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Reviews of Grand Hotel Smeraldo Beach

4 out of 5
Grand Hotel Smeraldo Beach
Via Tre Monti, Baia Sardinia, Arzachena, OT

Reviews

8.2

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 66 out of 164 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 62 out of 164 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 18 out of 164 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 12 out of 164 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 6 out of 164 reviews" "

8.8/10

Cleanliness

8.4/10

Staff & service

8.2/10

Amenities

7.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Mikhail

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing place!!!
Everything (except breakfast) was above expectations.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Mikhail

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place!
Superb resort, unique location, wonderful service.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

michele

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Tropical grounds
Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Erica

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful honeymoon experience
We booked this hotel largely based on the beachfront view and price and were a little nervous to read the negative reviews here, but our experience was wonderful. The hotel’s decor is exactly what we expected to find in Italy, having traveled around Europe extensively. It’s not modern, but it is authentic. The room was spacious and clean, with plenty of closet space, working AC, and a balcony with a frontal sea view. The free breakfast was standard European and there were plenty of options. We chose to eat lunch at the hotel a few days and the food was good with good-sized portions. The hotel is located just a short walk from the center of town, where there was a beach with rental lounge chairs and umbrellas, as well as several restaurants. There were other restaurants within walking distance as well. We enjoyed going out to dinner at night and then coming back to the piano bar/terrace afterwards to cap off the night.Yes, people reserve beach and pool chairs early in the morning, but this is also something that happens everywhere unless you can reserve — and was not an issue for us since my husband was up at 8am :) The staff was helpful and friendly; we especially enjoyed Mae, who was our waitress for lunch and drinks. We would definitely come back!
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Paola

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Staff & service
Beautiful, well kept, with many pools and a gorgeous beach. The staff was a bit rude, very short with us.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2023

8/10 Good

Vito

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Pros - Great traditional Italian food and selection - Waiters were attentive and friendly - Air conditioned room - Various pools and a beach to relax and sunbath - Local excursions are available Cons - All drinks have to be paid for..gets expensive. - Rooms are dated..need modernising - Wifi glitchy when in your room (first floor) - Adverised garden view fails to mention overlooking the car park (Has parking) - Beach felt artificial, man made, not real sand, sun chairs rather sun beds on the beach. Only sun beds around the pools. Beware these are reserved early using the towel deposit ploy! Note is isolated but this is clear from initial booking.
Stayed 10 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Darcie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The beaches and pools were amazing
Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2023

4/10 Poor

Orazio Santi Augusto

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
The hotel looks a bit tired but it is nice overall. There is a private beach, which is nice enough and a wonderful bar overlooking the Maddalena Archipelago. The food and drinks are very good. The location is excellent. Overall, staff are nice when there are no problems. Therefore, in normal circumstances, I probably would have given a better review. The reason why my review is less positive than it might have been is because of the appalling customer service provided by the Deputy Director. I had a very bad experience with the tour operator the hotel works in partnership with as they (tour operator called Fortieventi) had cancelled my reservations for the Emerald Coast Tour 3 times, one of which one hour before pick up, on my birthday. As a consequence of this I wrote a negative review. What I had not realised was that another tour (Barbagia tour) I had booked through the hotel was with the same tour operator, therefore, after my negative review not only did they (Fortieventi) cancel my reservations, but they also wrote a very offensive email about me (the customer) to the hotel. The deputy director sided with the tour operator and completely failed to listen to me and value me as a customer. In her opinion the behaviour of the tour operator was of little significance to her and she was more interested in keeping a good relationship with Fortieventi. Basically, at this hotel if you raise an issue, do not look for any support from management unless you are a German speaker.
Stayed 9 nights in Aug 2022

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Room comfort
Fix the air conditioning
The air conditioning was not working well. Room was extremely hot, even at night. The rest of the hotel was fine - beach, parking, buffet breakfast, location.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2022

