Jaccarino Hotel

4 readers found this review helpful

As it's high above Sorrento, there's a superb view of Naples bay from all rooms at the front of the Hotel. We went in April and were alright without air-conditioning, but if you go in June or July you'd fry in the room. Being here means you're the first pick-up point and last drop off point for tours, so everyone gets up at 06:00 every day to get to the breakfast buffet which only opens at 07:00 and your tour starts at 07:20. The noise of others washing, showering and moving around at this hour is impossible to sleep through.
The rooms at the back get lots of noise from vespas and church bells, which can disturb a light sleeper with rock-hard mattresses and pillows not helping the insomnia.
Hotel was very clean and staff very helpful with great understanding of English.
Drinks were pricey at 4 Euros for soft drinks or tea.
Food was variable; starters and desserts were good but main courses, bread and cakes were poor.
Parking at the Hotel was limited, and in towns was impossible, you have to be mad to drive through Sorrento or the Amalfi coast road, so I'd not hire a car.

15 readers found this review helpful

After a smooth Thompson Airways flight,including discussing food and an irratating in-flight safety video narrated by a precocious child,Our arrival at the hotel came as welcome relieve!
The lift up to the main floor from the driveway gave no indication of the spacious, simple and traditionally decorated elegance to be found on its main reception floor, which to the right included a large seating area with dozens of comfortabe sofas and space that seems to go on and on.
Our room however didnt include a balcony area and when we asked about changing it for one, which was simple enough, we were told it would cost approxiametly eight pounds extra a night per-person,so we decided to stick to the one we were given which was clean, comfortable and spacious with a lovely bathroom complete with bath, walk in shower and bede.The only downside were the awful towels which were like waffled linen.
After unloading our suitcases we made our way through the reception area and past the expensive bar-a large beer, not even a pint, was six euros, which basically is six pounds, and out onto the spacious terrace to be greeted by an absolutely stunning view of Sorrento and the Bay of Naples-waking up in the early morning for our tours was an absolute joy, even if you had to endure a neighbourhood dog barking and a cockrell giving you your wake up call which surprisingly didnt bother me! Maybe the fresh and clean mountain air,(yes the hotels way up in the mountains),had something to do with it and experiencing some of the deepest sleeps of my life in a crisp and freshly made up bed which despite its weird pillows which were like sleeping on lumpy duck feathers, which we changed of course,was firm and comfortable.
Being a swimmer I was blown away by the swimming pool and bathing area, which is reached by stairs on the left-side of the terrace, which I have to say took my breath away but IM sure the view had something to do with it, and even though the pool wasnt huge it was enough for me and spending time relaxing in the sun was pure heaven.
Although I have to say I was the only one that seemed to swim in it as it wasnt heated and was litreally freezing.But I guess thats the whole idea, to cool off when it gets too hot.But it did warm up eventully and having no chlorine burning my eyes was quiet nice but maybe not very hygenic but there is a shower area to use before you jump or dive into the pool which you should use anyway.
As for the food- and the strict time slots-the staff seem to work night and day and only the reception staff seem to go home,it wasnt the best food we have tasted but it was more than ediable but even in Sorento and other places we went to on our tours the food was nothing to write home about anyway.
The restaurant staff we found to be pleasant enough but seemed to be on a strict conveyer-belt of time and one or two were really nice. But as for the reception staff that is a differnt story.Being the first port of call and representing the face of any establishment the blonde american sounding, but germanic origins receptionost-was a real piece of work.Abrupt, aloof and sometimes down right rude in her manner and tone, although she was lovely to the german visitors and very attentative to their needs and really should seek employment elsewhere.Maybe in the crater of Mount Vasovious!
The hotel, despite one gala night a week, had no other entertaimnet available, but I think they want to keep it that way and I guess the bar staying open to tweleve or so is late enough, especially if you have been on a tour most of the day.
As for going into town, you have to go to the village tabaggo shop to purchase a bus ticket which is a five minute walk in to the village of Sant Agata.But be careful of the narrow roads and watch out for Mopeds and cars zooming through, which seem to be everywhere in Italy.You buy the tickets from an actually sweet little old lady whose looks are deceiving, but warning for all smokers running out of cigs they close in the afternoon.
Sorento is over course what it is, touristy,but lovely and just a bit posey in some areas but lively nevetheless until around tenish.It has a lovely church with sunday services in English and a number of bars and resataurants.
Finally, anyone interested in touring should do so.The trip to the island of Capri is not to be missed. Neither is the Almafi coastal tour which is gorgeous and informative with snippets of local history from the tour tour guide as you drive through the town of Postiano which is also worth a visit by yourself, but by bus be warned, as they get packed and you might have to hold on for youre life as you drive along the clift edge with seemingly reckless but in control drivers.
Of course its cheaper to do it by yourself but make sure the Almalfi and Capri trip is a tour guided one as it really is value for money.Also worthy of a visIt is Pompei which is so huge and because of its history you dont really see people posing in pictures.If you plan on also going to Rome for the day...dont! Its well organised,but three hours there and back is not worth the trouble as you need at least four days to experience its history and wealth.The sisteen chapel is gorgeous but expensive-26 pounds for a souvenir book!
That said we will defiantely go back to Italy and the jaccerino hotel for the peace and serenity and for our early morning wake up call from the local cockrell!

