Hotel Gennarino

The hotel has a fairly good location, but using the bus or car to reach the center is essential. Even if it's on the boardwalk it lacks a sea view. It's quite an old building but in acceptable condition. On the positive side, breakfast was OK with the possibility of eating at the outside tables. The buffet was of standard quality. On the negative side, it's kind of run down and not as grand as it may look in the photos. Besides, the service is also not top quality, we had booked a room for three people, so we expected a little more space, but we got a double room with an additional cot (for a grown-up...). Also, there were only 2 sets of towels and 2 extra pillows and we had to ask at the reception for what was missing. The thermostat was broken and it got quite warm during the night. Finally, the parking lot is small. Not good value for the money.

Our check in was at 3pm. We arrived to the hotel at 3:40, with no one at the reception desk. We waited another 15 minutes before someone got there to check us in, and give us the key to our room. That's fine. I know it's Italy, things move slow. Including the drivers on the highways, so keep that in mind if driving through Tuscany. We got to our room, the handle fell off when we were trying to get into our room. I went downstairs, to tell the front desk, perhaps to get another room, and they told me to open the door with the key, and not use the handle. Ok, fine. ... Though I wondered about the security of our room when we left for the day. The bed was the worst bed I've slept on, the pillows were not any better, more like a pice of foam in a pillow case. The mattress was wrapped in a plastic cover, so it was impossible to get comfortable and not sweat the entire night. I get it, it's a fancy looking Italian hotel from the outside so you might be tempted, also the second most expensive in Livorno. The location isn't close to any beach you want to lay on, and there's a Naval base across the street blocking your access to the ocean. Our room was not worth the €143 a night. If you're booking this through ***********, the breakfast is not included like they say it is. The front desk staff will tell you it's not included, and then charge you €10 for a single cappuccino and pastry for breakfast.