6/10 Okay

Christina

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Vladimir

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Excellent location and staff!
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2022

8/10 Good

Aida Q

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The beach was beautiful . The staff was pleasant and accommodating. Overall it was worth every penny. Highly recommend.
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2022

2/10 Terrible

Andriana

Travelled with family
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
This property feels incredibly old. The rooms have a strange musky smell, and the tiles in our bathroom even started falling down which could have led to injury.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2021

10/10 Excellent

Alicia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Loved our stay in North Sardinia
Great place to stay! Room was large, clean, with a comfortable bed and plenty storage space. I loved the built in wardrobes. Decoration not ultra modern but it didn't feel antiquated either. Abundant breakfast that is organised as best as possible in covid times (I actually prefer for people not to be able to serve themselves). For Italy, I expected the pastry selection to be wider and of better quality! But overall good breakfast. The staff were all professionally friendly. I was very impressed with the cleaning team, they went out of their way to find us the perfect pillow! The area is good if you have a car to explore Sardinia, but also has many great restaurants nearby (Foodie and Sole Mare!) for when you want to have a drink with your dinner. The hotel has several smaller swimming pool, access to a nearly private beach, and a tiny beach, it's a great place to relax.
Stayed 10 nights in Sep 2021

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
2 star. Pro - beautiful private beach. This was the only good aspect of our stay. Cons - terrible service, the staff is incredibly rude and unhelpful. Staff also had no concern for covid safety precautions. Horribly outdated rooms especially for the cost. Non functioning AC. No warm or hot water in the shower. Ancient bed possibly made of rocks. In a word - ripoff. You can find far better in the area, especially somewhere they actually care about their customers and have price appropriate amenities.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect holiday
Amazing hotel, location and service. Food was above the expectations.
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2020

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Paid additional fee to get a beach-front room -- which was well worth it. Lovely beach, and some of the best snorkeling I did during 3 weeks on the island! Lots of fish. - I agree with other reviewer comments that the hotel feels dated. Stains on the carpets, bit of a stale smell. The sitting areas around the lobby were not comfortable or inviting - with the exception of the bar /patio area. No nightlife or evening activities (which was ok for me). The on-site restaurant feels like a bad cruise ship - bad bright lighting, everyone eating at the same time, and felt rushed, not elegant or comfortable. Food was also not fresh local - though most people seemed to like it. I did like the breakfast buffet that was included in the room -- fantastic selection, including a whole table of gluten-free options. - Staff were wonderful and helpful.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019

8/10 Good

Richard

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

Richard, Royal Wootton Bassett

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A fantastic return to this lovely hotel
We stayed here 5 years ago for our 25th and returned to celebrate our 30th. Hotel is so relaxing, well appointed with stunning views. The local area is also so clean and has some quality restaurants if you choose not eat in the hotel. Totally relaxed
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2019

8/10 Good

Nina

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great walking distance to stores and restaurants. Check in staff was great. Breakfast staff was professional but not as friendly. great views. pool and beach on property. great lobby seating area and restaurants on site. Had adapters for us. Breakfast buffet was great.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The private beach was fantastic. The concierge service to help arrange tours was very convenient. It was a short (5 to 15 minute) walk to shopomg and restaurants.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2019

8/10 Good

Steve, Slovakia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Great location and private beach
Although looking a little tired around the edges, overall it’s a nice hotel. It’s Sardinia so it’s expensive but no more than other similar hotels on the Costa Smeraldo. They should improve the breakfast offer a bit (becomes a bit repetitive after a few days) but the staff were all great and the beach is excellent.
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Everything was perfect. Kindes and professionalism.
Stayed 6 nights in Aug 2018

6/10 Okay

Marina, Israel

nice sea view hotel needs remodeling
the hotel has a good potential but needs to be remodeled with moreup to date considerations
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Perfect location
Amazing beach
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2017

10/10 Excellent

joe, devon

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing location. Fantastic staff.great views.not a luxury hotel.who cares.

