The Hotel Acropolis is situated on the Via Verdi in the small resort of Cattolica, on the adriatic coast of Italy. Last August me, my family and my baby daughter travelled there for a one week holiday. Ours was a package deal with Airtours and we flew to Rimini, from Gatwick, with Monarch airlines. On arrival at Rimini airport, we were taken by coach to the hotel. Obviously this was all arranged for us through our tour operator, but if you decide to plan it independently, the hotel itself can organise transport to pick you up. After about half hour or so we arrived at our destination.

After getting the keys we came to room challenge number 1...how to open the door! The door locking system is electronic and you have to wave the card over a little pad next to the door to disengage the locks. Weird! The rooms themselves can accomodate up to 4 people, and cots are available on request.When we walked in, we were like omg where are the beds? We had asked for two rooms with a specific number of beds in each - and this didnt happen. So me and my dad tried to explain to the receptionist - whose english wasnt that good - and didnt really get anywhere. After a little walk round town we came back to find the rooms as we'd asked. Turns out we were just early checking in - dont expect things to be right if you get there too early! So yes back to the rooms....they are all spacious with sufficient storage and most have a balcony. When we went, a lot of the rooms had just been refurbished, although some of the bathrooms had not been. Our bathroom was more of a wet room with a really old fashioned shower, whereas my parents had a state of the art power shower cubicle! Soap and toilet rolls are given to you, but i'd advise you to take your own toiletries. A TV is included with lots of italian channels - i relied on MTV to get me through the week!

Prices vary between 35 and 70 euros per person per day, dpedning on what time of year you go. We went half board so were given breakfast and an evening meal, but there is the opportunity to go all inclusive or just bed and breakfast. The breakfast is your typical continental, with croissants, cake, rolls, etc. I loved it, such a great variety! You get to choose your evening meal for the next day in advance. You have a a pasta dish followed by a meat or fish dish and pudding. You do get a choice, although be prepared to try new things as the food is probably not what you'd expect. My daughter was 10 months old at this time, and there isnt a childrens menu. But one of the owners came up to us and told us that if I write down what i'd like for her, theyd make it espeically. So over the next week they cooked anything for her, from tomato and cheese pasta, to scrambled egg on toast. And i'll tell you something, they were the best scrambled eggs i'd ever had!! And the toast was pan griddled and everything....mmmmmm........ For pudding i'd suggest the watermelon.....i was in love with it haha. And anyway, if you dont enjoy the food there is a large range of restuarants in the surrounding area, including a McDonalds on the seafront.

Ten minutes walk along the sea front will take you into the centre of Cattolica, to the main square. This is home to loads of restaurants, bars and daily entertainment. We became quite big fans of a leather clad dude with a guitar called Beppe! Beware of the human statues, they tend to jump out on you! In the same area are loads of shops, from those housing cheap souvenirs, to designer boutiques. Five minutes along the promendade in the opposite direction will take you to the fishing harbour which is home to The Pirate pub, an all english heaven if you want a taste of home away from home! The Acropolis has a newsagents just across the road, and is 15 mins away from the local supermarket. The weekend markets are also just 5 mins down the road. There is also a small train which can take you on little trips to the aquarium and other tourist spots, and this runs from a stop just along the road from the hotel.