Hotel Il Sole - La Spezia

6.8

Stopped off to see Cinque Terre on way to Assisi. Hotel difficult to find from webpage map and a reasonable distance by foot from railway station. Once there, convenient for restaurants and shops. Our room comfortable but a little noisy in the evenings from a nearby bar/restaurant. Overall good value for money

5.6

La Spezia is handy both for the Cinque Terre and other surrounding places like Porto Venere and Lerica. We also made a trip to Lucca. Very good cafes nearby, and the pedestrianisatuion of the main shopping street made it great for evening strools.The Friday market was fantastic and the waterfront interesting. The Naval Museum and Castle is well worth visiting.

6.9

Nice place, nice staff speak english, french, italian, good room good bed, but not very quiet, but i'd like my stay at this hotel

6.3

Only 2 bathrooms for whole place but there was hot water. Wash basins in individual rooms. The place is pretty run down. Be sure to bring flipflops because the carpet in the room is ratty. Good location. Smells like smoke in public areas. Come and go as you want with own keys. Restaurant below that bangs dishes at 11pm and there is a fair amount of street noise. Owners friendly and helpful. Nice cafe where you get breakfast discount on coffee, pastry, and panini. Lift doesn't work so have to carry luggage up a flight. It's OK if you're on a tight budget and better than a hostel.

5.8

Good location, but the hotel was awkwardly arranged (had to cross through smoky office to access bathroom and exit). Hotel is a bit shady/dirty inside, but the majority of hotels in the area seem to be of a similar quality.

2.5

The facility was in disrepair. The toilet leaked, the shower head was broken, the shower did not drain well, the window shutters were broken, the hallway was ripped up and covered with plywood, the wardrobe drawer was broken, the hot water heater broke during our stay.

5.0

Cheap hotel for Italy and quite nice, located in town center but very noisy.

8.5

Overall the hotel is very good. The owner/manager is very nice and gave some good suggestions about authentic local restaurant. The hotel surrounding is safe to walk at night. The only negative impression about the facility is that we couldn't get a hot shower right after our exhausted hiking trip.

5.7

This place was very hard to find farther from the train station then described. Don't try to use the map on the site. Ask for very specific instructions if your going to walk!

7.6

Friendly and helpful staff, large clean room with simple furnishings, shared bathroom clean but not spotless. Good position. Its cheap and a good place to sleep. It is not a place to relax in.

7.9

Very basic but clean and cheap

7.9

It is a good, cheap accomodation for those travelling to the Cinque Terra. Not enough shower/toilet facilities and the shower needs an upgrade. We were happy with the accomodation for the price we paid.

9.2

This was a great hotel for the price. We had the only bathroom - there was some difficulty with the hot water but as long as we let it run for 10mins before getting in it was fine. It was centrally located and there were a variety of places to eat close by and also a laundromat within waling distance which the hotel people told us about.

6.0

My girlfriend and I were looking for a cheap place in la spezia to use as a launching point for travels in cinque terre. The hotel was sufficient for this purpose and it was convenient to have things booked in advance. Next time, however, I would not book a place beforehand; I would just find a place in cinque terre once we got there (there are plenty of little places offering rooms). Il Sole is about a ten-fifteen minute walk from the train station (have a good local map, as it took me a few attempts to find it, and I usually have a good sense of direction). The room itself was spartan, and the door didn't exactly keep sound in or out of the room. The showers were tempermental but clean. La Spezia is a nice, if uninteresting little town. I wouldn't spend much time there looking around. All in all, I would say that it was fairly cheap and adequate, which is all we needed at the time.

7.3

we were looking for cheap accomodations in the cinque terre area and la spezia is an excellent location for that. the hotel is a moderate walk from the train station but there is a bus that leaves from the train station and goes very near the hotel. Going from the hotel by bus to the trains and then to the cinque terre is quite easy. The hotel is in the heart of the pedestrian shopping area and only a very short distance from the waterfront. The room was very clean and the family that runs the hotel was very helpful. La Spezia is much larger than the cinque terre towns and remains active much later at night with a much larger selection of things to do etc. yet the location of the hotel is in makes it very quiet at night. This was our 1st. trip "on the cheap" to the cinque terre and it worked out well enough for us. If one is looking for budget rooms along this section of the coastline I would recommend Il Sole.

8.6

As stated in other reviews it is a good ten to fifteen minute walk to the hotel from the station but this puts you in the heart of the historic centre - much better than the dodgy looking area around the station. The greeting was very friendly from this family run place and we felt very welcome. The room was massive with a double and two single beds in it along with a basin. The place is a bit run down but is priced accordingly and is really only cosmetic. Every day the shared toilet/bathroom facilities were cleaned spotlessly - despite the efforts of some of the less house trained people staying at the same time as us! We liked this place and the town of La Spezia so much we decided to stay another day. Be aware that they only take cash for payment and this unexpectedly cleaned out our cash reserves!

