Grand Hotel Santa Domitilla

As an American, based on some of the reviews, I was a bit concerned about visiting the hotel and island, but should not have been, as we had a fabulous 5 night stay. The property is an older, but a clean and well maintained beauty, with lovely gardens and grounds. The hotel was so quiet and serene. Everyone, from the desk staff to the breakfast staff, to housekeeping was so friendly and helpful. Some of the staff spoke English, but it was not an issue, as we were able to make our requests known, and everyone was very accommodating.||||When arriving at the port, stand near the large gazebo where the boat arrives to find the free shuttle. We expected a van, but a long green golf cart is the transportation. Don't panic if it is full and passes you by, as the driver returned and we were able to get on. The location of the hotel is convenient, just few minutes walk down the block to the port. Walk right to go to the shops and restaurant; turn left and go through the tunnel if you want to go to the calm, free beach where you can rent 2 lounge chairs & an umbrella for 40 euros for good people watching to experience Italia||.||The breakfast buffet each morning was awesome, with a generous selection of food from scrambled eggs and bacon, various meats, focaccia pizza, cornets and bread, yogurt with toppings, fresh fruit, and numerous pies and cakes. Yum.||||The 2 pools were basic, and very cold, but the highlight for us was the spa grotto, with multiple jets and warm water baths. Upon arrival, we made required reservations in advance for each day, but were able to change our reservation if needed. My one complaint is that you are only allowed one towel/day from the attendant, so even though we arrived at the spa with our wet towel from earlier boat trips, we were refused a dry one, and had to use the wet towel when getting out of the spa, and it was chilly!||||Unlike some reviews, we thought the locals in shops & restaurants were friendly and welcoming to "foreigners". The island is totally Italian, as we did not hear one American voice the entire time, so we felt we were able to experience a true slice of Italian life. If I wanted to see Americans, I'd go to the beach in Florida. Overall, we had an amazing time at the hotel and on the island. If you enjoy being on boats, be sure to take a fabulous tour from the fun guys on the Ponsezi per Scelta boat. Grazie per tutti!

This is the perfect place to not only host your wedding celebration, but to stay and relax post-wedding. My husband and I had the wedding of our dreams here almost a month ago. My grandparents were the first couple to have a wedding celebration at this hotel when it first opened, all the more reason why it was meant to be. We hosted our guests in their garden space and dining room, and WOW was it dreamy. Gennaro and Ugo made our wedding and overall experience so special. They were so attentive with every detail, every question we had.. The most delicious food, the romantic and lively ambiance, the incredibly kind and personable staff.. It was the most magical night of our lives. Our guests are still talking about it. We and many of our guests stayed here that week and we were treated so well! The service at this hotel is impeccable with the most beautiful rooms and spaces, inside and out. The pools and spa area were exactly what we needed after our wedding, and it was just so serene and relaxing. The food is absolutely incredibly at this hotel, with many options for breakfast and a dinner menu that is to die for! Overall we had an unforgettable experience. So refined, so classy and so unique to the island of Ponza, where I had the privilege of growing up in. I come every summer for months to visit family, and after this experience, I would absolutely love to come back with my husband, even for just a few days. So worth it!

Let’s start with the positives, the grounds are beautifully maintained and the staff were trying their best.. however this is not a 4 star hotel in any way shape or form. It is extremely expensive and the price does not reflect the experience you will have at this hotel. |The rooms are BASIC, the beds are uncomfortable, if you like hard beds and foamy pillows then you will be very happy but when I go on holiday I want to sleep and feel rested. In fact the no 1 thing I need is to be TRANSPORTED to another place, I certainly was but not in a good way. I was reminded of being a student sleeping in digs!! We had to change room when we arrived as our 5k holiday for a week was going to be spent a room the size of my box room with no window and a shared balcony!|We did get a larger room unfortunately after a leaky shower the bath Matt had brown stuff all over it.. cleaning is not deep enough in the rooms and we also had ants 🐜 crawling on the floor in our bedroom. There is a pool and I think all the money is going on this because it’s not going on the rooms!|If you are used to slumming it, sleeping with ants and being ignored at breakfast as well as being completely ripped off this is the hotel for you. Ponza in general is very rustic and this is a nice way of putting it, most beautiful beaches are a 30 euro one way in a taxi ride away- you need a boat to enjoy the island and a bottomless pit of cash.

