Palazzo Belmonte

Positives: The view of the bay and the town. The private beach. Negatives: The expectation as you arrive at Palazzo Belmonte quickly disappears when you discover that your room is 250 metres up a dirt track through the grounds of the hotel. The rooms within the Villas are lacking in style and comfort and you could be in any generic Italian hotel room. The balcony outside our room hadn’t been swept and was covered in debris from the nearby trees. We thought the bath hadn’t been cleaned but it was historic stains and signs of rust. The staff at reception were polite but not particularly welcoming and did not show us around the facilities, just pointed them out to us from the room. We only saw them when we checked in and out. They were never seen around the grounds or pool area during our stay. There were little signs everywhere telling you not to do this or that and one in the bathroom which threatened to charge you if you took the complimentary bath products when you left. The overall feeling was that nobody cared about your comfort or enjoyment of the property. The pool area feels rundown and the pool attendant was not there for two days which meant finding the pool towels had run out when we went to spend time there in the afternoon. Also another sign stated ‘only one pool towel per person per day’. The sunbed covers were left out overnight which meant that on the last day we were there they were soaked from rain during the night and therefore we had to lie on the hard slats. The pool water was a worrying colour and the toilet seat in the poolside toilet was broken. See photos. It’s such a shame that the contrast between the accommodation is so big. We appreciated getting moved to a suite in the Palazzo for the last night after complaining to our tour operator which made up for the various disappointments. Breakfast was only served outside so it was a little chilly as the area is in the shade as it doesn’t get the morning sun. Again, seats were wet from overnight rain. Despite booking bed and breakfast we discovered on the breakfast menu that they charge extra for cooked eggs and bacon. If two of us wanted fried eggs and bacon it would be an additional €20. I think they should be included considering the price we paid.

This is an amazing hotel. It's an old Palace and the room we stayed in was in the main part of the house, and huge. The hotel has extensive grounds, and is 'on' the beach and 2 minutes from the heart of Castellabate. There's a beautiful pool and the staff were delightful and accommodating. There's lots of off-street parking and an electric charging point just down the street if you accidently book an electric car instead of petrol, like some ******, hem-hem. Actually, I recommend the electric car but this is about the hotel, not Top-Gear. Go, and stay in the hotel. It's fantastic. Great breakfast by the pool, and a wonderful courtyard. I will be staying here again. It's an oasis in the center of town.

Little sanctuary on the doorstep of Castellabate. Large comfortable room with lovely patio having a wonderful garden and sea view and thank goodness for wonderful air conditioning! The hotel has both a pool and private beach which are easily reached. There is an outside restaurant which serves breakfast and lunch options. Staff very friendly and professional . A lovely hotel and stay .

While the view at this hotel is lovely I would not stay here again. Upon being escorted to our room we were told once inside that the air conditioning was broken and that they hoped to have it fixed in a couple of days. We asked for a fan which they did quickly bring up. Unfortunately, even with the sea location the room absorbed all the heat of the afternoon and became quite warm while sleeping. On our second night with no air and the windows all open the bar on the beach below us became extremely noisy with trash bottles crashing in the bins and voices and music blasting. We were unable to close the windows due to the heat. I contacted the hotel late that evening to inquire about the air conditioning repair, due to the noise level as well as the fact my husbands asthma wasn’t doing well in the heat especially when we had been out sight seeing all day. I realize that the hotel cannot be held responsible for the noise level outside of their establishment, however if we were able to close our windows had we had air the noise level would have been more bearable. The hotel responded the next morning that they would be up that EVENING to turn on our air. That it wasn’t broken, but they were following guidelines as to when to turn on the air. So basically they lied to me about the air being broken. When I confronted them with this fact they then stated that the employee had misspoken with the language barrier. I responded that the employee knew exactly what he was saying when he told us it was broken as he then said it should be fixed in a couple of days. After that I just didn’t have the respect for the management. I’m sure the employees were following management rules. All the employees we dealt with were nice. I just think the management needs to be more concerned with their customers needs than their own bottom line. This room was not cheap and I didn’t deserve to be lied to.

WOW! A slice of heaven. What a romantic jewel in a unique position with it's own beach tucked away in a beautiful seaside authentic italian village. The views over the sea are amazing - see photos below. The rooms are lovely and airy with high vaulted ceilings and the wifi enabled us to keep on top of the occasional work thing. The Palazzo has a light lunch menu by the pool which suited us perfectly and in the evening we walked out to the restaurants in the village which were all charming. At the Palazzo, the staff bent over backwards to make us feel welcome and particularly the owner in residence, the Princess herself, was there to greet us!!

When you enter the gate of the palazzo Belmonte, you immediately fall in love. The palace is very beautiful, the gardens with all its (lemon) trees and flowers are absolutely magnificent, and don’t forget the most beautiful view as you are overlooking the beach and the sea. You can watch the sunset from the gardens. It is one of the most romantic places! ❤️ Access to the beach is directly from the gardens, very easy, lots of cosy restaurants on walking distance. The village is lovely and also there are beautiful villages and places to see in the area. We stayed here for a week with our 9 months old baby in the beginning of May, and it was perfect for us. We were upgraded to a suite, as the owner, Francesca, thought we could use the extra space with our baby and it was early in the season so not so warm that week. Also a little rain was expected, but this did not bother us at all. We enjoyed every minute of our stay. Francesca was so thoughtful arrange a little baby bath for us, which was very helpful. The room was very spacious with an extra bedroom and two bathrooms. The bed was comfortable and large, my husband is tall so always appreciate a large bed. The weather was around 20 degrees that week, we enjoyed the sun on the beach, the beaches were quiet as it was right before the touristic season. The swimming pool was not open yet, but this did not bother us. The restaurant at the palazzo also was not open yet, so we received our breakfast in the room every morning, on our preferred time. Since we were with our baby, this was actually relaxing and perfect for us. We were warmly welcomed during our stay, our flight was delayed so we arrived quit late in the evening, but the reception waited for our arrival. During our stay we could easily contact the reception in case we needed anything or had any questions. Francesca, gave us some great tips for visits and restaurants, and also help with the reservations. If you love authenticity, romantic surroundings, beach, Italy, privacy and amazing (sea) food, you will love palazzo Belmonte and Castellabate. We had a perfect holidays with our baby, and we will definitely come visit the Palazzo Belmonte again. Thank you Francesca and team for our lovely and memorable stay at the palazzo!