Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Verona - Review

July 2004: My wife and I (me 41, she 38), London based professionals, just spent 2 nights at the Due Torri Baglioni and what a disappointment! We have stayed at some of the best hotels across Europe and the USA and to rate this hotel as "the best in Verona" and "5 star" is truly a disgraceful misrepresentation of the reality. Our hotel "deal" was obtained through Expedia and we paid extra, in fact quite a lot extra (GBP722/1040 euros including tax for 2 nights) for a "Deluxe room", one which was supposed to enjoy, amongst other things, the amenity of a balcony with a view of the square or of the hills. Ours simply did not! In fact, upon arrival, we discovered that only 2 rooms in the entire hotel had balconies and ours, with a wall over 5 feet high(!) had a view, visible on tiptoes(!), of the roofs of neighbouring properties and 2 cranes!

Next, we discovered that there was no furniture on the balcony (how nice we thought to be able to have breakfast out there) and when we enquired at reception about the possibility of having some garden furniture, we were told that the hotel had no such items. Admittedly, the following morning, room service arrived with breakfast on a table (with wheels) which was placed on the balcony along with 2 uncomfortable dining table chairs so, I suppose, some effort had been made.

My wife wanted to wash and blow dry her (very long) hair. The hairdryer in the bathroom was a 1600 speed model. In reality, it blew barely a whisper. The hotel front desk essentially told us "tough" and my wife proceeded to spend some hours blowdrying her hair!

Bathrobes. Have you ever stayed in a 4/5 star hotel and been told that bathrobes were only available upon request?!!! We were at this establishment!

Breakfast. 1040 euros and we were only offered continental breakfast free of charge. Anything hot was extra.

The bar. 2 large Baileys, 1 small Baileys and a coffee - 44 euros! OUCH!

The bathroom. Don't take a shower unless, without even moving under it, you are happy for the entire bathroom to become soaked. The floor, the toilet, the toilet paper, everything. A complete and utterly unavoidable flood!

Yes, we tried to change rooms and yes, there were 2 other rooms available. Both were inferior even to our room.

We had a queen bed, the room was sold on this basis. In reality, however, the bed consisted of 2 single beds clamped together, the mattresses hard, old and uncomfortable.

The bedroom itself. SMALL. Very small. It consisted of the bed, a round table, a chaise longue and a TV (with one English channel, CNN and no pay movies). There was a very dark, cramped and separate wardrobe area but that was it and the decoration, well, a dingy and not particularly clean red carpet and framed red fabric on all of the walls. Sunglasses advised!

Internet access. Yes, this was offered and after being taken to a private room for such purpose, I then spent the next 10-15 minutes failing miserably to get the damned machine to connect (no success) by jiggling around an italian version of MS windows. No apology received, I was then taken to the reception back office and had to review my emails with all of the hotel staff walking up and down behind me!

Location: Yes, the hotel is located in the old City but then so are all the hotels in Verona! The location is reasonable but make no mistake, all of the main places to visit including Piazza Del Erbe, Piazza Bra (where the Arena is situated), Juliet's House, Via Mazzini (designer shop row) etc etc are a good walk, between 10 and 20 minutes respectively, not, as the hotel's own website states, "a stone's throw away", not by any means.

Were we alone in our dissatisfaction. It did not appear so. Speaking to other guests, theirs seemed to be a very similar story. One young American couple called down to request bathrobes. 2 hours later with nothing having arrived, she called down again to be asked "Oh, did you want them tonight?"!!!!

Verona is a wonderful, wonderful City, the best I have visited in Italy. No complaints whatsoever, we would return in a flash but NOT to the Due Torri Baglioni. Think twice!