6.5

The breakfast was nice. The room was in need of a refurbishment as the carpets were worn and waterstained, the bedclothes scratchy, and the noise from outside very very loud due to no fan or air con in the rooms and needing to open the window. BUT, there was a lovely restaurant round the corner called Per Bacco that had the best food we had on our entire trip! Hard to find in the middle of the central shopping area, but for the money of a budget traveller, we got what we paid for.

8.3

Semplice, ma pulito. Ben situato, vicino al porto.

9.1

Nice modest room and great for the price. I would return. On the downside, two flights of stairs with heavy luggage is a chore. Salvatore will try to take the luggage but don't let him! Only afterward, when he was huffing and puffing did he tell me that he has a pacemaker! The location for the hotel is terrific for the historical district. The hotel is farther from the train station then appears on the website and the directions definitely need to be clarified. Once you know where it is its OK but still some ways from the station. Lack of Air Conditioning in the heat is a downside. Overall, a great value for the price.

6.8

I was backpacking with my sister. We found that Il Sole is a very cheap accomodation and you get what you pay for. If all you need is a place to sleep for the night this is okay. The room had a sink and was very large and they had cute pictures up. Otherwise, it was very difficult to find based on directions from the employees (there is both a Villa Prione and Quarte Prione on the way there and when we mistakenly took Quarte Prione, hiked up a mountain, and called the hotel to ask why we weren't finding it they told us that there was only one Prione and that we should keep going. After hiking some more, we called again and were told that we were in the wrong place but we couldn't have possibly taken Prione to get there. It seems like someone should have realized that there were 2 streets with the name Prione and that if we kept saying we were on Prione but we weren't in the right place that we were probably on the OTHER Prione, but they just kept insisting that there was only one Prione.)The inside of the hotel (walls, carpets, etc.)was also a bit run-down. I think that this hotel caters to those who are looking for a very cheap place to stay while visiting Cinque Terre. We in fact stayed in La Spezia because we planned to go to Cinque Terre by train, but it turned out that when we were there the train workers were on strike. We had to then take the much more expensive and much more infrequent ferry. We found that it probably would have been easier and more beautiful to just stay in one of the towns of the Cinque Terre rather than staying anywhere in La Spezia, including this hotel.

6.1

WHile my traveling companions found this an acceptable lodging, I felt it was a little shabby for the prices charged.

6.5

My brother and I stayed here for 2 nights in June '06. The location was good, right in the pedestrian area of the city and about a 15 min walk to the train station. It was pretty noisy at night, though. The window to our room opened to the patio where breakfast was served, which seemed a little strange. We could hear pretty much every word that was spoken out there. Otherwise the room was fine. Large, a little run-down, pretty minimal, but not too expensive. If you're on a budget, it's a fine place to stay. Oh, and be aware that you have to walk up a flight of stairs to get to it. There's a lift, but for some reason hotel customers aren't allowed to use it.

9.9

Fantastic place. Very clean. Very friendly and helpful staff. Bit further from the train station than we first thought but it's a nice, easy walk once you know where it is. Easy to find. there is a tourist information centre at the train station and they have maps of all the accommodation in La Spezia.

9.4

The hotel was nice, but the bathroom, the shower in particular lacked some qualities that are important, such as distinction between hot and

8.6

We enjoyed our stay at Il Sole. The room was big and pleasant. It was a comfortable walking distance from the railway station.

8.1

The price was right and the location is great. The staff was friendly and helpful. The room was large and there was a sink. The water was brown at first, but ran clear after a few minutes. There is only one bathroom, but it wasn't a problem. Good for exploring La Spezza and Cinque Terre if you expectations are not to high.

10

The room was very nice, and the staff were friendly and helpful--very welcoming. The Hotel is an easy walk from the train station and the trains to cinque terre run very frequently (and take less than 10 minutes). This was a great way to experience cinque terre and la spezia.

8.1

A good choice for a short stay; comfort and furniture as expected, in line with the price; not far from the train station; inside the pedestrian-only area so quiet in the night but some difficults for find parking place.

5.6

Place is very old and needs major refit. Light switches to rooms are on outside of rooms which is really stupid. We were woken up 3 times during night by people turning on our lights while trying to turn on hall lights. Doors are very thin- painted glass panels and you can hear everything from other rooms. Toilet and shower are in same room. Hotel close to main night life. Do not go to pizzeria recommended by owner- overpriced!!!!!

