Antiche Terre Hotel & Relax

I can't possibly say enough to recommend this hotel! We'd missed our check-in elsewhere due to traffic problems and they'd refused to accommodate us. We came across this hotel, despondent, while driving back to Cinque Terre to try to find a dog-friendly hotel at short notice. I have never felt more welcome at a venue. The owner and all the staff were helpful and friendly, found us a room, accepted the dogs and gave us a meal just as the kitchen was about to close. They catered for my vegan friend and my own allergy to gluten and then when they could not come up with a dessert (20 minutes notice) they gave us a whole bowl of fruit to take to our room. Breakfast was ecellent also. The location is stunning and the amenities incredible - if I ever go back to this area of Italy I will definitely book again. Who knows, it was so good that I might just go there anyway to make better use of the leisure facilities and the excellent food.

All the positive reviews of Antiche Terre Hotel & Relax is a mystery. We were misled, and stayed there for three nights during our three weeks summer holiday in July-August 2023, and this is by far our worst experience. The location is in the middle of nowhere, and the place is in a desperate need of renovation. Unfortunately, we arrived in time for dinner. The premises are more like a school dining hall than a restaurant. There is only one option for dinner; a full three-course menu with two choices for main course. We asked if we could share one three-course menu between two persons, but that is out of the question - you are stuck to the full three-course menu or nothing. The fish was completely dry and tasteless and the meat resembled rubber. We politely complained, but were not taken seriously. This “restaurant” is a true disgrace to the wonderful Italian kitchen. The staff in the “restaurant” used security guard radio earplugs inspired by nineties spy-movies, and it was difficult to understand if they were talking to you or to each other. The unfriendly, tattooed wannabe security guard managing the “restaurant” made the already uncomfortable atmosphere even worse. The rooms and bathrooms are very simple: Outdated interior, no air-condition and paper-thin walls. You can hear exactly what is going on in the other rooms, so you don’t need to bother using your own alarm in the morning as the alarms from the other rooms will wake you up. This is actually not a problem since the roosters outside probably are well underway in their impressively long lasting morning show anyway. If you against all odds should be able to sleep through this, be sure that the loud music from the reception effectively will do the job. We were sure the breakfast should be better than the dinner, but were unfortunately wrong. It’s very simple with the cheapest sort of toppings and bread, and overall very limited selection. If you want eggs you have to pay extra. To emphasize the quality level of this place, industrial juice is self-served in disposable plastic cups. At least we didn’t need to use dirty glasses like we had at the dinner. We did not feel welcome at Antiche Terre Hotel & Relax and wondered if the staff is working against their will and really don’t want guests. We had the impression that we bothered them with our presence. We strongly advise against spending time and money at this place. There are so many nicer hotels with polite staff in the market. One star is given for an unforgettable stay. We were actually amused by the unprofessionalism.