Hi Peter

I've requested this hotel be added to the reviews section. You'll find some hotel info HERE.

Pippy

If anyone would like to post a review, please do so HERE.

Thanks.

Pippy

Peter
This hotel is situated on the main road into Sorrento about 20 mins walk.I have not stayed there myself but there are nicer hotels nearer to town with a lot less traffic hassle.
Check out reviews on Tripadvisor before you make a decision.
Regards.

Stayed there 18 months ago and it was lovely. The hotel staff are extremly pleasant and helpful. S. Agnello is a busy wee place but it is a "white knuckle" walk into the centre of Sorrento along a a vey busy road with uneven pavements. However the hotel runs a coach to and from the centre several times a day and night which helps if the times of departure suit you. Rooms were big, pool was average (quite cold), pool towels provided. Food and bar facilities beside the pool area. Grounds are lovely. Down side was dire entertainment. Most nights it was manager's girlfriend singing...........(I use that word loosely), and playing keyboard (of sorts)!!!
With respect, hotel is most suited to your age group and you will not be bothered by youngsters as there's nothing for the young crowd. Ho hum, I'd love to go back to Sorrento and yes, I would stay in P. De Sole again if I had the chance.

Thanks to all of you for your replies. Very interesting and informative. I'm still thinking.
Best wishes
Peter.

Do be aware of the white knuckle walk into Sorrento, it is no joke. Even crossing the road takes an act of courage and the traffic is constant from about 8am till late at night, and I do mean constant.

As for the hotel, it as OK, the food was fine but not enough waiters and they were rushing to serve you get you fed and make room for the next lot, I did not like the pressure. What was unforgivable to me was the salad bar, you were not permitted to make your own selection, the waiter brought what he had selected. Even in a 2 star you get to help yourself to salad, I felt a bit controlled to be frank.

If you want a quiet peaceful relaxing holiday I would suggest this is not the place, and Sorrento itself has a fair bit of hustle and bustle; off back to Lake Garda myself, generally disappointed with Sorrento.

You can read Don's review by clicking HERE

Thanks Don, for your comments and warnings. Your review sounds fair and realistic, which is helpful. I have not stayed in the centre of Sant Agnello but I've experienced the main road and agree with your comments. However, despite the warnings, I have now booked a two weeks stay - seemed a good deal and for us the proximity of the raiway station is a plus. We are now looking forward to it apart from the gala nights.
Best Wishes to all,
Peter.

Glad you appreciated the post.

Many people love this area and perhaps if I had been given a room on the quiet side, the church bells waking me up at 7 am was not a bonus,( I was given a room with a great balcony that overlooked the main road but I could see Etna with a side view,) I may not have been so aware of the traffic.
The hotel itself was clean I had a decent sized room and as I said the food was of a good standard, ok the salad bar was an issue, my daughter in law is Italian, she would have gone ballistic, but as a base to explore not a bad spot.

It was good value when I travelled and let's face it Sorrento is an expensive area to visit. I am sure you will have a great holiday, no place is perfect and it is very far from a holiday from hell hotel.

My main issue was the traffic as I do like a quite walk and that is not the easiest thing to do from this location.

I had a room overlooking the pool and was not troubled by noise at all. And the hotel coach into the centre of Sorrento is useful if walking the road gets problematic. Timetable for coach is available at reception. I thought the grounds of the hotel were lovely too. Hope you enjoy your holiday Peter H and lets us know what you thought when you return.

Thanks again Don and Jade. I'm sure we shall enjoy our holiday. The bad points you mention don't seem too bad. I rather like church bells and I won't have to set my clock-radio. For quiet walks during the day-time, we can take a bus ride to small villages on the peninsula. For evening strolls, we could take the coach or local bus into Sorrento. We cetainly won't walk it. I will let you know how we get on.
Best Wishes
Peter.

As promised, here is a short report on our holiday and I shall submit my hotel review soon. We enjoyed our two weeks stay here and were pleasantly surprised. We found nothing to complain about so perhaps things have changed . Good news Don. You are now allowed to serve yourself at the salad bar. Someone must have acted on your comments. And we were lucky in having a room overlooking the pool, away from any traffic noise. In fact, on going through the main gates I always felt I was leaving the hustle and bustle behind me and entering an oasis of tranquility. Well...almost.
Certainly it was suited to our age group and (with respect) there were even older folk there too.
Walking on the main road is difficult and we used it no further than the local train station . Even this took longer than I expected due to parked cars and shops using the narrow footpaths.
We had some good days out, Naples, Pompei, Salerno. And I even swam in the sea, but not in the pool.
Thanks again for your comments
Peter.

Delighted you enjoyed your stay, goes to prove that one man's meat is another man's poison eh.

Must admit that if your room is situated pool side it will seem quite tranquil, I know someone mentioned that they quite like church bells, so do I but not so early and in such close proximity. as for the salad bar it was one of those things that annoyed me out of all proportion, but saying that my wife is a vegetarian so would tuck in to a salad more than most perhaps, after all it was a 4 star so I excepted better.

Glad to see that they have common sense now, as I said the food was quite good, not large in quantity but it tends not to be in Italy, it is about quality not quantity.

Just back from Bardolino myself, not quite as busy and more traffic free areas to walk so it is more to my taste. Just to add a small rant...hated Naples airport, few are nice that one was horrid..rant over,........... I now feel unburdened.

Hi Don,
People certainly take very different views, but I think things might have changed since you were there. I have read reviews elsewhere descibing a terrible head-waiter who bore no resemblance to the one we had.
I suppose a new head waiter can change the whole place.
I could do without gala dinners. They are slower and on one occasion, the food quality slipped. Not surprising as there was one sitting only which means alot of diners at one time.
You didnt say there was a weekly buffet as well. The staff tried to make this orderly but it was a bit of a free for all, but jolly enough. On these special nights, you have to share a table, although twice, we had a table to ourselves. Lets be honest. No-one sits with me and the wife if they can avoid it. Actually, I don't mind sharing. We have shared with some lovely, interesting people, which is what happened one buffet evening here. Trouble was we did so much talking and ate so slowly that we were last in every queue.
At our second gala dinner, two people turned up halfway through. They didnt like the food, hadnt been anywhere to talk about and generally depressed us.
I thought the train station would be more convenient than it was. I found it slow going along the narrow footpaths of Sant Agnello. (10 mins or so) And trains at peak times were full until Pompei.
Hope you enjoyed Bardolino!
Best wishes
Peter.

Yes Pete,

Things have changed very much for the better it seems.

I notice on your review that you now have two sittings for the evening meal. When I was there it was as you suggested a free for all as it was first come first served, very very busy and you had people watching you eat as they waited for a table to clear so they could sit and I think the waiters were under pressure to serve you and move you on...far from what you want/expect from a superb Italian meal, and the food was good.

It does seem that the what I would regard as the major flaws when paying for 4 star have been resolved at this hotel, however my comments regarding getting anywhere on foot from this hotel still stands I think, you need to be quite mobile and not nervous of traffic as footpaths are very so so.

Off to Bardolino again in Sept , and I like the fact that it is small (37 beds) hotel I have the same table for 2 each night, great Bardolino wine is cheap from the wine list, 12€, and I feel an individual, rather than one of many as I sometimes feel in large hotels. Hotel Kriss in Bardolino if anyone is interested.

You met a couple who did not like the Italian food?...that sure must have been depressing.