Hotel Castello in Golfo Aranci

I have thought carefully about what I have written, my intention is to be honest so that those reading the review get a real insight into what this hotel is like. I also expect the manager (or is she the owner?) to respond in a cutting and unhelpful manner which she has a definite knack for. In reality this is a 2 star hotel- 1 star should be allotted to its beautiful location. The rooms are sparse, kept clean and of a good standard if somewhat basic. Beware of the tremendous amount of mosquitoes, there is no provision made by the hotel so ensure you bring some repellent! Unfortunately, we learnt the hard way. Our group were a fun bunch, we were not wild nor did we behave like Victorian children by being present but silent. Like normal people, we laughed, made conversation, tried to enjoy ourselves, however all this seemed to be a problem. If you wish to be around myopic, flat and dull people this is the place for you. Sadly there is no genuine hospitality within the majority of the staff at Hotel Costello, with Gina being one of the worst offenders. Initially, I thought that words were getting lost in translation, I extended benefit of doubt but sadly this was not the case, had the attitude to making us feel welcome and a willingness to adjust been present I would not have given this damning review but if you want to spend your money, spend it elsewhere. Food Breakfast Breakfast was okay (although most would say poor), it did feel like we were in a time warp- the same every single day aside from when the kitchen served the tiramisu from the evening before for breakfast (the pizza left us so hungry that we went out to get more food and didn’t stay for the dry dessert). The ‘hot’ breakfast which consisted of fried eggs, bacon and beans/lentils was cold every single day, unless we specifically asked for it to be warmed up- a tedious and repetitive task. On one occasion we asked for boiled eggs, the response from Gina was ‘If I make for one then what about everyone else?’ You would think that we had asked for something so extraordinary. We did get some eggs, super boiled a few days later! Dinner Who would have thought that we would come all the way to Sardinia to be served defrosted and stale focaccia with a topping as an evening dinner. There were no sides, just stale pizza bread, far inferior than most schools in the UK as can be seen in the video. Another example of the food served was sliced mozzarella, and unripened tomatoes- no seasoning, no oil and no pesto. One night the veg option for mains was a salad; along came a small Pyrex mixing bowl for each person who had ordered which consisted of literally grated carrot, sliced cucumber and a few other vegetables, no dressing, nowt else! I am sitting here trying to recall what else we ate, but it was so terrible that I have a mental block! To be fair one night I had lasagne which was acceptable, I recall asking my phone to translate whether the pizza was how they would eat it locally, the

Hotel Castello suited me so well as a single traveler. The staff were the best part for me - so nice and accommodating. My poor Italian was not a problem when I had questions for the front desk staff. They helped me to book a boat trip to La Maddalena islands. I had a room facing the road. It was cleaned every day with fresh towels as needed. Breakfast was plentiful. Golfo Aranci town and marina is a short drive away or a 15 minute easy walk. The beach behind the hotel has very soft sand. Beautiful sunsets. I found the price to be great value for Sardinia.

The staff was really pleasant, informative, kind and helpful.

Love that it is a few steps away from the beach.

Amazing location, very friendly and helpful stuff.
Fab beach !

Great location and amenities. Staff were all super nice. Clean rooms, amazing views.

We loved it here! The beach was a huge highlight and the staff was so friendly. Room was clean and everything was perfect.

Positives: A nice basic hotel on a beautiful beach. The water is crystal clear. Rooms are clean and basic with a tv and mini fridge. The staff are friendly and helpful. Negatives: The swimming pool advertised on the website is not belonging to the hotel and is also not in use. It has discolored water. This should be made clearer to visitors. The beach sunbeds X2 and umbrella X1 are at a premium price that shocked me. €40 in high season and €25 out of season. Lastly the breakfast is nice and basic but needs to be hot. Eating cold eggs and bacon isn't enjoying. An enjoyable stay but I would not return unfortunately.

The staff was super friendly and very helpful, they arranged for us to rent a car, gave us an upgrade and helped us even at late hours. The location is also good and the view amazing! Will definitely be coming back next time :D