4 readers found this review helpful

The evening meal was very poor and we gave up on it after one night, also they wanted to charge 15 euros a night for air conditioning!, bar prices were extortionate, double what you would pay out in the village nearby,most patrons seemed to cotton on very quickly as out and about the village of Sant Agata at night, the majority of the hotel residents were there too!, where the quality of food and choice of drinks in the restaurants was far superior to the hotel. The pool area is too small as is the pool itself and during our two week stay the amount of "bed baggers" was ridiculous, the staff were just not interested in any complaints made.Also, no need for an early morning call, the cockerel and the chickens in the gardens next door start at 5am every morning on the dot!.On the positive side, the rooms are neat and spacious and the views from the terrace over Sorrento and the bay of Naples and Vesuvius beyond are stunning.Staff in the hotel were aloof and difficult to elicit information from,they appeared to accomodate us but did not go out of the way help.Weather was excellent and the area beautiful.

5 readers found this review helpful

We booked this hotel based on the four star rating given by the travel company (and other travel companies) and the photographs available to view on line. This is NOT a four star hotel and we were extremely disappointed with the accommodation and the poor quality of the food served at the evening meals.
Our bedroom, booked for two adults and our 11 year old daughter, was so small that we had to move the bed in order to open the wardrobe door. The double bed had been moved in order to accomodate an extra single bed so that one third of the bed had no head board. There were no chairs in the room, only two small drawers, nowhere to place our suitcases and the television did not work.
We complained and were moved to a bigger room the following day. We very disappointed not to have air-conditioning provided as standard - surely this should be expected in a four star hotel. We paid locally for this facility which added approximately £10 per day to the cost of our holiday.
The service in the restaurant was very slow and the main courses were extremely poor quality. The vegetables were always over cooked, the soggy mashed potato, tough meat and tasteless rubbery fish were reminiscent of school dinners. Salad was never an option on the menu. The starters and puddings were much better, but there was a limited choice. Drinks were very expensive.
The public rooms were clean and well presented. The pool was quite small but adequate and there were plenty of sun-loungers and deckchairs.
The village of Sant Agata was charming with a good selection of cheap places to eat and drink. It was, however, very popular with the local Italian youth, which made it very noisy at night as they congregated behind the hotel on their scooters. The local bus service was good value.

