Club Esse Cala Gonone Beach Village

“A very nice resort”

We were in a group of 125 dancers and I think most people had a wonderful time in this resort. There were some issues, however, the accommodation was good, the dance venue was excellent, the swimming pool large and clean, the food was reasonable and the restaurant had loads of choices - albeit fewe… more

We were in a group of 125 dancers and I think most people had a wonderful time in this resort. There were some issues, however, the accommodation was good, the dance venue was excellent, the swimming pool large and clean, the food was reasonable and the restaurant had loads of choices - albeit fewer for people who have specific dietary requirements, but there was meat, fish, pizza, pasta/rice in many versions and sauces (and pasta also for celiac people on request) many different type of starters and salad. In general, there was a good variety of food available daily. Breakfast included yogurt, sausages, bacon, eggs, cereals, fruit, cheese and cold meats, cakes and pastries, then typical breakfast drinks including cappuccino, coffee, latte, macchiato, chocs etcetera – although if you arrived late for breakfast, it made a difference as to which of these items were available. However, for those who got up from bed very late and missed breakfast, the resort provided “L’angolo del Dormiglione” or “Sleepy Head Corner” located in front of the bar area and featuring a small selection of breakfast items, which I thought it was an excellent customer service idea that I never experienced anywhere else before. Breakfast was repetitive, but then that is the nature of breakfast. Yes, they ran out of butter and some other foods at times, and also wine, but eventually these were replaced. Canned beer was given out freely and some other hotel guests outside our group went for it, and so the resort introduced restrictions. However, the event organiser bought several crates of beer (and also got some from the resort) all these were taken to the area of the restaurant reserved for us and these were available freely to us all. It was the end of the season and probably the staff was tired and looking forward to going home, and, whilst service with smile is always a welcome bonus, in the end I believe that most people enjoyed dancing in a fantastic venue overlooking the bay and the nearby village during a week of uninterrupted sunshine with easy access to the nearby beach (on foot and/or via the little free tourist train that runs regularly throughout the day for guests, between the resort and the beach) with free parasol and deck chairs. All in all, this was a great and affordable event in a lovely venue, and whilst it cannot be denied that there were some issues, I feel that there were also many positive aspects that also need to be considered.

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“Not what we expected…”

Whilst the accommodation was reasonable and situated in a lovely location, albeit very hilly, our overall experience wasn’t quite what we expected. We were on a bed and breakfast basis and even arriving at the restaurant at 8.30 am there were lots of food items in short supply and not being replen… more

Whilst the accommodation was reasonable and situated in a lovely location, albeit very hilly, our overall experience wasn’t quite what we expected. We were on a bed and breakfast basis and even arriving at the restaurant at 8.30 am there were lots of food items in short supply and not being replenished. There were often no dishes available to use for cereals/spoons to eat with/cups for coffee. No warm plates for hot food. To make matters worse, the staff on duty didn’t seem to know why basic items were missing. We were a party of 6 adults and made do with what we could find. I would have hated to have children to feed as the food options were very limited. Our overall experience with staff around the complex was not very friendly, apart from at the reception. One male member of the housekeeping team came over as very aggressive and in fact was reported to reception as after delivering extra blankets to 2 of our party he stood in their room demanding payment for having delivered the blankets! Very strange and odd behaviour! The Cala Gonone area is very scenic with plenty of restaurants, coffee bars and shops to visit.

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“Great coffee and pool but needs room renovation”

The hotel is pretty old and needs serious renovation, especially bathrooms in the rooms - vary small, not comfortable at all. Rooms are also not spacious and furniture is outdated. Don`t forget to throw your wet towels on the floor in order to get them changed. If they are on the hangers they won… more

The hotel is pretty old and needs serious renovation, especially bathrooms in the rooms - vary small, not comfortable at all. Rooms are also not spacious and furniture is outdated. Don`t forget to throw your wet towels on the floor in order to get them changed. If they are on the hangers they won`t be changed. If you want to get your bed linen changed you have to request this at reception. Food is average but you still get to enjoy some prawns, pork and chicken meat, fish, sveral types of salads, pasta of course and some local desserts but nothing exceptional. +++ Staff is great - polite and helpful; coffee is awesome; and the pool but you need to have a cap to enter it - don`t worry you can get one at reception for 3 Euro. Animation is good for kids (there`s aqua gym ot 5pm for adults) but mainly for Italians which is normal as 99.9% of the guests are such ;)

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“Not disabled friendly with all of the hills, but really friendly people and beautiful scenery.”

A beautiful location, but sadly everything is designed for Italians. There was no English speaking entertainment at all. The village is very remote, lots of steep hills, so isn't disabled friendly. The food queues were long, 1 server for 4 foods. You queue for one item then if another item is wit… more

A beautiful location, but sadly everything is designed for Italians. There was no English speaking entertainment at all. The village is very remote, lots of steep hills, so isn't disabled friendly. The food queues were long, 1 server for 4 foods. You queue for one item then if another item is with a different server you have to queue there too, which means food is cold. Pay as you go meals are 25 euros each per meal (lunch or dinner) but food is of much better quality at the seafront, cheaper and no standing in big queues for cold food. But the returning shuttle up the steep hills stop at 7pm, so limited time frame when out. The hotel have made it where you need to be there and have to pay for what they have. They charge 1.80 for a small water that is only 0.39 (exactly the same water) from the supermarket at the beach. But with limited transport you have no choice but to pay the hotel prices. No uber, no taxis and steep hills. However, many of the local workers were so friendly, the shuttle bus driver was lovely and helpful, many of the bar staff were great and so was a lifeguard. The scenery is stunning 😍 . If you aren't bothered by being remote and aren't hoping for entertainment then it's the perfect place.

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