Guest reviews Hotel Villa Franca

by Dhruvagarwal1994 Kolkata (Calcutta), India

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Month of Travel - May 2022 Guests - 2 Occasion - Anniversary Nights - 3 Overall Experience - 8/10 The Good - Fantastic View, Fantastic Service, Very Good Rooms, Super Food. Chef Savio and Renata were fabulous. Also the other members of the team were very good. As we were vegetarian, they made things out the menu for breakfast and dinner which was highly appreciated. I don’t think many hotels in Europe do that. The food was really good. They serve too much food and I think you should order less or ask them to get less in the breakfast, as you end up wasting a lot. The Michelin Restaurant Le Galli is super super super. I have been to many Michelin star restaurants but this place was exceptional. The chef should have 2 or 3 stars minimum. The service is impeccable. Only 7 tables and they make you dine like royalty. They serve things that you haven’t ordered as well for tasting. Also the price is very good, not at all expensive compared to the kind of experience. The concierge is very good. We got a VIP table at the best club in Amalfi, I had called the club directly but they were full and the concierge got it in a jiffy. They are very helpful and attentive. The terrace bar is good. The pool is small compared to other cities and towns but for Positano it’s a good size. The view from the terrace is the best in Positano. Mr. Franco is there for service and assistance and he is a fine gentleman. They got the me the best room with a huge terrace in the category I had booked and I was happy. They had a small welcome platter with strawberries and fruits which was a nice gesture. Breakfast on day 2 & 3 was super, all thanks to Renata. She took our preference a day before and was ready with all of it. The Bad - No pick up/porter/assistance at the ferry terminal. It gets very confusing for first timers at Positano. This is very basic and they should have a porter service at cost of the guest. Negotiating and convincing the porter at the terminal is a waste of time. Furthermore there is no guarantee or security for the luggage as they come after 1 hour for delivery. Having a hotel point of contact to assist will be a very big value add. The room doors and ceiling are not sound proof. Any movement above or in the corridor can be heard. In most cases you’ll have couples who are quiet but in case you get a noisy family with noisy kids, then I can assure you that your evening will be difficult. You can always request a room on a quieter spot. No iron board provided. Theh don’t give irons & boards. They asked us for the clothes so they could iron it and would have charged 22 euro for it. The problem here is that when I need to iron,I need it immediately and the best way is to do it is on your own. Paying 22 euros and waiting for a long time doesn’t make sense. It’s only good when you plan in advance. So they do need to see this point. The bathroom flush can be tricky and the basin drain can also get tricky. Also there is a noise from the flush/plumbing next door at intervals. Though it’s not a very big issue but it should not be there in a 5 star luxury. The Ugly - The attitude of one or two members of the hospitality team. But only 1-2. The rest were all (10/10). I have to elaborate this because this is not something you will find at any hotel. The owner/manager was very rude at one instance when she received a mail from my agent regarding my dissatisfaction on night 1 due to noise from my neighbours. To address this she comes to me and tells me that she didn’t complaint about 2 of my friends joining me for drinks on night 2 and playing light music in the balcony up till 10:30 PM and that I should be accommodative for this . First and foremost, if you have a problem with me calling someone or playing music then you should inform me , we could have gone to your terrace bar, any other place in Positano. The only reason we were at the private terrace of room was to wait for the disco club to open at 11 PM. Coming to the guest and trying to prove that you have allowed me to bring nonresidents and that this should have sufficed for the trouble of noise on Day 1 is unacceptable. You have a long way to learn about hospitality and warmth. Very very rude. Though she was nice to us throughout, this one instance was uncalled for. You need to know Silence Is Golden. Breakfast on day 1, I know we were very very late and arrived at 10:50 - 11 am when they were going to shut, but I felt that in a 5 star luxury they should not be showing their disappointment while serving. It’s either you don’t serve or serve good. There is nothing called service with a bad face.

