Miramare e Castello Hotel, Ischia

...hotels and came across the Miramare e Castello.

I confess to be a faithful user of Expedia.com, and I normally find its ratings rather reliable. The ratings given to the Miramare e Castello Hotel were rather good and becuase of my uncontrollable wish to arrive in Ischia as fast as I could, I did not continue the research much longer. I booked a seven night stay at the Miramare e Castello with breakfast included. The daily rate for ...
...mistake I made with the Miramare e Castello was previous to my arrival. I decided to take my car to Ischia in order to drive from Ischia Ponte (where the hotel is located) to the Terme (thermal water spas) and to the charming restaurants and boutiques in the charming village of Sant\'Angelo (located in the opposite side of the island). It occurred to me that the roads were far smaller than remembered from walking through the island. Then, I realized ... more

Ischia is considered the low-key, VIP island of the Bay of the Naples. Being myself half Neapolitan and knowing the area quite well, I can assure you that Ischia is usually mentioned as the non-tourist alternative to the Foreign Invansion which took over several islands of the Med. This island, which is located within an hour ferry ride from mainland Naples, is a beautiful hideway which captures the stereotypical Southern Italian spirit mixed with the luxury necessary to make it into a posh destination.

As a good Neapolitan, I have usually booked at least a week Ischia every summer. The locals (Italians from surrounding towns in the Costa Sorrentina) usually opt for staying either in rented Villas or at houses of relatives and friends. I had never stayed in a hotel Ischia until the summer of 2006, when everyone was too busy with the eventful World Cup and its following celebrations. As absolutely nobody I knew would be in Ischia at the time, I ended up having to research online for hotels and came across the Miramare e Castello.

I confess to be a faithful user of Expedia.com, and I normally find its ratings rather reliable. The ratings given to the Miramare e Castello Hotel were rather good and becuase of my uncontrollable wish to arrive in Ischia as fast as I could, I did not continue the research much longer. I booked a seven night stay at the Miramare e Castello with breakfast included. The daily rate for the double room with sea view was 350 euros and my parents paid 530 for a suite.

The first mistake I made with the Miramare e Castello was previous to my arrival. I decided to take my car to Ischia in order to drive from Ischia Ponte (where the hotel is located) to the Terme (thermal water spas) and to the charming restaurants and boutiques in the charming village of Sant\'Angelo (located in the opposite side of the island). It occurred to me that the roads were far smaller than remembered from walking through the island. Then, I realized that the Miramare did not have a proper parking space, rather it had a completely unsecure (just plain dodgey, actually) and unmonitored outdoors space which they recommended as the nearest car park. The conditions were so precarious that my car was covered in mud by the end of the stay.

The hotel also gave no assistance with luggage. I took a mental note of that while I observed the five star plaque above the reception. Finally after the check in, a single employee came to assist us with the various pieces of luggage but he was actually of little help since he had no trolley. The reception staff was extremely rude to us since they believed were not Italians (my mother is Brazilian, therefore we speak Portuguese within the family). The receptionists had absolutely no patience whilst we filled the forms. When a group of Americans came into the lobby wishing to check in, they were given no assistance and the receptionists refused to speak with them in English although the person had just spoken to us in the latter.

The lift in the Miramare was ridiculously small. It could barely fit two people and seemed to have not been renovated since the 1970\'s. The internet connection is also rather sufferable.

In contrast, the rooms were rather spacious for local standards. The decoration of the room is very simple but tasteful. The rooms seemed to exude summer. Variations of a lively yellow and sea blue prevail on the walls, some with rooms with shells glued to the paint. Thankfully the air condition does function quite well, although it is rather outdated. There is a small and standard hotel mini bar in all rooms. The television is also ridiculously small and limited to local programs. The beds are rather uncomfortable and the linen is rather poor. The bathrooms are well equipped.

The outside of the Hotel is far more pleasant! The historical building has a traditional Med character with the blue and white stripped windows on the lower floor. The terracota colour is also prevalent in several parts of the Hotel. The private beach is minuscle and does not have sandy shores, but regardless, is very relaxing. The volcanic rocks off the shore produce a beautiful scenario.

The restaurants in the hotel are of exceptional quality. Breakfast is served on the Roof Garden, from where one has the remarkable view of the ancient Aragonese Castle. the Breakfast buffet includes delicacies ranging from fresh croissants to salmon and even Champagne! The waiters in the Breakfast serving were very kind and perhaps, the best of the staff. Lunch and dinner are served on the pier with the breaktaking views of the Med. Large umbrellas are set during the day and candlelight romantic dinners are usually seen at night. The menu is varried and usually contains seasonal fish options. The prices are extremely high in comparison to the rest of Ischia.

The Hotel Spa is very good. It includes several swimming pools : indoors, outdoors, thermal and jacuzzis. The pools do have heated water. There is also a Turkish Bath in the spa which includes very beautiful decorations in gold and torqouise colours. The gym has Tecnogym modern equipment for all types of exercise. The treatments are preformed by exceptional professionals and just the list for different types of facials, is endless. There are several different massages and water treatment healing procedures. Spa packages can be designed according to the number of days one stays at the hotel. There are different options for stress, beauty, and revitalization. The mud and water used in several of the spa procedures is taken from a thermal water source and is said to have various implications for healing and maintaining youth. Several different illnesses have said to be cured solely from the usage of the waters and the spa staff hold consulations on wellbeing.

My conclusions about the Miramare e Castello Hotel are:
1. It is a very good hotel
2. The service should definately not be awarded 5 stars
3. The food is traditional and extremely good, but the prices are not coherent to other exceptional restaurants in Ischia
4. The location is beautiful, but far from the main shops and restaurants
5. The Spa is highly recommended
6. The staff is not very forgein-friendly
7. The rooms are spacious, but not worth the price.
8. Appliances are in desperate need of refurbishment.
9. The beach is very private and family oriented environment.
10. I would recommend it, but it\'s worth shopping around first. It\'s definately not the worst hotel on the Island, on the contrary, it has some great positives. 

...less