10/10 Excellent

James

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful Hotel
What a fantastic hotel. We only stayed her for one night and so wished it was much longer. We arrived at about 2pm and didn't leave the hotel until we checked out the following day. Such a beautiful relaxing hotel. The bedroom was very clean with a very big bed. We had a patio area that backed on to one of the 7swimming pools with a path that led down to a private beach. Just amazing I will definitely be going back for longer

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
requires updating , poor food. would not reccomend this hotel

2/10 Terrible

Jon, St Albans

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Location, Overpriced, Needs Refurbishing
Fantastic setting but that is the only positive. I paid €340 per night for 3 nights in advance. No hot water between 6pm and 8pm every evening, probably because of demand on an out of date system at that peak time, but not acceptable for this price - complained about this on two evenings, but absolutely nothing was done and no response was given. No sun-beds available at all for three days- when I pay this price I don't think its unreasonable to expect a to be guaranteed a sun-bed. People but towels down on a number of beds each in different places and often do not actually using them most of the time. On the second day I got up at 7am and there were no beds available as people had simply left towels in the same place overnight. There are no checks to see if the people using the sun-beds are actually staying at the hotel - many clearly weren't. Complained about this to both the beach boy and reception - again absolutely nothing was done about it. On check out I complained about this and said I had paid a high rate in good faith but had not received what I should have for the high price I had paid. I was told they could not offer any compensation but would get the Director Mr Rugi to contact me (he wasnt available) - and yes you guessed it I never heard from him

8/10 Good

Leslie, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Peaceful, convenient setting
Located in a small but beautiful garden setting, Grand Hotel Smereldo is removed enough to feel private but close enough to restaurants and shops only a five minute walk away. The layout of pools on small, staggered levels allows everyone to find quiet space with a view and some privacy. The small but private beach is great for a dip in the gorgeous, clear and calm sea. The hotel highlights were efficient, friendly and helpful staff and a very accommodating chef who catered for four picky vegetarians by adding dishes to the menu each night or just adapted what was there so that we could eat well and amply. The hotel just needs to replace the back-punishing beds; even if you can adapt to them during the stay, the adjustment at home has been painful.

8/10 Good

Julia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice hotel, close to the beach
Good hotel with access to the beach. Stunning view from the room. Just enough sunbeds for everyone. However the breakfast is disappointing and the beds are very uncomfortable

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful setting and superb service. We were particularly grateful for the shower and dressing room that allowed us to stay after check out on our last day.Thanks!

8/10 Good

fred, england

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
In a central position close to restaurants bars and shops. Also lots of trips available nearby.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
convenient location, nice staff.
comfortable stay.nice staff, on the beach and near amenities.

2/10 Terrible

CLARE, Weymouth

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Faded
The hotel is in a great position by the sea and with its own private beach. Also very pleasant gardens. However the public and private rooms are all rather old fashioned and faded. The food is poor especially breakfast with watered down fruit juice and vile coffee. There is no bar service around the pool areas. They say they are a four star hotel, I cannot agree with that rating.

10/10 Excellent

Joanne

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities

10/10 Excellent

Mikew, Cardiff

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent Hotel in Lovely Setting
Our first time in Sardinia and this was a wonderful place to stay. We found the staff to be very helpful and friendly and the hotel itself is clean, colourfully decorated and has its own beach as well as many pools placed around the grounds. Plenty of sunbeds and parasols, no need to get up early to reserve. Hotel is about 10min slow walk to centre of Baja Sardinia. The town has very good restaurants, our favourite was Ristorante Baia Blu. A more basic Pizza restaurant is Sole Mare, which is also good with an excellent Ice Cream bar next to it. The hotel has two car parks if you hire a car, which would be a good idea as it is very close to Porto Cerva and the Costa Smeralda. But if no car, there are bus services to Porto Cerva. Worth a visit to see the huge yachts, designer shops and art galleries.

