Metropole Hotel

The Hotel Metropole is a clean, friendly hotel. The rooms on the third floor at the front of the hotel have breathtaking views over the Bay of Naples (try to get room 300), but it does mean you have to put up with the noise from the traffic. To be honest, we didn't find this a problem - we kept the doors and windows shut when we went to bed, after the first night we didn't really notice it anymore. It wasn't as bad as I'd imagined it to be anyway. The food is the best I have had on half board and it was nice to have waiter service. The breakfast is a typical continental breakfast and the evening meals are generous in portions. If you lunch there, don't have the sandwiches, they're awful, sliced white bread with no butter and very over priced. The wine is very reasonable at between 9 and 11 euros a bottle. The rooms are a good size and the shower was great. I would take your own hairdryer though. We did all of our trips by ourselves. The buses and trains are very easy and the fares are unbelievably cheap. We did Pompeii, Herculanium and Vesuvius. For Vesuvius take the train to Ercolano Scavi. At the station there is a Vesuvius taxi. It's a minibus that takes you to within 600 metres of the top and waits for you for an hour and a half while you climb the rest of the way. It costs 16 euros each, but that includes the entrance fee to climb to the top. This was a brilliant trip and one I would highly recommend. The climb is hard work but is well worth it. The children loved this holiday. They enjoyed the trips and loved the pool area at the hotel. We did go to the local Tonarella beach. It was expensive for sunbeds and you had to pay to get in, but it was worth it to get lift down the cliff face. The beach was small and the sunbeds crammed in so you couldn't move them round and position them for the shade/sun at all. The sea was warm, but quite rough, certainly not suitable for weak swimmers. You will need shoes for the beach as it is very stony. We found that a week just wasn't long enough! There is so much to do and see in the area.

Just returned from a week in Sorrento staying at the Metropole. Overall we had a very good deal. Positives - the hotel itself is nice, our room was quite large and was very clean - which is the main priority. The food was very good and the waiters are all very friendly. The location is great if you are reasonably fit, as it took us about 15 mins to walk in and out of town - staying in the town would have been far too busy for us. Negatives - the road is extremely noisy, so it is far from a relaxing or peaceful location. This will affect you if you want to relax by the pool, or sit on the terrace for lunch or evening drinks. We had a room right at the front of the hotel with no balcony, so it was very noisy - but we were able to sleep with the windows shut at night to keep out the noise - if we were staying for 2 weeks we would have asked to move. My main complaint would be that the hotel/staff seem a bit antiquated and regimented - as said in other reviews, we were not happy to be forced to share our table with strangers for breakfast and evening meals. Also, when checking out, the reception staff would not accept euro travellers cheques made payable to the hotel as payment - they forced me to cash them in and pay with the cash - meaning they charged me a commission as well. Overall we would not recommend the hotel due to the noisy road and the shared restaurant tables - but if you are on a strict budget I guess it is a good deal. Trips - you must, must, must do the amalfi drive excursion. It cost 30 euros per person with the travel company, and takes you on a very precarious drive along the most amazing stretch of coastal road I have ever seen. (Not for those afraid of heights!) We then stopped in Amalfi which was beautiful, and went on to Straga for lunch (an extra 12 euro) - then Ravello......this place has the most beautiful views you could wish for. We did Pompei, which again is a must - by catching the local train from Sorrento, which is 5 mins walk past the main square - it costs 3.70 euro return and takes half hour - it drops you right outside the ruins. We then paid 11 euro entrance and hired a great guide for 2 hrs costing 10 euro per person - still working out overall cheaper than the travel companys trip. We also visited Capri which was a nightmare due to the crowds - I guess this is what its like in mid August so other times may be quieter. We caught the ferry which cost 24 euro per person and took about half an hour. Despite the crowds, Capri is fabulous and has fab designer shops and little restaurants etc. Overall Sorrento was wonderful - it has lots of little cobbled streets and lovely shops and restaurants - I would advise heading off to the quieter side streets as it is very crowded in general and very noisy in the main square - a beautiful part of the world.

The hotel lobby looked fresh and welcoming as we arrived and we were initially quite impressed with the hotel, but when we got to our room we were a little disappointed. We were right up in the rafters and whilst this meant a fantastic view of Vesuvius my husband who is 6'4'' had quite a struggle getting around the room due to the ceiling height and hit his head on more than one occasion. Also the room looked like it really needed a lick of paint and a new bathroom as the grouting in amongst the tiles was black and the paint peeling etc. The balcony was tiny and had barely enough room for two chairs. It felt as though it had been a very long time since the room was last cared for and this created a bit of a sad ambience. We went down to dinner and the food was fantastic but again we were slightly let down by the fact that no one explained to us that we had to share our table with another couple thoughout the whole stay. The tables are allocated as and when you arrive and the couple you share with that night will be the same that you share with throughout the stay. No one tells you this though. You sit down and the next minute another couple are being told to sit down right next to you and everyone feels a bit awkward as you are not really sure what is happening. We were celebrating our anniversary one night whilst we were there and asked to be seated somewhere quieter for this one evening and the waiter simply said no and pointed at the same table, even though there were other tables free with no one sat on them. Sorrento was a wonderful place and we did make the most of this holiday and tried our best to enjoy it but it was a bit spoilt by these little things. We often stay in three star hotels and although the reception area was above average for a three star the room let it down. We wouldn't go again, but if we had had a better room we might have.