5 readers found this review helpful

As stated the hotel is in a lovely location as long as you are happy to make use of the regular public transport. The hotel provides a Sita bus timetable. Taxis to and from Sorrento are horrendously expensive. It is very clean, both in the rooms and all the public areas. Breakfast done as a buffet was perfectly adequate in mainly continental style, however despite booking half board we quickly gave up with the evening meal. A limited choice, much cooked to death, fairly small portion sizes, and a rigid time for eating. This contrasts with the poolside bar which could knock up great food, though as stated elsewhere, not cheap. What they did not make known freely was that you could substitute your evening meal for a packed lunch. This did mean you needed to budget to eat out in the evening. For starter, main, and bottle wine total for two people between 55 and 70 Euros in Sant’Agata, which if you are only staying a week offers enough choice. Nearer 100 in Sorrento. We didn’t attempt the high priced and widely reviewed Alfonso’s, but we went back more than once to Ristorante da Mimi, which is in fact the first restaurant you come to from the hotel. Steak or pizza were excellent and served till 11pm. A good gauge is that it seemed popular with the locals.
Other points on the hotel are that if you have an option when booking of a room with a sea view and balcony then take it – it slightly alleviates the noise. However nothing will protect you from the nearby crowing cockerel that starts at dawn. The room towels are weird – sort of a table cloth material. There is no air conditioning and no fridge in the room. As is fairly normal a double room does not mean a double bed. The pool does not have a shallow end suitable for small children, and although the staff are very amenable to children, I’m not sure I would recommend the hotel for them. Not much by way of entertainment or diversion for them, and a lot of stairs for infants. The reception staff are ok but not exactly proactive, and a few speak little English. They seemed to know nothing of the evening events in the town square which are quite regular and worth seeing, or of local festivals etc. However there is a tourist office near the church which is helpful.
It’s much easier to pick out the negative from the positive, and it must be emphasised that the hotel is in a great location, mainly peaceful, spacious, definitely a romantic setting, and a good base from which to explore. It is also appeared to be primarily used by discerning English or Italian guests, so not much in the way of towels out on sun beds at 6 am, or use of stereos poolside, if you get my drift. Overall I would still recommend the hotel, particularly for adults not looking for lively entertainment, but instead those who enjoy dining out, and want a mixture of lazy days by the pool and site seeing.
A couple of points not really for the hotel but for the resort… You can’t pay for your bus journey on the bus – you need to get a ticket from the tobacconist in the town, but beware of siesta closing time. The route the buses take in Sorrento in the late evening is different and so pick up points are different. Wine lists in restaurants don’t list anything but the label – so no help with grape or dryness – however the waiters are helpful in selecting and we never had a bad bottle. A medium steak tends to be close to rare for UK tastes. The small supermarkets sell things like shampoos, sun tan lotions etc so not worth buying beforehand, but the chemist is expensive.

5 readers found this review helpful

My beautiful and long sufferring wife and I decided that we needed some R&R. So leaving the kids behind for the first time popped down to our local travel agent and tried to get a last minute deal ... Not as easy as I thought ! The credit crunch may be a figment of the Media's imagination, as we were really struggling to find somewhere ...
So we were given a choice ... Tunisia or Italy. Well, no contest really. We had both always planned on visiting Pompeii and Herculanium, so this seemed like the ideal place for our week long escape.
Flying from Newcastle with Thomson Fly, everything went smoothly ... The flight was a bit cramped (I am 6'2" and 280llb) but we got there ahead of schedule and were taken straight to the hotel. So good so far ..
On first appearance all I could think of was ... Why don't they whitewash their buildings ? The area gives the outward appearence of being a bit run down, Not so much "shabby Chic" as, just a bit shabby...
The Hotel Jaccarino was delightful. It was old but immaculate inside. Our room was away from the main building, next to the pool and right next to the main road. The windows were shuttered and double glazed and the room itself was spotlessly clean, modern and spacious. The double bed was large, comfortable and fresh linen all immaculate. Sounds great, but there was a bit of a problem here. If this room was in GB then it would have been perfect. However, it is in Italy and it was like an oven. No air conditioning and due to its proximity to the road it was impossible to sleep with the windows open. Apparently Italian cars, motorbikes, trucks, bicycles and probably wheely bins are powered by sound! Horns, bust exhausts charver dance music all seemed to be the "fuel" used to power these machines. Screaming mopeds were constant throughout the night and of course if they were travelling wth passengers or in pairs, then this noise was enhanced by the riders screaming at eachother, in italian (so we could not understand what they were saying!)... Not quite what we were looking for.
So after a fitful night we struggled to the restaurant where we had all our meals that week. The restaurant was superb. The service was excellent, food was well prepared and delicious, and you don't get to my weight without appreciating food. In the evenings we took the later sitting and then enjoyed the terrace looking out over Sorrento Bay with a bottle of house plonk... No kids with us or other distractions we actually managed long chats and a very stress relieving time... excellent !. Oh and I should say that after the bottle of house plonk the noise frm the road seemed a little quieter.
The days were taking up with one day sightseeing and one day lazing around the pool. The hotel pool area was excellent, the loungers had built in shades and were great for tanning and reading ... or in my case burning and reading (I am the original lobster coloured Englishman abroad) THere was a small cafe bar right next to the pool run by the hotel staff (who never seem to sleep!) Very convenient, if not a little expensive. Hmmm ... Tere's something I probably should mention... The cost of just about anything in this area is expensive. The GB Pound to Euro exchange rate was terrible £1 = 1.15 Euro. A beer was 5 euro's and a can of Diet Coca Cola 4 Euros. a Simple sandwich lunch with drinks would easily come to £20. So the half Board tariff we took seemed very worthwhile.
The local area was quaint. There is a fantastic bar just a two minute walk from the Hotel called Orlando's. The prices are cheaper than the Hotel and it has real italian charm... Not to be missed, but if you do go there you will probably end up there till 1am !!
One one evening the village was descended on by about 200 teenagers on scooters ... Oh no I thought, but wait ... They all went to the local church where a number of dungaree clad Youth Leaders set up silly games and competitions for them. They had a great time and there was not a bottle of cheap wine or can of nasty lager in sight, nor a hoody, tracksuit or baseball cap. How have we got it so wrong over here.
Anyway, in a nutshell, the holiday was lovely, a bit expensive when you are there, and it could really have done with Air Con in the room. We have travelled fairly extensively in Europe and this is one of the more memorable holidays. Yes I would recommend it and even return in the future, if I'm spared ..