by nathan_bert

Excellent service, wonderful, romantic

Allow me to assuage your fears based on bizarrely low ratings by some recent visitors. My wife and I stayed 3 nights mid May 2022 for our delayed honeymoon, and it could not have been a better experience. Emilia was a delightful som and Alfonso a top notch concierge. Every aspect of our stay, including minute to minute communications with the concierge team (via email and WhatsApp), a marvelous meal at the in house restaurant Il Galli, and all around hospitality, was excellent. Do things run a tiny bit slower than in a major city in the US? Sure. It’s an Italian coastal paradise, not Manhattan. So to the negative reviewers from recents posts, um maybe order an aperol and relax. And if you’re the type to complain about price and “value”, stay in a cheaper hotel. Amazing stay, 10/10. Thank you again to Alfonso and Emilia, memorable and gracious.

by WoodyCA

Not a 5 star experience

I rarely write reviews, but I have to alert travelers about this hotel. The reason this hotel does well is for its pool, but that is where the positives stop. The management team and staff are not friendly or hospitable, the rooms are entirely too small and the quintessential services that you come to expect from a 5 star hotel are totally lacking. Breakfast service was a mess, turn down service is basically none existent and there is very little service at the pool. We have been turned off by almost every encounter with staff and it is upsetting after such high expectations when booking. My wife and I came from Capri after staying at the Capri Tibiero Palace had a far better five star experience then HVF. I will say without a doubt, I will not be staying at this hotel again, and it will have to take a lot of convincing for me to stay in Positano over Capri. Don’t waste your time and just go to Capri. Additionally - they won’t even assist with luggage to the hotel… which if you’ve never been to Positano then you will find out quick that a hotel like this should be having your bags delivered to your room.

by foodie-nms Agoura Hills, California

A disaster of a stay.

I was so excited to come and stay here on our anniversary trip to Italy. I am a globalist with Hyatt so having top tier status I thought it would make a difference in our experience. I hate to say but it was the farthest from the reality we experienced. We checked in without any issues and were told that breakfast was included in the room. We were given a nice room although very small in size especially when you add luggage to it. We dined at their Michelin star restaurant the first evening only to be violently ill two hours after finishing. I was up all night deathly ill from the meal. We called my doctor in the states and my husband went to the pharmacy for medication. He told me that it was good poisoning. We had a private tour planned that next day that we had to cancel even though it was already paid for. I remained in bed the entire next day. It took me two days to recover. The GM of the hotel was aware of the situation but never reached out to see how I was feeling. Some of the other things that went wrong—our hair dryer didn’t work , every evening they were still refreshing the room at 10pm when we returned. We ended up staying in the lobby until they finished. At breakfast each morning we never looked at a menu as they asked us what we wanted and they reaffirmed that it was included. Well on our final bill we were charged for the eggs or French toast that my Husband had ordered. When I shared that breakfast was supposed to be included they said only coffee and tea, juices and the small plate of croissants. No where was that ever communicated. We are currently at another small luxury hotel in Italy and a complete American breakfast is included. How interesting that two hotels within the same category have two different policies. Our current hotel was shocked that they did this to us. The view from the hotel is magnificent but you stay inside the hotel. The team is very young and they try but they execute as a 4 star and definitely not a 5. I have emailed the general manager 4 times now trying to get a final copy of my bill. Don’t stay here unless you want to be disappointed and frustrated.

by alannW5846EG

What a Fantastic Place

We just returned home from our first trip to Positano and while there stayed at the Hotel Villa Franca. Bothe the Hotel and town have, after years of travel become our favorites. The natural beauty of the city is matched by the kindness and professionalism of the staff of the Hotel, as well as the views from almost anywhere at the property. The food is outstanding and the dinner the we had in the on site Michelin Star restaurant, Li Galli, was amongst the best ever, anywhere. The surprise dessert the best ever, hands down. There is no request to large or small for the staff and they are constantly looking for ways to increase your enjoyment while there. We spent one afternoon at the rooftop pool just relaxing and didn’t want to get up, things were so spectacular. Even a shuttle is offered to bring you down to town if the many steps throughout Positano are too much one day, or back up one afternoon if you just don’t feel like making the walk. This was a very special holiday, made more special by the Hotel mad every member of its staff and we highly recommend it while already trying to figure out when we can make it back.