Hotel Costa Citara

“Overall very pleasant”

Anxious about some of the reviews we weren't expecting the Ritz and were overall very pleased with this hotel. We booked bed and breakfast deal with TUI knowing it was a cheap and friendly small hotel close to amenities. The staff were the making of this holiday for us. Three different ladies on re… more

Anxious about some of the reviews we weren't expecting the Ritz and were overall very pleased with this hotel. We booked bed and breakfast deal with TUI knowing it was a cheap and friendly small hotel close to amenities. The staff were the making of this holiday for us. Three different ladies on reception and bar were so friendly and helpful , especially with our appalling knowledge of Italian language. Their English is very basic but its fun to tackle each others language, make mistakes and wave your arms around a lot. Special thanks to Titti (short for Concetta I think) and Roberto who went out of their way to help with our language barriers. The deal with bed and breakfast means that if you do want an evening meal there you need to book the day before. Its a small kitchen so advanced planning is needed, We had several lunch/snacks from their menu which were superb and great value. You can run a tab for the duration of your stay and our end bill was not a painful shock. Quite the opposite. The rooms are adequate. Don't expect the Ritz. They are cleaned well and frequently with towel changes regular too. Our fridge was well used to store food and drink we had purchased from nearby minimarkets. Air conditioning works perfectly. Hot water was always available and showers, toilet and bidet all worked fine too. Breakfast is basic continental and you may have to chase them to top things up as items are used before they can keep up with replacements. Patience and politeness pays every time. The pool area is small but rarely overcrowded on our 11 day stay and no hassle with guests hogging sunbeds and towels without using them. That of course will depend on the nature of the guests though. The pool is clean despite overhanging pine trees and the indoor heated pool is a treasure with a choice of waterfall switched on or off. Use of outdoor showers before and after bathing was well respected too. Locally, a walk to the beach is great on the way down but walking back is a different story. The hotel runs a shuttle bus to the beach but we never used it. There are plenty of restaurants and snack bars around the beach area and I have reviewed those against the ones we visited. Up the hill from the hotel is a minimarket where you can get best values soft drinks, snacks and fresh fruit and a few doors up from that is a super little corner cafe/bar with only a few seats outside that serves some super snacks and drinks. The cheerful owner's English is pretty good and we used this place a few times to people watch and admire Italian driving skills. Amazes me how they survive. The bus service is an experience. Tickets are euro 1.70 each trip no matter how long or short. A CD or CS will take you completely round the whole island. Number 1 and 23 will take you to Sant Angelo ( a must visit) and we used the bus to Forio without any problems. I would shy away from the complete circuit of the island in one trip though as we took a CS aiming to go anticlockwise to Port Ischia. Expect to be crammed in like sardines in a can. Marvel at the bus drivers skills at not killing anyone and don't have a large breakfast as the sudden braking and acceleration will have you looking at it again half digested. Best to watch the driving to see where you have been. As an English driver, looking out the front of the bus is terrifying. Interestingly, not many people use the bus tickets to stamp them once inside the bus so transport can be free. If the bus is packed you wont be able to reach the ticket stamping machine anyway. Using this hotel as a base for your holiday it's ideal. If you want to be spoilt with superior service and facilities, go elsewhere and pay for it. If you want happy friendly lay back rest, this is the job.

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“An economy hotel that is a little gem.”

Just got back from a week here. I was a little concerned after reading previous reviews. It’s a medium sized family run hotel immediately off the main road. However, this isn’t a problem as road noise isn’t really a problem. The benefit is the bus stop is only 4 metres from the gate. The hotel itse… more

Just got back from a week here. I was a little concerned after reading previous reviews. It’s a medium sized family run hotel immediately off the main road. However, this isn’t a problem as road noise isn’t really a problem. The benefit is the bus stop is only 4 metres from the gate. The hotel itself has all the usual stuff, 2 pools ( the outside pool got cleaned daily) Restaurant, bar etc. staffed by attentive staff, not all who speak English but they do try hard. The restaurant serves a fixed menu evening meal service for 20 euros per person. It’s a 4 course meal with 2 choices per course. It’s good value at approx £17 . They even try and swap things if you’re a fussy eater. As for breakfast it’s a typical European breakfast, not spectacular but perfectly adequate. The room (112) was a good size with a large bathrooms, plenty of storage and good air conditioning, which we needed as it was 28-30 degrees daily. We had a large balcony which DID face onto next doors building site. Not good, but again not a problem. One interesting thing was being at the side gave us shade in the evening. Alongside having very nice morning glory flowers aside the balcony. Ischia is a lovely place and being next to the bus stop made exploring easy. We also did 3 days walking around various places. If there is a negative? The hotel is a little way out of Forio so if you want to walk there it’s a 30-40 minute walk or a bus ride. However, the hotel runs a shuttle to town or the beach. Oh, noise from adjacent rooms . Yes it is there, but not to bad. Overall, good value hotel

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“Lovely find, Typical Ischian hotel”

It was with some trepidation when we arrived here. People complaining of scaffolding etc. Yes there is scaffolding to the building next door. Our very large balcony opens on to it. But you can't blame the hotelier or tui for building work on other sites. It hasn't bothered us at all, we are far t… more

It was with some trepidation when we arrived here. People complaining of scaffolding etc. Yes there is scaffolding to the building next door. Our very large balcony opens on to it. But you can't blame the hotelier or tui for building work on other sites. It hasn't bothered us at all, we are far too busy exploring the island. They do a 4 course evening meal for €20.00 and very nice it is too. Some of the staff don't speak English, but we have managed well with my duolingo Italian. But we are in Italy so why should they speak English ? There has been nothing at all to complain about. Yes there's nothing much around. But the bus stops straight outside and stops every 10 mins. And we have walked to Forio and St Angelo quite easily. Ischia is a beautiful island and Costa Cintura is a great find for what we have paid.

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