Grand Hotel Moon Valley

"We recently stayed at Grand Hotel Moon Valley in Vico Equense and overall had a mixed experience. The location was very convenient, only around a 10-minute walk to the train station, making it easy to explore the surrounding areas. The views from the pool area were absolutely stunning and definitely one of the highlights of the hotel. Our room was clean throughout the stay, and the cleaning staff were always lovely, keeping everything tidy and restocking towels and toiletries daily. The evening bartender was also very friendly and welcoming. However, there were several things that let the hotel down for us. Unfortunately, the reception staff rarely seemed welcoming and often looked unhappy to see guests. Some of the waiting staff also came across this way. Check-in felt rushed, with information quickly given to us without much explanation, and we were asked to hand over our passports for around 30 minutes. We were uncomfortable with this as we’ve never experienced this at other hotels abroad, and when we returned after half an hour, we were then told it would be another 15 minutes. The room itself felt quite outdated for a 4-star hotel. We had paid for a garden view room, although from our balcony you could barely see the garden. The hotel also advertised a minibar and kettle, but the fridge was empty on arrival and there were no tea or coffee facilities provided. The pool area was beautiful visually, but the water was absolutely freezing, meaning we barely used it during the holiday. Most days the area was empty apart from the occasional seagulls using it as a bath in the evenings. Breakfast had a decent selection, but if you didn’t arrive early, much of the food wasn’t replenished. The hot food such as scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages and boiled eggs was often either gone or cold later in the morning. Bar service could also have been better. Even on quiet evenings when we were the only people sitting on the decking area, there was no table service available. We also found the atmosphere around the hotel quite lacking as there was never any music playing around the pool, restaurant or bar areas, which made the hotel feel very quiet and a little lifeless. We only ate dinner in the hotel once as it wasn’t really to our taste. We ended up trying local restaurants instead and found Sapori to be our favourite restaurant of the whole holiday for both food and service. Overall, the hotel has some great qualities including the views, location and housekeeping staff, but the customer service and some of the facilities did not quite meet our expectations for a 4-star stay."

"We loved our hotel, Grand Hotel Moon Valley. Has to be the most beautiful swimming pool in Europe. We was lucky as went off season and there was literally no one at the pool so no fighting over loungers. There is also a very shallow paddling pool for the kids. Lots of loungers and huge sun umbrellas if it gets too much. Food was lovely and that's from someone who is fussy about his food. Beware, if you order a pizza for starters... it's huge. Railway station is just 10-15 mins walk down the hill. They use a "Tap On" "Tap Off" (might have been "Tap Out") system so you just scan your debit card and then the other end just scan it again. IF you go to Vico Equense, when you arrive don't go through the turnstiles, go through the main building where the "Tap Off" machines are, if you don't "Tap Off" you'll get charged the full fare rather than just over a euro. Not a lot in Vico Equense but there are nice bars and restaurants and you can walk down to a small park with lovely views across the Mount Vesuvius. There are also a few very nice ice cream shops especially "Gelateria Gabriele". One day we walked back from Vico Equense to Grand Hotel Moon Valley from the small park and it was easy, took about 30-40 mins. Just across the road and down a bit from the Grand Hotel is a shop and at the back they sell bottled water, fizzy drinks, biscuits, chocolate etc and they also have amazing cheeses and serve food too although we never got a chance to eat there. Further down the road is a pizza restaurant and a bar. Staff at Moon Valley were very friendly and helpful, at reception and dining."

"We didn't have a very good experience at this hotel. Honestly, one of the worst hotels we have ever stayed in. I found the staff rude. When we got to our room. It was very basic. No tea and coffee facilities, even though it's a 4 star hotel. The noise from the road is so loud you really can't sleep. It's busy 24/7. Our shutters broke when we arrived. We were accused of braking it. All we did was press a button to open and the whole thing came down. When we asked to be moved, we were offered a garden view, even though we paid for a sea view. The manager said, it's only money!!! Really!! I complained to Jet2. Who, after a few phone calls advised they would move us next door the next day and we would get a bottle of wine. (We are still waiting for the wine! Lol). You can hear everyone's conversation from the rooms above and next to you as the walls are really thin. The food is terrible. Very poor choice at the mornings buffet. If you arrive late, they don't really replenish the food. The evening meal was horrendous. We were half board and only ate here once. We are out every other night. On the last day we paid our tourist fee. My husband didn't check the bill (I normally do) and he paid. When I re checked the bill they had added another 40 euros on our bill. When I questioned this, the manger (the male manager) went nuts in Italian. But, the lovely lady (blonde hair and glasses) gave us our refund and apologised.. Honestly, I wish we did our research as we would not have stayed here. The only good thing was the beautiful view from the balcony. Good points * Beautiful View *Pool *Only 5 minute walk to the train station Bad Points * Room-very basic and old fashion * Terrible Food * Rude staff (especially the manager) * Very noisy road (which you are right next to) * Very far from Sorrento * The towels are like the tea towels. Bring your own. Would I stay here again! Nope! Do your research and stay somewhere else!"