Hotel Gran Paradiso

We spent a pleasant week at the hotel We were probably the only Brits there. The staff were friendly and the service of a high standard. Mike A deserves a special mention. The food was good, with limited choice unless you like cake! The bedroom was cleaned meticulous with towels replaced daily. I’m not sure the hotel is a genuine 4*: but it was well worth a visit.

We traveled to Ischia with almost 40 family members and were really happy to be accommodated by the Gran Paradiso. The location is spectacular and convenient. The rooms are a bit on the smaller side but had everything we needed. The windows are great and kept any potential noises from the boats out. The spa facilities are wonderful. We didn't have time to try the massages but enjoyed the sauna, indoor thermal pool and jacuzzi. We rented a nice big towel for the entire stay. If you don't have a swim cap, there are plenty of shower caps in the room. Our room was on the second floor and the ocean view balcony was really spacious with a table and two lounge chairs. The view from the balcony was amazing. We took thousands of pictures. The dinners are indeed old school with a set menu. There is an antipasti buffet with delicious grilled veggies. The pasta and fish dishes were really good, too. I am gluten free and greatly appreciated the modifications they made to the dishes to accommodate my needs. The breakfast buffet was really big with a good mix of savory and sweet items. Everyone in the hotel was super friendly and helpful. They made us feel like family and helped with the many requests we had: taxis, bus tickets, boat tours, airport transfers - they made sure that we had everything we needed. We especially enjoyed the music/party night. We had the traditional, Italian-style family vacation we were looking for and are immensely grateful to the hotel owner and all the staff members for making our stay so special!

Hotel review Terrible service , especially by restaurant manager Dzhuzeppe. He tried to overcharge us for dinner and guests did not like him because of his hospitality style. Not friendly, no coffee maker in the room, terrible breakfast, same menu daily. Terrible plastic cups, the cheapest possible plastic.

Where to start… Efficient and friendly check in from Simone, bag made its own way to my room whilst I recovered from the walk up the hill on the wonderful terrace. I had a small double for solo use, with a very small balcony but an amazing view over the port. Room was super clean and done out in a traditional Italian style. The bed was hard but that’s usual in Italy. Air conditioning was quiet and very effective. First night was a gala night, the hotel’s massive pizza oven was producing lovely pizzas, whilst I sat on a lovely table of 8 on the terrace, very thoughtfully placed by the maitre d. It was a lovely evening with fun food, enough wine, live music and superb views along with conversation with new friends in various languages. Perfect first evening. Settling in, meals are served inside the restaurant which has big doors so is always cool. I was on half board, so had the same table every day which I liked. You also get to chose your evening meal at breakfast which I also liked very much. Chef is a very talented pastry master, and the sweet things for breakfast are off the scale gorgeous. If you are looking for a full English this won’t be for you although they do cook eggs to order. Fabulous coffee, and a glass of Prosecco, all together styled to the Italian market and I loved it. Lunch, if you are staying in to enjoy the stunning jacuzzis, thermal pool, sauna and outdoor pool and terrace is a simple affair focusing on seafood to a great extent, not much alternative for non shellfish eaters like me. But the sandwiches and pasta pomodoro were excellent. Not a big concern as I lunched out most days but I think this is an area to improve. Dinner, was a nod to old school traditional service. Food was varied and of a good quality although for me portions were too large, anti pasti, pasta, meat/fish courses and then dessert was too much . The service was incredibly fast and perhaps almost felt rushed. But for a half board option it worked fine for me. I did feel guilty about not being able to eat everything though . The staff made this place personal and special and respected my wish to be spoken to only in Italian… they suffered my Italian very well over the week and were so helpful in correcting my mistakes, all of them just superb. Note they all speak English too ! All in all a wonderful week of thermal waters, jacuzzis, views, nice food and perfecto spritz and a feel at home Italian stay . Thank you all so much for making me so welcome. For my next visit I need to build my fitness to get up that hill ….