2 readers found this review helpful

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Hotel Jaccarino due to the wonderful staff and the excellent accommodation. The Hotel decor was attractive with a sense of traditional decor and furnishing, all of which we liked. The room was modern, well decorated and kept beautifully clean and tidy all week by the staff. The fresh Italian linen towels were luxurious and replaced with clean ones on a daily basis. The views were outstanding, especially of Vesuvius, and made the perfect backdrop for dinner. The waiters were excellent and very accommodating. The menus changed daily and over the week we had an excellent selection of traditional Italian cooking, all delicious. Although our children are good eaters the staff were very willing to make adjustments in the menu for younger children. Breakfast was equally good! The location of the Jaccarino was perfect. Access to Sorrento (at this time of year) was easy either on the courtesy bus or local buses, this in turn gave easy access to the train station. Local buses for the Amalfi coast stop outside the hotel or in the village. It is also an ideal location to enjoy walking in the beautiful countryside along reasonably well marked footpaths. If we are able to return to the area we would only go to the Jaccarino.

1 reader found this review helpful

We really loved our holiday, our hotel was truly beautiful, we would have loved some entertainment at night, that was our only complaint.

2 readers found this review helpful

This hotel has the most wonderful view imaginable, it being located high at Sant Agata, from the balcony overlooking the pool, we looked down on Sorrento and over and across the bay of Naples to Mount Vesuvius soaring up in the background, after dark, the sparkling lights which follow along the shoreline beneath the mountain were equally spectacular, it is well worth paying the extra for a balcony to enjoy this sight.
The Jaccarino, pronounce it (Iaccarino) is an extremely comfortable hotel, the staff are efficient, very pleasant and helpful and the meals were really wonderful with a choice of delectable starters - main courses and also desserts (you will need to be a lover in order to face the fresh fruit basket).
Our room was cleaned every day and fresh towels provided, midweek the bed linen was also changed. A nice surprise was that the safe deposit box (electronic) in the room was provided for use free of charge.
A few minutes away is Bar Orlando (the smoking cat) this is the friendly place to go and relax with a drink of your choice at good prices served along with free nibbles, it has a delightful outdoor table seating area at the side, to find it - go through the white arch at the back of the hotel, up the cobbled lane and turn right at the junction passing the laundry turn right again at the high street, it's across the road on the left before reaching the church.

1 reader found this review helpful

Excellent hotel, staff very friendly and food excellent. Lovely quiet area, very relaxing. Room’s clean, view beautiful. Not too far by coach to Sorrento, can walk takes around 45 mins. Near by village just 2 mins from back of hotel, nice restaurant and bars. We had no idea which hotel we would be staying at and we were certainly not disappointed. Would recommend this hotel for a lovely relaxing holiday.