4/10 Poor

Ashley, DC

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Room for improvement, unless you like wet towels
Decent hotel but some dumb things that were just annoying. For context we have just stayed at the (far superior) ITI hotel in Capo Testa so maybe our expectations were too high, but here goes. First, they give you ONE towel at this hotel and ask that you pay 2 euro for another towel every time you need one but only during the hours of 9-11 am. They then leave annoying signs in your room asking you not to put your wet towels on the balcony to dry. I'm sorry, am I on vacation or at some dogmatic summer camp? I was just at another hotel run by the same company where you could have or change towels all day long. Much better. Then... and this is where they lost me, no breakfast before 8, ok fine, but... no coffee before breakfast! So, you are in a hotel, with kids and someone gets up at 6 and all you want is a nice espresso or any caffeine and they same, nicely, please wait till 8. With some decisions that were more client focused, this could be a decent hotel, but right now it feels like the management is more concerned with the comfort of the staff.

10/10 Excellent

El

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Wonderful hotel
Great location , great hotel. I would highly recommend sea view room ! The breakfast buffet wasn't great but I would go back to the same hotel!

10/10 Excellent

Marcel, Sussex, England

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A superb holiday experience
If you're looking for a sophisticated hotel, with excellent service, in a quiet beautiful location this is it. The hotel is located on it's own private beach with ample sun chairs and parasols. If you prefer a pool, there's a choice of 7!! One large, 6 smaller cascade pools to relax in. Spotless presentation, crystal clear waters, and a lifeguard on duty at all times. The restaurant was excellent - staying half board, we intended to go out a number of nights as so often, the buffet style meals get repetitive. This is a real exception - a 4 course menu each evening - lots of choices and food was of a high standard too. And it's full waiter service, real quality, but not at all "stuffy". The breakfast was buffet style and offered a very wide choice of hot a cold foods - not your typical "full English" but pretty well everything else, with lots of rest fruit too. The terrace bar has one of the best views over the bay and islands you could have, and facing West, it's a fantastic place to sit and watch the sun go down while enjoying a pre dinner drink. The room we had was a good side, with large bed, air conditioning worked very well, and everything was clean and tidy. Styles are very much traditional Sardinian, warm "earth" colours and hand painted details with a rustic feel. This isn't your typical Hilton, it's a far more charming and personable as a place to stay. If you're looking for a relaxing, quality couples break, 100% recommended.

8/10 Good

Julia, Marlborough, Wiltshire

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Large hotel set in lush gardens with private beach
If you're not looking for sleek minimalism, this hotel offers a delightful experience. It has generous and comfortable seating areas, a lovely terrace with an outstanding view of the sea and bay, and the staff are superb. Try to forgive the old-fashioned swirly carpets and be prepared for very firm mattresses. If someone in your party has mobility problems, the steps down to the breakfast area, pools and beach may be difficult. There are several pools to choose from and plenty of sun loungers, and you'll always get a space on the beach even though - during our visit at least - there were many towel-baggers around! In the downstairs restaurant the service is impeccable and the food pretty good. It's a set four-course menu but you don't have to have all the courses - they make a note of what you order and you're charged accordingly. Breakfast is very pleasant and the same team of efficient waiters attends to you.

10/10 Excellent

Paul, Bedfordshire, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hotel, would recommend to other people.
Had a very good experience at the hotel and Baja as a place, and would like to go back. Staff were very helpful e.g. when had incorrect travel adapters, reception staff kindly lent us the correct ones to use. We (myself and partner) also wanted to book a boat trip to visit other islands and catch a bus to Porto Cervo, and again all the staff were very helpful to us. The quality of the food was excellent - we booked half board, and they gave us the option of having lunch or dinner as well as breakfast. We ended up having dinner in the hotel restaurant for most nights, as food was of exceptional quality (4 courses every night), and the waiter staff were very smart and attentive. Location of the hotel is also very good, has its own private beach along with 3 swimming pools, and Baja centre is only a 5 minute walk. If you are looking for a nice, relaxing holiday with good food and drink, this is the place.