Dont believe some the reviews. Great hotel, Good Food, well Placed for Touring. Staff very friendly. Noisy road at front ask for room at back. Would certainly return.

Stayed in the Metropol(e) in July 2006 with my two children. Delighted with our choice, considering it was the cheapest hotel in the brochure. The pool was never crowded and there were plenty free sunbeds (with face shades!) available. Only gripe is that it shuts at 6 pm when my kids wanted to play longer. The food was a very pleasant surprise - I was not expecting such good quality for a basic hotel. Choice of three starters and main courses each night which you pick at breakfast. Choices included rabbit, fish, veal, chicken etc. Some of the starters were large enough to fill you up (lasgane, pasta etc). Waiter staff happy to obilge my daily requests for pizza for my son instead of the menu choice. Breakfast was cold buffet and delightful coffee/tea. After years of hotels with buffets during our summer holidays, I really enjoyed having dinner served to me each night. No other children in the hotel our first week, which made it even more quiet. We had two rooms which were interlinked with their own little corridor - ask for rooms 98 - 99 if you have a family. Ground floor and faced the back with its own terrace. Rooms were basic but perfectly adequate. Shower cubicles are tiny and I would take your own haridryer if you have long hair has the ones provided are not too good. Satetliite TV channels of Fox, Cartoon Network, Sky Cinema 1 and Sky News were good for the few nights we just wanted to chill out in room. Word of warning for the area - take mosquito repellent as they are quite simply the most vicious I have come across throughout the world. Visit Amalfi, Pompeii etc on your own via the local trains and buses as the tour rep trips are, quite simply, a rip-off. Eg.cost of 1 person to Pompeii doing it yourself (exc entry) - 3.8 euros - cost with Travel Company - 34 eruros !! The walk into the centre of town is about a 20 minute stroll with kids. Even although the walk back is up hill, it is surprising gentle incline for even the totally unfit like me. Very little entertainment in hotel, but that was actually a bonus for us as we liked to get out anyway. Buses into town every 20 minutes (very reliable) at a cost of one euro per person. Highly recommend this hotel for a cheap and pleasant stay in the wonderful Campania area of Italy. I will be back!

I have just returned from a week's holiday at the Metropole Hotel and felt that I just had to update the comments section. This hotel is in a good location for getting into town and the road while busy is not as dangerous as it first seems, just be aware. I would recommend a back room though due to the noise of the traffic at night and the view at the back is just as nice as the front. The rooms while basic are very clean and adequate. The evening meal was great every evening, good quality and choice. The staff are very helpful and friendly, nothing is too much trouble. This hotel is a small comfortable family run hotel, which is a great base for exploring the Amalfi coast.

A totally unpretentious hotel, which will provide you with the basic necessities for an enjoyable stay, and considering its rating and price, the hotel does offer excellent value for money if you are prepared to overlook a few minor flaws. Though decor is very basic, the hotel is clean and tidy. The staff are helpful, cheerful and friendly, and the food, is excellent, though the breakfast buffet might have been a little more adventurous. A small but adequate pool and good sunbathing and sitting out areas, though not much else is provided for children to do. Although a public bus service is available, the hotel is, for the averagely fit person, within 15 minutes walking distance of the centre of Sorrento though the first 400 metres from the hotel to the beginning of the pavement can be hair raising until you get used to it. Sited at the junction of two busy roads, the noise on the front of the hotel is noticeable. Also, the acoustics inside the hotel means that noise made by other users is amplified. All in all however the hotels offers excellent value which outweigh any minor disadvantages. Sorrento itself is a charming if rather busy town but with the added advantage of being a superb location to reach the jewels of Pompei, Erculano, Capri and the Amalfi, though beware, you need a large wallet to do all of them, especially if you are taking children.

We found your reviews very helpful when making our decision where to stay in Sorrento. The hotel was very adequate and nicely positioned outside the town centre, overlooking the bay and Vesuvius. The only downside being the lack of foothpath for the final 200 metres and the totally undisciplined driving habits of the locals. There was a crash one of the days near the hotel which meant that we had a pleasant 20 minute walk into town. It is not a difficult walk back up the hill to the hotel, in fact it is very scenic if you can ignore the traffic. The food was enjoyable, the staff were very friendly and helpful, our room at the back of the hotel lacked a view but we didn't spend much time hanging around the hotel. It's an ideal base for exploring the area. The buses and trains are very reasonable but they tend to be very overcrowded by times, remembering this was May and not mid Summer time. A great area of Italy with plenty to do and visit, and the local Italian bars were great.

In late season don't pay extra for the Seaview rooms. They have a lovely view (looking across to Vesuvius) but are very cold since they never see the sun and no room heaters are available. They also overlook the busy main road and therefore tend to be very noisy. Rooms at the back get the sun most of the day and there is little traffic noise. Remember to take your own towels those supplied by the hotel wouldn't dry a midget. That aside this is a nice little hotel, nothing fancy just typical Italian. The Evening meals were much better than I had anticipated and the wine is very good value. Nice pool if you want to use it.

Just returned from 2 weeks at Hotel Metropole- (allocated on arrival.) Really enjoyed staying at the hotel - spotlessly clean, very friendly and helpful staff- food good, waiter service excellent. Easy access from the hotel by bus, to and from Sorrento centre, station, and outlying areas on the Sorrento peninsula, for quiet walks away from the traffic.