Arno Hotel, Rimini, Italy
Hotel Information
Hotel Class:
Hotel Description:
This modest hotel is just a short distance from the beach. Hotel amenities include a kids club, swimming pool and Jacuzzi. All rooms are air conditioned, have satellite TV and telephone. loading...
Arno Hotel Reviews
The hotel's accommodation was fine for a 3*, functional and clean although the shower cubical was a bit of a squeeze and we're not big people. Every room has a balcony but there isn't really any view because the hotel is on a tree lined street in a very built-up location.
Our balcony was facing another hotel and we didn't like to sit out on it because all you could see was the car park below and other people's balconies opposite. The communal facilities were nice though. There was a lovely terrace at the front and the outdoor swimming pool with whirlpool was an added bonus despite it being at the side in the shade most of the day.
We booked half board and were disappointed when we realised that the best meal the hotel served was at lunchtime.
Breakfast was a buffet of cereals, sweet cake type things, and cold platters of cheese and meats. I wasn't impressed at all especially as the closest things they had to toast were packets of melba toast or plain bread, and they had no fruit at all. In fact the hotel served up very little fruit or vegetables except during evening meals when you could request fruit instead of a dessert.
Our evening meals started off ok at the hotel. They served a soup or pasta dish to start and then a choice of two main courses followed by dessert or fruit. I enjoyed the soup/pasta but the main course was nothing special. The mains were usually a meat (I've no idea what vegetarians do) with one accompaniment.
This was ok when it was veal and French fries but by the third day the menu had deteriorated to thin slices of beef with big silverskin onions.
After that we decided not to bother eating in the hotel on an evening. Out in the resort there are hundreds of restaurants and bars and we ate at two which we particularly liked. They were called Il Toro and Zodiac but the best one was Zodiac which, despite the strange name, served us a fantastic meal.
Anyway, most people don't go to Rimini for the food and the long stretch of wide sandy beach is the draw. The sand was gorgeous and soft, and although the beach was packed in August there is still plenty of room for people as it's such a massive resort.
In retrospect we would definitely have stayed closer to the old town because the bus journey along the front was too long. We rarely got a seat as the buses were so busy despite being every 5-10mins.
The ideal location would have been Marina Centro in Rimini but to avoid the crowds in August we'd have preferred Riccione which we visited just down the coast from us.
Riccione is much more relaxed and laid back and definitely more picturesque but it still has bars and restaurants and is known for its clubs.
If Rimini is Blackpool then Riccione is Miami Beach.