BarryAscot
Google
Well, where do I start? The hotel arranged for us to be collected from our previous hotel in Puglia. We had just enjoyed a four night stay at the most amazing full service, small luxury hotel of the world (49 rooms), which I have since reviewed. The transfer was excellent.||||we arrived to a lovely welcome from the receptionists who immediately drew a route for us on the city map for a one hour stroll which we followed while we waited for our suite to be ready. I want to praise all the ladies on Reception throughout the day, all very professional, most welcoming and a pleasure to be greeted by. In particular they have one receptionist (hello Francesca! ) who is going to be a star …this is her first ever job in a hotel, she clearly has a passion for hospitality and she was most impressive especially given she only arrived a couple of weeks ago.||||We had a beautiful junior suite with an excellent terrace, wonderful views and also a small outdoor pool. The terrace was planted so as to avoid guests being overlooked. ||||Our stay coincided with the arrival of a brand-new general manager who only started two days before we checked in. By the time we left four days later, I was already noticing various changes and improvements. I understand the hotel has been without a general manager for the previous few months. It showed. In.||||Having read previous restaurant reviews from late last year and early this year I hesitated before booking for dinner however wherever we stay we always try the hotel restaurant for dinner at least once and so we went through with it. ||||The Restaurant was very busy and yet the service was superb albeit different with a most enthusiastic maître ‘d … and dinner was excellent. I am in no doubt that the reason for this is the new executive chef who was only brought in around eight weeks ago and has clearly made a huge difference. My wife and I had the pleasure of meeting him and he has a most impressive CV. I can’t imagine The Restaurant receiving any more poor reviews and I highly recommend making a reservation||||The reason we chose this hotel is that it is absolutely historic and it was a privilege to stay here. God knows what it cost to turn this ancient palace into a hotel! A stay here is all about the history and the building and it should not be confused with your typical full service five star luxury hotel. They only have 20 rooms and suites. When we return for a future stay with our family, we will definitely choose this hotel again.||||Breakfast on our first morning was okay, but the service was terrible. On top of that there was one waiter who was gratuitously rude to my wife, twice and the second time my wife walked out and declined to return. This waiter took our orders without a word and brought what we asked for, eventually …once after a lengthy wait of half an hour, depositing the items on our table and walking away without a word. Even then he got an order wrong. The second time, he threw a dish on the table and walked off without a word, I called after him with the words ‘thank you.’ Instead of taking the hint, he turned and admonished me by telling me that we were in Italy and informing me of the Italian word for thank you! Towards the end of this diatribe he told me that in Italy ‘you speak Italian’ at which he broke into a smirk and walked off! Well, I am very sorry indeed, I can’t speak every language although I can manage a few! ||||I separately complained about him and the hotel know exactly who this is. I don’t believe there’s much point in this guy going back to waiter school… someone like this is never going to understand hospitality. ||||As a result we chose to have breakfast served on our terrace the following two mornings and the breakfasts along with the service were absolutely brilliant, as good as it gets, incredible food, simply wonderful. My recommendation is to go into the restaurant for one breakfast then make a note of all the items you like and request them on room service for the rest of your stay. We didn’t bother filling in the breakfast card in the room, we just let Reception know what we wanted the day before. They delivered the hot egg dish separately later. Simply perfect.||||All of the other staff and management we met were lovely.||||Be sure to take a look at their ex church on the lower floor which is used for functions and conferences. ||||We were amazed and impressed at the fascinating huge family tree of the original Italian nobles who lived here for centuries which is displayed on the first floor as you come out of the lift…going all the way back to 1068. I gather the descendants sold this historic property some 70 years ago. ||||As with the Belmond Hotel at the very top of Machu Picchu in Peru… this hotel has the very best position in the city when it comes to exploring.||||Don’t miss the hotel’s complementary James Bond tour. My wife and I did it and were met by the most incredible tour guide who was hugely knowledgable (see his photo… this is the guy to get as a guide for anywhere in the area and you can reach him through the hotel). He is on another level altogether than your typical tour guide and possesses an extraordinary, in-depth knowledge of the entire history of the city. ||||We didn’t use the swimming pool, but it looked very good although my wife did use the spa and enjoyed a massage.||||Look out for the amazing virtuoso acoustic guitarists who usually busk in front of the cathedral right outside of the hotel some afternoons and nearly every evening. They are masters of their instrument and hail from the extraordinary local music Academy. The musician who was performing during our first evening had his entire audience spellbound, I had never heard anything like him before, nobody walked away, he was sensational.||||Also check out the bar to the immediate right of the main entrance of the hotel. This is not part of the hotel however the bar staff here are wonderful and I consider this the best Bar in the entire city. They all used to work at the hotel. ||||Apart from one blip, we loved our stay. The hotel is perfectly situated for walking through the incredible nearby historic streets, with plenty of easy wide steps originally built for donkeys to explore the depths with surprises at every turn… easily accessible from the hotel and particularly enjoyable early evening after the hordes of day tripper have departed.
