Hotel Villa Cimbrone

The view from the restaurant terrace is the main event here - it’s heavenly! The climb from the village center (where we were staying), helps work up a good appetite, but sadly the food didn’t live up to expectations. We started with the local tomato and mozzarella salad - cheese was delicious, but the tomatoes were under ripe and disappointing. They should be glorious in late summer, but they were hard and had little flavor. Maybe it’s been a rainy summer this year… one of us ordered the mixed seafood girl and that was very good, but I ordered the red prawn and fennel risotto. Ok, to be scrupulously fair, risotto is not at all a local dish - it’s much more a northern Italian dish - but this was so bland and boring, that even dousing it with EVOO and seasoning failed to liven it up. There was zero discernible flavor of fennel, and only about a teaspoon of shrimp atop the dull, but creamy rice. Still,the cocktails were excellent, ditto the crisp local Ravello white wine, and service was also very good. Although the food was disappointing, we still really enjoyed our lunch - life is good with a gorgeous view and good wine!

Stayed here for the weekend. It was a pretty upsetting experience. Pros: this is a beautiful property with amazing views. Probably the prettiest site in Ravello, and definitely worth a visit to the gardens which are open to the public. Cons: -the bedrooms are tiny, drab, and extremely outdated. For $1,000 a night, a complete and total ripoff. The walls were scuffed, the shower leaked all over the floor, and the bed was two very uncomfortable twin mattresses pushed together and it kept breaking in the middle of the night. It was very difficult to sleep due to the terrible beds. -It’s really a hassle to get in and out of here. There is no parking or even a road to the hotel. You have to pre-arrange for the hotel to meet you almost a mile away to pick up your bags, and then walk to the hotel. Expect the whole thing to take about an hour upon arrival before you get to your room with your bags. -They nickel and dime you for everything. At $1000 a night you expect at least the basics to be included. But everything here is an insane extra charge. They even charge to deliver each item of luggage you arrive with to your room, even down to a small backpack! Just steaming two suits was 120 euros, and they don’t allow you to have an iron or steamer to do it yourself. And they don’t tell you upfront that there will be charges. -Worst of all is the staff. We’ve never been treated so rudely. Your presence is rarely even acknowledged and they treat you like they are annoyed you are there spending $1000 a night. They ruined my brand new suit at the laundry with stains and then tried to claim the stains were already there and that I was lying. Fortunately I took pictures before sending off the suit so was able to prove they caused the stains. Still they were so strangely rude about the whole thing, and tried to charge us anyhow for the steaming! The staff is totally rotten from the general manager down. I have never been treated so poorly at a hotel in my life. The owners of this hotel should hire new management and give the rooms the renovations they desperately need. It’s a shame to see such a beautiful property ruined by bad rooms, bad beds, and bad management. Until they do, avoid at all cost.

We stopped here for drinks on the terrace after visiting the gardens. We had a wonderful time. The drinks were expensive but the staff brought water first which was so needed in the heat, and then antipasti (mini pizza balls and anchovy bruschetta) so it felt in the end like good value. The setting is beautiful, there was perfect service and a lovely vibe, with a pianist playing beautifully too

I had a dinner yesterday with my family at the mediterranean restaurant at Villa cimbrone. Very disappointed by the services rendered in such a type of establishment. Very unpleasant hospitality (perhaps you need to pay for a smile!) and so expensive for small portions and it was only pasta. I do not recommend this restaurant at all and I regret my choice.

I stayed for 3 nights in April. I am disabled (crutches) and the staff gave me thorough information on the rooms when I booked so I could choose something suitable. I chose a third floor room with a walk-up balcony for the sea view and was really pleased with my choice. There was a lift to 3rd floor so the only steps were to my balcony. Staff very kindly brought breakfast to the hotel terrace/bar since my crutches don’t work for a buffet. Delicious breakfast in the most beautiful setting. I already knew from a prior garden visit years before that the walk to Cimbrone is challenging but hotel provided information before my arrival about a local gentleman who can transport a visitor in a buggy (photo 3). I was happy to pay for this service that made the hotel/gardens reachable and once I was there I paid for an extra trip to/from the village to visit the other famous Ravello garden. Because of my crutches I knew the only way I could properly see the garden was to stay on the premises and go back and forth between hotel and garden, which worked very well. It also gave me garden access before and after garden opening hours. I would definitely stay again and April was a nice month to visit - the garden was already pretty and away from the famous terrace the gardens were very quiet. Everything wonderful - hotel, staff, garden. Yes, expensive - but worth it.