Castle of Riomaggiore Tours

I had called the reception desk to ask for some ice, as I was really not feeling good and needed some cold water to cool myself down, as I think I was in the heat for too long. When I called the reception desk, I was told by Monia, to call up to the bar and that they would send me some ice. I called up to the bar and whoever answered the phone said they could not bring me any ice as it was too busy, and asked me if I could come up to the bar to get it. I explained that I wasn't feeling well and that I was not in the position to go up to the bar to get any ice. He said OK that he would send some ice. Within two minutes, he called me back and said that it was not possible for him to send me any ice and that I should call the reception desk or that I had to go up to get it. I then called the reception desk back and spoke to Monia again and she finally got somebody to bring me some ice. The disappointing part is that we spent almost $1000 per night to stay at this hotel, and they could not even bring me any ice on my first request. Back home in Canada even the hotels that just cost $300 will bring the ice right away on the first request. On checkout when I was asked by Monia, how her day was, I mentioned that the situation was quite disappointing. She just said "oh sorry, it was dinner time so the bar was busy." that is the worst excuse I've ever heard especially when we're paying $1000 a night. The breakfast staff and Eleanora were great though.

We had a pleasant 3-night stay overall. We particularly enjoyed the pool, the peaceful surroundings, and the generally good-quality food. The complimentary tea served daily from 5–6 pm was also a nice touch. However, for a listed 4-star property, we found the experience somewhat underwhelming. Our room was clean but quite small. One day we found lots of ants coming in through the main room door. There were also a few issues with the food. One evening we found a piece of plastic in our pasta. We received an apology, but were still charged for the dish, which was disappointing. We also noticed flies around the breakfast area and occasionally on the food. While the natural surroundings make insects understandable, we would expect greater care around food hygiene. Finally, our request for just a 30-minute late checkout was declined, which felt a little inflexible.