I am giving 2 stars to this hotel only for its location which is undeniably perfect. Otherwise it would have been 0 stars. |Let’s start with the service/personnel. From check in to check out never a smile, it seems like everything and everyone annoys them. Breakfast staff the same. Pool/Spa personnel the same. Everyone is always annoyed. |Pool/spa: no information is given to you when you get there. You have to ask everything and everyones answer is obviously with an annoyed tone. The pool towels are faded and torn. |Check out: is at 11:00 am. We asked for 30 extra minutes (therefore until 11:30 am) but there was no way they would allow this. |Breakfast: very sad buffet counter with very little choice. |Rooms: very small but decently clean. |Overall we paid for a 4 star hotel with a 1 star service. Not recommended.

This is not a 4-star hotel; the rooms need renovation, and the price is outrageously disproportionate to the size of the rooms. We were offered a triple room for 700 euros per night, with only breakfast included, between July and August. The room had an extremely uncomfortable sofa bed and a double bed well below standard minimum dimensions. The prices are exorbitant for the hotel’s category, which is as advertised. The reception staff was very rude, addressing guests with brazen attitude. I strongly advise against staying here, and I certainly won’t return.

Fantastic place. The staff especially in the restaurant is amazing. Filippa was the sweetest ever. The hotel is perfect for both children and adults, they manage to please everyone. We were staying with young children and could be in the spa with hot pools in the mornings and enjoy the two swimming pools after lunch. The spa is reserved for adults in the afternoon which is great for those seeking some quiet time. The hotel is absolutely beautiful with a tasteful decor. Those seeking a universal modern design or ultra luxury should not go to Ponza. This is en sophisticated hotel with a relaxed vibe. We loved it! The restaurant and food were fantastic. Also loved the location nestled in a garden protected from heavy wind. A few minutes walk to the Main Streets and port.

The hotel is well served, the service is quite accurate and always available. The hotel is well cleaned in all the location including swimming pools and rooms. The rooms are a small no space except to sleep. The bar and restaurant are good as well as the breakfast is very pleasant. It has nice selection of fresh made cakes and they tend to change every day. Sweet and salty as you like. Cappuccino, coffee, fresh orange at your disposal for the breakfast. The caves part, to be booked, is a peace for relax. Well done. Maybe the only element to note is that there is no sea view. For the rest all nice.

We stayed in Grande Hotel Santa Domitilla in 2022. We were very excited to be going there as some very close Italian friends told us about how amazing the island was and how we would love the hotel. Before we arrived at the hotel I had written to ask about being picked up from the port. We had a lot of luggage as we were travelling around Europe for several months . When we got to the port there was no one there to meet us so we stopped and spoke to a very nice gentleman who owns Aqua Pazza restuarant and he gave us a lift. When we finally arrived at Reception and told them about the problem we had reaching the hotel they were so rude my husband and I were both actually stunned. The hotel is very nice, but for the price quite dated. The Manager of the hotel did not acknowledge us once during our stay and we were there for five days. He was only interested in Italian speaking guests and that was clearly obvious. Breakfast was really good, but we never had dinner there as we didn't want to give them any business. The staff at breakfast we great eventhough they didn't speak much English but they were always smiling and ready to help.There are some very strange rules about booking chairs at the spa pool, which were not explained to us at check in, and on the last day the Manager told me off. What a joke? He could only speak to me to tell me off. Ponza is beautiful but do yourself a favour stay at Chiai di Luna. Il Porticciollo was the best restaurant we ate at and had three meals there. The food, service, and views are spectacular and the lady who owns it is a wonderful host. It was my birthday and honestly she couldn't have been nicer and organised a beautiful cake for me. Acqua Pazza is also amazing and fantastic view.

Best restaurant in ponza. We can't wait to come back here. My favorite dish was the fish stuffed ravioli. The deconstructed tiramisu was delicious too.