Best Western Premier Villa Fabiano Palace Hotel

We arrived in Calabria about halfway through our 32 day trip throughout Italy. The stop in Calabria (specifically, Cosenza) was intended to be 2 days and to visit family. We initially booked another hotel that was too far away from relatives and, also, did not seem to have the TLC one would hope would be given to a hotel - namely, it looked rundown. So, at the last minute, we had to find another hotel with really only a few hours before the nighttime hit. And, thankfully we found the Best Western Premier Villa Fabiano Palace Hotel. We booked 3 nights and we were not disappointed. If you are going in with an attitude that this will be a hotel of the same quality as a five star you might have stayed in during a visit to Rome or Florence, you will be disappointed but one has to adjust one's expectations when visiting different cities in different regions. So, keeping that in mind, my honest review of this hotel is that I would 100% recommend it when visiting this part of Calabria, without any hesitation. The room was clean (albeit a bit outdated and in need of a fresh coat of paint perhaps) and always attended to well by the cleaning staff. The bed was very comfortable and the linens were excellent - very clean and even ironed! The location was ideal for visiting this area. The front desk staff were very nice and amenable but I have to say what stood out for me was the hotel restaurant - both the food and staff. Our first night we were pressed for time because we had to meet with relatives but we were already running late. We decided to just grab a quick bite at the hotel restaurant so that we didn't waste time trying to decide where to go eat, having just arrived in the area. When we walked into the restaurant, we were greeted as though we were walking into a Michelin star establishment. The waiters were superbly dressed and handled every guest in the old fashioned, classy, and professional high class dining style that only few restaurants these days follow. I was immediately pleasantly surprised. Then, the waiter brought us an assortment of breads - mini focaccias and buns and breadsticks, all of which were delicious. We ordered a few things from the menu and each dish was wonderful! The following night, we had had a long day of sightseeing and were also feeling a bit under the weather (a cold coming on). The only thing we wished to eat was a bowl of chicken noodle or vegetable soup. I had remembered from the previous night that the only soup on the menu was a creamy mushroom (which I had the first night and it was excellent) but we were definitely in need of some cold remedy kind of chicken noodle or vegetable soup. My partner went down to the reception desk and explained the circumstances. He asked the woman at the hotel reception desk where we would find and buy some soup in the neighbouring area. She picked up the phone, called down to the restaurant and asked to speak to the Chef. She then got off the phone and

Prenotiamo un percorso SPA per addio al nubilato. Mi avevano parlato bene della struttura e perché non provare?!! Vero: struttura molto bella e accogliente, personale disponibile, ma….nella fascia oraria che abbiamo scelto (indicataci come disponibile) erano state inserite credo un po’ troppe persone! Ciò si traduce in: attendi per usufruire dei lettini riscaldati (che sono 4), attendi per usufruire della sauna che dentro c’è già gente, attendi per la vasca idromassaggio (una fuori uso, l’altra visibilmente tenuta poco bene!). Considerando aver a disposizione solo 120 minuti sarebbe preferibile evitare le file…. È davvero un peccato per una struttura di questa portata non avere un’organizzazione ad hoc!

Camera primiere con insopportabile odore di chiuso (tipo muffa). Telecomando non funzionante per poter andare sui canali sky; chiesto l'intervento ma mai arrivato il tecnico in camera. Pranzo alla carta con piatti di prestigio (almeno sul menù e con prezzi ben diversi dalla classica mezza pensione con solo 2 portate tra cui scegliere) ma con un pezzo di plastica nel piatto degli involtini di pesce spada (piatto da 25 euro).

Ottima struttura, in particolare consiglio vivamente di provare il cappuccio a colazione, è una crema di latte UNICO. Inoltre il personale è molto cortese, le stanze ben pulite, da ritornare sicuramente per provare anche la spa. Complimenti