Hotel Astor, Turin

Advantages: You don't have to live there
Disadvantages: You will always have the memories

...My girlfriend and I stayed at the Worst Western Astor Metropole Hotel and Apartments for one "god forsaken" night. Never again... Some of the "fun" that we encountered: 1) Staff that couldn't speak conversational English. 2) Slow lifts (that we believe were operated by arthritic monkeys pulling on ropes and pulleys). 3) No assistance in locating our room (the building is like an evil M.C. Escher painting). 4) No free champagne / chocolates (as advertised with our booking) and when my girlfriend asked about them, she was ushered back and forth between two reception areas, and was finally abruptly told "will you just take a seat and wait?". 5) The rooms were appalling, with: chipped paint; exposed chipboard in the bathroom; leftover "hair" from a previous guest in the bathroom; a wall-mounted hair dryer that appeared... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Fantastic period building but thoroughly modern facilities.
Disadvantages: A public transport ride away from the centre of Turin.

...I have just got back from a trip to Turin and a stay in the Le Meridien Lingotto and it's one of the best hotels I have stayed in. Converted from an old Fiat factory the building oozes period charm from the outside but has been thoroughly updated inside with fantastic quality fittings and interesting artwork including the original architectural submissions from 1984. This hotel is famous (infamous) for having maintained the original roof top test track that was used when it was busy manufacturing Fiats throughout the 20th centruy. Better still you can actually get a key from reception and take the lift to the roof and access the test track, where you can relive in your mind the sights of Minis tearing around as seen in the movie "The Italian Job". They actually encourage you to use it as a jogging track and indeed this roof top... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Fabulous food, fabulous people, fabulous city
Disadvantages: None

...Being my first trip to Italy I was very excited about the prospect of good food, good wine and of course good sights. Considering that I first thought that I was being asked to go to Truro in Cornwall imagine my delight when I discovered it was actually Turin, Italy (Geography isn’t a strong point of mine). I was only in Turin for 2 nights so only got a taste of the area, but it left me wanting more. ********* History of Turin **************** Describing Turin is not an easy task; the city is known for its cold, greyness and large industries. On the other hand, it is also a fascinating, interesting city. It is a city of charm, rich in historic monuments with the entrepreneurial spirit of a place in continual economic growth. It is very ordered, I was told this is because it was built to an urban plan from the roman period... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful