Hotel La Vela-Castello Il Rifugio

Hotel is very beautiful and interesting

Interiors, clean, nice staff

Lovely position overlooking the town and good to have parking. Great staff.

Tired building and facilities, but it was a good ‘faded glory’ feel.

Outside building is beautiful.

Rooms are very small and uncomfortable. Breakfast is plain and simple, more like continental style and starts at 8am. The drive up is tight, and parking is terrible, not enough parking, and the reception people are not professional and rude. This was the worst stay for us on this trip.

Great history and character. Welcoming and friendly staff and a reasonably convenient location.

This is not a complaint but observations. This is not a suitable location for anyone with mobility issues or a large car to park. The access to many residences locally is steep and winding and this hotel is no exemption! The quality is dated yet charming and typical of it's age, without frills or modernisation.

The view.

I have mostly negative feelings about this hotel and I generally try not to write and post negative reviews. The hotel is somewhat of an old castle with a spectacular view over the town and down the coast. The full moon was gorgeous! But it’s a major haul getting to the hotel. If you don’t have a car, it’s very very difficult. You can apparently take a bus every hour up the hill. But it’s inconvenient waiting. The alternative is to take a taxi, but I like being independent and it’s costly three or 4 times a day. Stairs and steps up from the train station and town are the only alternative. There are 147 stairs up (3X as many steps up) over the railroad bridge. When you arrive at the hotel it’s another 135 steps up the 20% incline driveway then 25 steps up the inside stairs to my room. I counted them. There are no lifts. With even a small amount of luggage this is a very sweaty haul. If you take a wrong turn, it’s another 200 stairs up then down before you find your way. Google Maps is incorrect. Then the narrow windy road between the railway bridge stairs and hotel steps is a raceway. There’s no walking path. The hotel says drivers know people walk this area and slow down, which they don’t, because it’s Italy and it feels really dangerous. You have to do all this up, then down, then up and down every time you visit the town and shore. After going up then down at least twice, sometimes 4 times a day times the number of days, I’m exhausted. Best to be in very good physical condition. My room is small and old. The shower is big enough to stand in. I really don’t like having a plastic shower curtain touching my body. The AC works well and the window opens for fresh air which is both good and bad. I had to close the bathroom door at night due to the tangy odor. The place is over 100 years old.

The large room had a good view with the sea in the distance. The breakfast was reasonably good. The port and sea front could be walked in around 15-20 minutes and you pass many shops and restaurants on the way. Dog friendly hotel with lots of character, like an old Italian castle.

The hotel offered paid parking, but to reach the parking area and reception you have to drive up a very steep, narrow winding path, not for the faint hearted! If you walk out of the hotel, you are immediately on a road with no pathway for around 100 metres before steps lead down to a pathway. The very small dog beach is a long walk from the hotel and is not worth the effort.

The view from the rooftop and the breakfast staff were awesome

If you bring a car, beware the parking is rough. If you don’t bring a car, beware the steep hike from town. The hotel is very old which gives it a lot of charm, but with that you also miss out on some modern amenities.

I just love the hotel, it's the second time I'm staying there and I am absolutely happy about everything - wonderful small castle with breathtaking views, friendly and helpful staff, fantastic breakfast served in a quaint dining room with the view of the town and the sea, comfortable and clean room. I would like to heartily thank all the staff again for our unforgettable holiday, I highly recommend this place and we will certainly come back!