well-furnished. I had a little triangular desk with electrical socket, two mirrors (one full length), an overhead TV, bedside table and wardrobe (five hangers).

I don't remember any traffic noise from the road outside, but the my room didn't seem to have good internal soundproofing - I could hear clear voices which I thought were from the room next door - and an irritating loud noise like a generator from 8am on one of the two mornings.

Both our rooms had air-conditioning, safes, notepads and pens by the phone, hair driers.

My recommendation

I thought this was a very good place to stay in Palinuro: in the heart of the town and convenient for exploring on foot. The sea views were excellent and the public spaces made the most of the position. The restaurant was a practical and decent place to eat. It was an efficient and modern hotel with friendly staff. If you're not looking for luxury and don't mind the lack of direct beach access, it makes a good base for discovering Palinuro and the surrounding area. It's worth booking ahead (look out for special offers) and selecting one of the sea-view rooms, so that you can admire the sunset over the sea.

> Make a booking / check availability at Best Western Hotel La Conchiglia (Venere)