8.5

Das Hotel ist sauber, das Personal freundlich, die Lage sehr zentral( Fußgängerzone/10 min.zu Fuß zum Bahnhof). Auf jeden Fall aber ein Zimmer ohne Bad nehmen, da die Nutzung des Gemeinschaftsbads im einzigen Zimmer mit Bad(direkt nebenan) sehr deutlich zu hören ist!

7.0

The location is great, it is quiet old but was clean and pretty god value for money. Is easy to get the train to chinqua.

8.1

The only criticism would be that it is a 15 minute walk from the station rather than 5 minutes as it suggests. Otherwise it is a good place to stay, very central.

2.9

noisy, dirty, bad...

9.5

This was a lovely hotel located right off the main pedestrian walk of La Spezia. The rooms were a good value. We payed 40 and 60 euros for a double and triple respectively. We had booked with Venere a triple with an ensuite bathroom, but when we arrived it didn't happen. The management was very friendly and the room very much worth it. Despite a ten minute walk to the train station, very simple in getting to and from Cinqueterre

9.7

Amazing value. Great little city for a stopover to Cinque Terre. I would definitely stay here again.

6.7

The room and furnishings were old and worn, but everything was clean and worked as it should. For the price, this was perfectly adequate accomodation.

6.0

Great place to stay for exploring Cinqueterra.(close to train station and the not so friendly tourist information centre) Hotel was comfortable, room clean and spacious for 3 people, (shared bathroom was clean and at times busy.Staff friendly, helpful and the trattoria recommended for dinner was excellent and good value.

7.4

This hotel was very well located for the marina and main shopping area. Rooms were spacious but basic and staff helpful.

9.1

Bargain price!!!

7.5

We enjoyed our stay at Il Sole and would recommend it to other stayers as a cheaper option accommodation. The genetleman who owned the establishment was a wonderful host, and our kids (aged 2 and 4) loved him. Happy kids make for a happy holiday. 2 things though that should be borne in mind. Firstly, if you have a car parking is not good as the hotel is in a pedestrianised zone. As such, it took us well over an hour to find the place. The best bet is to park your car by the waterfront (where parking is free) and walk in to find the location of the hotel. Only then can you determine how to get close to it by car in order to drop off luggage etc. Secondly, we deliberately opted for a room with no ensuite to minimise the cost of our stay. However, there is only one bathroom/toilet room which you will have to share with the other rooms that do not have ensuites. This can be a problem when you need to bathe children as this task can be time consuming. No problems with the room, although we were over the bar which was very noisy on the Saturday night. We would stay here again.

2.2

Insalubre et bruyant. De plus, sachez que l'ascenseur n'est pas accessible aux clients de l'hôtel.

6.4

Il s'agit d'un petit albergue simple, mais très sympa. Maa chambre était néanmois très mal éclairé et aéré.

8.1

A small hotel, with a very nice atmosphere. Much of the credit goes to the employees who were always friendly and helpful. If you're looking for a good hotel, cheap and don't need all the extras...this could be the hotel for you.

7.6

Hôtel très simple mais peut-être un peu cher pour les prestations qui sont servies. Accueil aimable. Propre. Petit-déjeuner possible sur la terrasse (cappuccino fortement déconseillé...).

5.8

The hotel is set in an excellent location in the lovely town of la spezia. Our room didn't resemble the photos on the website, although the bed linen was very clean the carpet looked a bit grubby. The door to our room was also very flimsy. The bathroom was in need of some refurbishment. They also have a system where you collect your key from the reception room if back late at night, but there is no-one checking whether you take your room key or somebody else's which was worrying! Take some earplugs because the seagulls will keep you awake otherwise! The staff were quite friendly and overall we enjoyed our stay.

8.9

We had a nice and comfortable stay at our hotel. However we had expected to have our ovn toilet and bath. We think that too many guests had to share the same bath/toilet facilities.

9.7

We had a very good time staying in this hotel. The room wasn't luxurious but it was nice enough, and the price was amazing.

9.7

The rooms are small, but quaint. The staff was beyond helpful when our luggage was kept at the airport for three days. They did EVERYTHING for us. I would probably get a room with private shower next time.

9.7

Perfect location in the centre of La Spezia, at a low cost. Nice and clean, friendly staff, perfect for the "budget traveller". I would recommend Il Sole to any of my friends travelling through Liguria/Cinque terre.

9.7

Great little hotel about 10/15 minutes from the train station and is about a 3 minute walk from the harbor. Very welcoming and had a great one night stay.