blau monte turri

I stayed at the Hotel Monte Turri last week for three nights. I stayed here with my mother and I myself am in my twenties. I’am a frequent traveller and this was my fifth trip to Italy in the last 18 months, I have stayed in everything from small family run hotels to 5 star and everything in between however both my mother and I have never been so let down by a hotel in our life’s. This is the strangest set up of an Italian hotel I have ever seen. It is part of a large seven hotel gated resort. The park resort has a spectacular setting. It is set on the side of a red sandstone cliff. The views from the Monte Turri are unique to anything I’ve seen on my travels before and would be hard to beat. However coming with these views is a very long hike up and down to the water, I feel that the photos on the website really miss represented the reality of this hike. I would consider myself as quite fit as I frequently run half marathons and compete in triathlons and therefore I’am not opposed to exercise. However this hike is incredibly steep and anybody who is anyway unsteady on their feet would be unable to walk down to the water. Additionally the nearest access to the sea from the hotel is via a glass elevator which has limited operating hours. However once you have completed your expedition to the sea, the water is crystal blue and clean. The hotel has a jetty set up, for access to the water which is magnificent (however ensure you bring rubber shoes as you must climb a long, vertical, steal ladder in order to exit the water. Without shoes it is painful on your feet.). Cynthia the Lifegaurd on the jetty is a great addition, she was incredibly friendly and made us feel safe while swimming. The resort has live stock running wild through it, this was a very nice touch. Despite the views impressive from the resort, unfortunately the same cannot be said for the port town of Arbatax. I cannot blame the Park resort for how unpleasant this warehouse / ship building yard dotted town is, as I didn’t do my research thoroughly enough and this is my own fault. Upon check in to the hotel my mother and I were shown to our room. We were disappointed to say the least when we discovered the view from our balcony was a concrete wall with a drain pipe flowing down over it. Prior to arrival we had emailed and requested a twin room as opposed to a doable room. The hotel had responded to us and told us this request would be meet. However the room was not set up as requested and resulted in both of us sitting in the reception for an hour while they set up the room for us. The air conditioning in this hotel is unacceptably poor for a hotel this price in Italy. I have stayed in lodges in jungle in Central America with better air conditioning than this place. I struggled to sleep every night. As mentioned in a previous review of the Monte Turri, I don’t know what the cause of this would be but the sheets in the place are damp. This was not pleasant. The television

We ate at the rooftop restaurant tonight and it is genuinely the best meal we’ve ever had. We had the swordfish and aubergine starter to share, the tuna and lamb main courses and tiramisu and seadas desert with wine throughout and every bite has been a taste of heaven. The service has been so friendly and welcoming and we’re leaving with a genuine sadness that this experience had to end. Please, make sure you visit this pearl of the oyster that is Arbatax - we promise you won’t regret it!

I have been trying to contact the hotel several times (8 emails and several Instagram messages) about a complaint/refund but they are ignoring me so please see the email below. Maybe they will now pay attention and actually reply: Dear Madam/Sir, We booked a stay at the Monte Turri Hotel on Saturday 9th Sept including the spa for 2 people. Firstly, we were not aware that the spa is a considerable distance from the hotel itself. This was not clear anywhere on your website. Secondly, we booked the spa session with Stefano at reception for 11am on Sunday 10th Sept. The next morning we arrived at the spa (which was not easy to find! we spent 45 mins trying to get there) only to be told that we didn't have a reservation and that the water heater was broken so only a couple of the pools were working. At this point we were hot, stressed and just wanted to leave. The overall experience was meant to be relaxing on the last day of our holiday but it was extremely stressful. We then had to get back to the hotel in extreme heat. Both the man at the spa and Stefano said that they did not have the authority to issue a refund for the spa. So I am asking you to please issue me with a refund, as the spa was not fully functioning and was a complete waste of our time. I would also like to say a couple of things about the hotel. Stefano was very friendly at the reception and we were very happy with our room. The way it was decorated was very nice and the bed was very comfortable. The view from the restaurant was spectacular but there were some issues. It was so dark that you could not see the food on your plate. And speaking of the food, I would say it was the worst meal we'd had during our stay in Sardegna... and the most expensive!. Very basic, too much salt, and the most tasteless dessert I have ever had. The 2 young people serving were very nice and knowledgeable. But the older man was aggressive, rude and tried to give me fish when I told the staff I was allergic to fish! He then stood in front of us at the table and had an argument with the waitress about it. She was very embarrassed and we felt very uncomfortable. The sommelier stepped in to help and to take the fish away from me before I ate it. The older waiter was also very rude and aggressive in the morning during the breakfast serving, so much so that we wanted to leave as quickly as possible. I think he needs to have some training in how to deal with the public. You have a very nice hotel there but I'm afraid it feels badly organised and poor quality when it comes to the service and the food in the restaurant. If you could please give us our refund for the spa asap I would be grateful. Regards Natalie