4/10 Poor

Colin, Thames Valley

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Over priced, pretentious hotel.
We stayed at the Grand Hotel Smeraldo Beach for 5 nights, and it was the worst, and yet the most expensive hotel we stayed in during our Sardinian holiday. It is over pretentious and seems to think it is in Porto Cervo rather than Baia Sardinia. The good points are that it is clean and close to the restaurants/facilities of Baia Sardinia. Bad points are insufficient on site car parking, lack of hot water in the evenings, the many stairs, often without handrails, and the fact that many guests reserve the best sun loungers before breakfast with their beach towels. Also the staff appear to have little knowledge of what is on offer in the local area. Bedroom furniture is dated and slightly tatty, and balconies are small and offer no privacy. For us the restaurant was the biggest disappointment and we didn't eat there once. My wife is a vegetarian, but there were no vegetarian main course options on either the a la carte or set menus. A delight of Italy is that there is always vegetarian food available, and if not, any eating establishment will offer to make something up for you. Not the Grand Hotel which specifically refused. I think the food is either prepared in advance or brought in from elsewhere. Breakfast offers a wide range of options but resembles a frantic underground scrum with serving staff rushing about everywhere. Hardly a restful start to the day. The beach is nice, but narrow and steeply shelving, unlike the better town beach.

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
poor

10/10 Excellent

CC, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hotel
Good points: Breakfast had large choice, Evening meals were really good, rooms were large and comfy - and had walk in wardrobes! Plenty of spaces to sunbath around all the various little pools and terraces, staff were really good. Location was just 5 mins walk max to the centre of the village. Bad points: Cannot think of any - bar they only had chairs on the beach area and no sunbeds. Sunbeds were plentiful around the pools though.

2/10 Terrible

CrayolaLife, Hong Kong

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Quite disappointed. Nightmare experience.
Quite disappointed. Nightmare experience. We have been traveling 15 days in Sardinia and almost always review favorably, and we travel around the world half the year. This was definitely the biggest disappointment in Sardinia in terms of quality, value, service and overall experience. Definitely not a 4 star hotel. Would be challenged even as a 3 star hotel. This is the worst hotel of 11 hotels we have stayed in in Sardinia. Wifi doesn't work. They charge 30 euros extra for 24 hours and that is within a 10 meter circumference of the lobby The beds sink down far, feels like all the way to the ground. Mattresses must be more than 20 years old and as unsupported/dilapidated as can be imagined. The rooms are poorly maintained in almost every way. Front desk is particularly rude and unfriendly. It took them 20 minutes to check us in. They gave the wrong room and didn't seem to care about the error. Worst yet they are defiant and the opposite or hospitable. Simone is especially rude. The staff is awful. Nobody smiles and it is clear nobody is happy. Walls are paper thin. This must be the worst "gym" I have seen in 6 years. There is more rust than metal. Everything creaks and nothing works. Overall a terrible experience.

8/10 Good

Claire, London

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hotel to stay
We spent 1 week here end of septembre and it was a very nice place to stay. You find everything you need for having nice holidays. The pools and the beaches are really nice. You can have great cocktails with a beautiful vue on the sea. I don't know if it was because it was septembre but it was quiet and so really good place if you need to relax. Baja Sardinia is a small town but you get everything you need to have good time. The centre is at 5 min by foot from the hotel and you find restaurant and good ice cream seller.

4/10 Poor

Manuel, London

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Needs a facelift
The inside of the hotel looks tired though externally it is well maintained. For example the bathrooms are old fashioned by the gardens are well kept. The reception staff are a mixed bag - a number of not well informed staff with the occasional fluent english speaker.