Has anyone stayed at the Hotel Metropole? Had mostly good reviews in Trip Advisor but it is not listed in any of my four guidebooks. Should I be concerned?

Hi luvsun, we stayed there about 4 years ago for 1 night.
It's a very cute hotel. I don't think you should be concerned, but it really depends on what your looking for.
It's right on the water and we had a room with an amazing view. What concerns do you have about it? Maybe I can help further?

Diane

I took a look at the hotel while we were there--looks fine and, as noted, it is on the sea and also has a small pool. As I remember from reading reviews, there are various categories of rooms with a vast range between them, so check carefully...(there is apparently a "red villa" and a main hotel--)

I always like finding good places not in guides but would check venere.com as people have to have actually stayed there to review, which is not true of TA.

Thank you for all of your input. Went on Venere and it received very good reviews. Are the reviews on TA legit? I use them all of the time but I have always wondered about them.
Also, having never stayed in Italy before, what kind of quality of accommodation can I expect from a hotel charging 238Euro vs 320Euro. (for ekscrunchy since I know you stayed there ie Cenobio dei Dogi (320 small seaview room) vs Metropole (238 also seaview room) Will these be similar in quality to a let's say a Hyatt or a Westin in Hawaii? I am not expecting Ritz Carlton quality although that would be very nice!) Or should I expect to pay more in Italy to receive an equivalent accommodation?
I just learned about this forum and I've been doing my own travel arrangements for years--You can't imagine how helpful you all have been in providing valuable information as well as making the planning of my trip so much more fun. Thank you!!

luvsun,

We stayed four nights at the Metropole in October 2008 and really enjoyed it.

We were two couples, and our rooms had balconies with wonderful views.

We loved Santa Margherita and found it a very convenient base for daytrips along the coast.

Byrd

Hi luvsun,

The rating system for hotels is totally different in Europe, so it's hard to compare small European hotels to the larger chains in the States. What we've usually found is that the small hotels offer more charm, but less standard amenities in some cases ( like ac, mini-fridge, late checkout) than you might find here at a chain hotel like Marriott or Hyatt. Also rooms- especially in the cities- tend to be pretty small.

Hotel prices in the more central locations are pricey, but if you're willing to stay in a neighborhood that's not on top of the main tourist sites or close to/ on the beach, you can sometimes find a better deal.

Now about The Metropole... We didn't stay there ( were at the Miramare), but it has a great, central location for the beach and town. Also, I wouldn't worry at all about not finding The Metropole listed in guidebooks. I hate to be cynical, but I think many of the hotel listings in these books are ad-driven, and while they may well be great places to stay, they're also a source of revenue for the publisher.

Is it worth the splurge to stay at the Miramare? That hotel is also available.

I have never stayed at either hotel, but I like the location of Hotel Metropole better. They are at opposite ends of SML. I always stay at Hotel Jolanda, but it is about 2 blocks from the water.

I loved the Miramare--we spent three nights there in 2008. I had the least expensive sea-view room and it was quite luxurious. My friends chose a garden view room because they were concerned bout street noise; their room had a large terrace. I did not find the hotel noisy even though my room faced the main road. But then I am not a very light sleeper. The place is old school luxury; there is a long history of distinguished guests, etc.

One of the attractions for me was the heated salt water swimming pool; if you will not have time to take advantage of this, and the beach area, it might not be worth staying there. The location is excellent. Parking is on site and quite pricey, but there is also street parking available and this is easier to come by when the parking regulations change in mid-late- Septmber..you might want to inquire about when this occurs...there is a certain date when much more free street parking opens up..

Please feel free to ask anything about the hotel..

I stayed there 2 months ago in the red villa sea view

120 euro per night including an awesome breakfast.

In the best area

walking distance from train station

www.tripadvisor.com has a tonne of great reviews

Go for it,no worries have fun,

Trip advisor does have many useful reviews but some seem not to be legit. I cross check with other sources and ignore any reviews from one time posters especially if they are much better or worse than the norm.

I've stayed in a sea view room at the red villa, no balcony. I think I would love a balcony sea view in the main part of the Metropole.

I had clients at the Miramare, and they loved it. They had garden view rooms.

I wanted to add that Italian hotels aren't at all like American hotels. Rooms are smaller, food is much better. The Metropole has nice linens; I like Italian sheets, but the towels aren't as fluffy as Hyatt or Marriott.

You will be disappointed in you are expecting Italian hotels to be similar to American hotels. The plumbing, the electricity, the pillows, the mattresses, will all be different. Charming, but different.

Thank you to all of you for your input. It has been very helpful. Sounds like I can't go wrong with either hotel and both of them are actually less that the hotel (away from the beach) that I had booked in Portofino.