We have just returned from a two week holiday at this hotel. The write up in the Citalia brochure looked fantastic as we have a 5 year old and a baby 10 months. When we arrived at the hotel it was very evident that the staff (especially the reception and concierge staff) had end of season blues. We were shown to our room which was dark next to the boiler room, next to the staff quarters which came with a constant stench of cigarettes and we had a terrace that we paid extra for and a meter in front of that was a hedge! I went back to the Nicholls Cage look alike on the concierge who gave the 'shoulder shrug' and said "we are full madam" so they said that they would come back to us tomorrow, that day never came! So we were stuck in the most awful room for two weeks, we had a broken toilet seat, plug sockets hanging off the wall, draws that when you pulled them, they fell off in your hand. We asked the reception manager (penfold) and his lady assistant a couple of things during our stay and they did their very best to be as unhelpful as possible. I have never experienced Front of House staff quite like it! We approached the Gen Manager about the room (as they had bigger rooms with a terrace at the other side of this hotel) when i described our room, he agreed!!! Then he said that Citalia are allocated 10 rooms and they arent the nice ones basically!!!! They are kept for FULL PAYING GUESTS! So what on earth are we then? The food wasnt great and the menu was repetative, the head waiter and his side kick seem to have their favourites and I feel are complacent. The variety and layout of the food for breakfast is poor in comparison to other hotels we have stayed in in Italy, and dont ask for an egg for goodness sake, mine came Raw and the head waiter was really cheesed off he had do do another one. Also, they forgot our Childrens Salmon that I had ordered for them, and when I asked the waiter he said, "Salmon is no good for Children Madam!" Errrm I think I will be the judge of that thanks! The resort is great if you are a Wealthy Russian as there seemed to be lots around! There are many footballers, Football Managers, Opera Singers etc etc that have Villas here and I think this hotel is hanging on to the reputation of the area to carry them through, with their fingernails. There are many families that have been going to this hotel for years, and to be honest we cant really see why. The shops in resort are Gucci Prada, Roberto Cavali etc etc and its great if thats your equivallent of Marks and Spencers! The beach was lovely but we had the Tent and chairs included, otherwise your talking around £200 a day for hire! Lunch there cost us 99 Euros for a two salads, a wine a beer and a toastie and a juice for my eldest son! The beach put any charges through to the hotel, so guess what our final bull was, 1600 Euros for two week, we dont drink a lot or eat lots, this was just lunches and drinks with dinner. Oh and bike hire for the day is 45 euros and we were soooooo embarrased as our bike was literally falling apart, no way worth the money for hire, in fact most of the hotel bikes were the same. Overall, a very poor hotel not worth 4 stars, they need to clear the staff out and redecorate the rooms and revise the menu and wave a wand over their buffet. My advise, would be dont stay here, if you are looking for a hotel their is one called the Villa Roma Imperiale which is simply stunning with lovely staff and amazing decor, this IS a 4 Star Hotel!

Yes, it is expensive and many guests probably don't care or even notice but it's an excellent family-run hotel and most of the guests are extended families who return year-after-year, bringing several generations of their families. We originally went with my parents and our small child, had adjoining, interconnecting rooms and enjoyed the pool in the shady garden, the children's playground and the shuttle bus to the private beach and beach-bar restaurant. In the evening Enzo and his staff couldn't have been more accomodating to a child with limited food preferences - any pasta as long as it was served with bolognese or tomato sauce, any meat if he could have chips- and my Mother's small appetite and preference for melon or fish, irrespective of what was on that evening's extensive menu, which is varied, includes starters, mains, a salad bar, cheese course and a variety of fruits and desserts. Now our teenager has outgrown an extra bed in our room and we book a junior suite with a single room specially for larger kids - and he gets his own tv. The poolside-bar and snack area is good for shady lunches and after-dinner relaxation and all the staff remember you from year to year and ask after all your family and friends. Shady parking. Pleasant stroll into town when it's cool. Lovely gardens. Bike hire. Most rooms with terrace.

Stayed here for one week, and i have to say i have mixed feelings, yes its a clean and simple hotel, thats very safe with nice staff, and has reasonable comforts, however..Its an older hotel, probably 70s, and looks it, its in a large residential area, and it can be noisy in the location, mainly from local dogs trying to out do each other. Its also at least 2k from the beech and the town, so be prepared to walk as driving is difficult due to limited parking in both areas. It also claims to be 4 star, well im not sure against what rating but its a very low example, very simple rooms, with scant facilities, TV is of poor quality and has only Italian stations. There is a mini bar, but no tea and coffee facilities in room. That brings me on to the cost, yes the £ is poor to the Euro, but its still one of the most expensive hotels ive ever stayed in, the American bar is a great example of this, £15 for a G&T, and £5 for a black coffee. not only that but the prices change for the same drinks one night two coffees being 7.50 Euros the next 8.50 and then finally 15 Euros, (one was a double expresso!) Thankfully we stayed half board, but even a bottle of water at dinner was £10. I must also mention the beech thats associated with the Hotel, the Augustus Lido, now its accepted that most Italian beeches are private and you have to pay, our Citalia package included use of the beech, and again if you have to pay it would have been at an epic cost. On the half board package you can swap evening meal for lunch at a cost of 8 Euros a person, hmmm you think, why would lunch cost me to change? but then you realise the lunch buffet costs £50 per person at the beech, you understand why. You also have to put up with every conceivable
type of hawker and sales professional while you sunbathe, and it matters not if you have a sign up telling then not to bother you, you will be offered massages, bags, jewellery, hats, scarfs, coats, parasols, lighters, you get the idea...some of the sellers can be very pushy, and some even a little aggressive. A quick word on cycling, everyone does it, there are hundreds of bikes around, if driving they will drive you mad, two or three abreast on the roads, adding to the already challenging conditions when driving in Italy. You will probably want to convert and hire one, again shop around, the hotel will charge you a very high rate.(getting the drift yet?) around £15 per person per day, shops in the town are cheaper.
Having said all of this, overall its not the worst place to stay, its safe, clean and the resort is a very unique place, no lager louts, or club raves etc, very up market, full of sometimes ridiculous and pointless fashions, and people prepared to wear them! the social heirachy is very much in play, and is laughable to see how people will try and out do each other.

The hotel itself was ok but I thought a little old fashioned. The rooms were very clean and the staff were friendly except for the "Nicholas Cage' concierge who could not speak very good English and was not particularly helpful. We were there on a half board basis and although the food was delicious the drinks were exorbitant - £43.00 for a vodka and coke and a lemon cello!!! Dinner each evening was a rather formal affair and the hotel does not provide any entertainment. Forte is lovely and very chic but is so so expensive. We hired bikes and managed to cycle out of Forte and found some cheaper cafes in the neighbouring town. We also went to the supermarket to stock up before heading for the beach as it is really difficult to purchase anything down by the beach unless you want to pay 5 star prices. My overall impression is that the hotel and resort are hugely overpriced especially with the sterling to euro exchange rate. I wouldn't mind if I was staying in absolute luxury in Monte Carlo but this is an average hotel in an average resort. Nothing special and although we had a nice time (despite the severe dent in my wallet) I would not go back.