Villa Sirio

“Luxury in the heart of Santa Maria”

My fiancé and I spent an evening at Villa Sirio and could not have been more thrilled with the accommodations. It was abundantly clear just how proud the owners are of what they have created. I came to find out that the building had sat abandoned for many years before it was turned into the most be… more

My fiancé and I spent an evening at Villa Sirio and could not have been more thrilled with the accommodations. It was abundantly clear just how proud the owners are of what they have created. I came to find out that the building had sat abandoned for many years before it was turned into the most beautiful hotel in town. Everything about the property is intentional with impeccable taste. We are planning on returning after we get married to stay in their two floor suite they were kind enough to show us before we left. Highly, highly recommend for anyone looking for a treat at a price well below what we would have paid for something similar in the states. We will absolutely be back!

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“'Marie Celeste' stay in an old fashioned Villa”

Oh Dear – what can I say about the Hotel Villa Sirio. It reminds me of a once wealthy and elegant lady whom, upon reaching advanced years, has become unable to meet the demands of a modern world – gradually falling behind her more modern counterparts and scrimping and scrounging the odd Euro to fun… more

Oh Dear – what can I say about the Hotel Villa Sirio. It reminds me of a once wealthy and elegant lady whom, upon reaching advanced years, has become unable to meet the demands of a modern world – gradually falling behind her more modern counterparts and scrimping and scrounging the odd Euro to fund her dotage. Lumpy brass room-keys, very old towels, tatty mirrors, dated décor, room-safe which worked when it felt like it, air conditioning which didn’t work for three days and nights (and it was hot!). OK, it is a 1912 original old building full of antiques and curios – but a “Luxury” hotel (as embroidered on all the towels) it is not. Firstly the money bit; a local taxi firm charges €145. for a Naples Airport transfer – Villa Sirio will charge you €180. Take a beach towel to the beach and Villa Sirio will charge you €2. to launder it. No free water in rooms. It would be thoughtful to provide a tourist map of the town with interesting features, restaurants etc – no such luck. The Hotel does have private space on a local beach but it is a few minutes walk away – not convenient enough to pop back for your forgotten sunglasses. In its favour is the Hotel’s position – right on the seafront; with balconies and a waterside restaurant patio deck. We did not eat at the Hotel (having read some doubtful TA reviews) – and no-one else did during our week stay! In fact apart from a family of cyclists who stayed one night and two English ladies who arrived as we left; we did not see another guest. On five mornings the breakfast buffet was not laid out – just a table laid for us two. We certainly got that ‘Marie Celeste’ feeling by the end of our week. The staff (whom we assumed were mostly members of the family) were polite, helpful and cheerful. They were apologetic about the broken air-con but did not offer a room fan (we asked) or even a glass of Prosecco to cool us down. Overall a just tolerable stay in a clean and moderately comfortable but dated hotel – no more than 3 stars and expensive for that."

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“A has-been place.”

Chose this hotel due to its location right by the sea in Santa Maria Di Castellabate. If you don't know the area: Santa Maria is a small town, a hamlet of Castellabate. The latter one is located on the cliff top overlooking the sea, while St Maria and a couple of other hamlets are right at the seas… more

Chose this hotel due to its location right by the sea in Santa Maria Di Castellabate. If you don't know the area: Santa Maria is a small town, a hamlet of Castellabate. The latter one is located on the cliff top overlooking the sea, while St Maria and a couple of other hamlets are right at the seashore. St Maria a pleasant little town with plenty of eating options, nice streets and a sea promenade. There are a few sandy beaches, the sea is spectacular - clean, shallow, warm and not very busy as the town is so tiny and there is no mass development. Castellabate is on the edge of Cilento natural park. There are boats from St Marco, a town close to St Maria, going to Naples, Capri and Amalfi coast. The closest railway station is Agropoli, about 20 min by car. There is a bus from St Maria, but sounds like the service is slow and infrequent. Villa Sirio is a small private hotel located in two buildings. We were not in the main one, in a room with a side sea view - not much of a view really, the room faces another building which a coupe of meters away. Really don't know how anyone can describe it as luxury! Our room was fairly small and not terribly comfortable: only one bedside table (no space), small wardrobe, no space for luggage. The bathroom is alright, though things are not perfectly clean, not fixed properly (see photo of the shower). We had to ask for soap and other toiletries - they were very basic. There is a fridge with free water and a tiny-tiny safe - not sure even an iPad will fit in it. Wifi was fast and reliable. There is aircon in the room, it's worked fine. Breakfast was included, had egg dishes of choice: fried egg was drowned in oil, boiled eggs were rather random regardless of what we've ordered. There is also fruit, cold cuts and terrible coffee. The best part about hotel is their own section of the public beach and a sun terrace in front of the main building. The beach is not fenced off, just a number of loungers and umbrellas reserved for the hotel guests. Plus there is a little terrace over the sea right in front of the main building: it's a sun terrace during the day and a restaurant at night. One downside is that the loungers might be reserved for some rooms - god knows on what principle. Really not sure why anyone call this place a luxurious one - solid three starts maybe, but nothing else. Owners we found fairly unhelpful too. My Italian is alright, so it's not the language issue. In general St Maria is a perfect place to relax - very Italian, small, with excellent seafood (we particularly liked U'Barone and a place in Castellabate right by the castle), wonderful sea and Paestum and other archeological wonders fairly close. You either need a car to move around, or befriend a taxi driver. We recommend a nice family that work at the Agropoli railway station - a husband and wife taxi business, both a great - reliable, polite, excellent cars.

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