Sisula Country Hotel

Our stay in August began with a problem: the reception is only open from 9-12h, closed from 12-15h and then open again from 15-20h. This information was nowhere to be found in our booking confirmation or on the website, so we were unpleasantly surprised when we arrived at 13h… The reception is only open for a total of 8 hours per day, so according to Italy’s hotel star rating system, this hotel shouldn’t even have 1 star, let alone the 4 stars that they claim. When we messaged the owner/manager to ask about the reception hours, he rudely and arrogantly insisted that he sent us the opening hours by email (he hadn’t). He then sent us a screenshot of an email he had sent to a totally different person, saying that it was the email he sent to us… When we told him that we have no idea who that person is, he finally apologized for the mistake but offered no solution for us to drop off our bags or check in early (the hotel was not at all fully booked).

We should have taken the hint at this point that our experience was not going to end well, but we were on vacation and trying to maintain a positive attitude… We found a beach bar/restaurant a 15-minute drive from the hotel and spent a couple of hours there while we waited for reception to open again. When we finally checked in to our room, it was hot and humid. The air conditioning only works while you’re in the room, and it is an incredibly weak machine - we put it on full blast and it only dropped the temperature of our room by 1℃ overnight (10+ hours), from 27º to 26º… Not exactly the comfort you expect from a “4 star” hotel. One more note about the room - when we arrived the person who checked us in notified us that the “wi-fi is having issues”, and he was absolutely correct. During our entire stay we were unable to stay connected to the wi-fi, and due to the remote location of the hotel, our cellular connection was terrible as well. It was mind-boggling, since there were 4-5 wifi connections (that didn't work).

After dropping off our bags, we decided to relax by the pools. Well, by one of the pools, because the other one had over a dozen dead wasps floating in it (nice surprise!). There is a bar next to the large pool, but it’s only open from 17-19h (yes, seriously), and it was staffed by a young teenage girl (yes, seriously) who seemed like the owner’s daughter (?). So if you’re interested in drinking an aperol spritz made at the quality level that only a young teenager can manage (badly), and during very limited hours, this place is for you! The cherry on top: the pool area had music, but that music consisted of the same 5-7 Italian pop/techno songs played on repeat from a boombox at the bar. We only stayed by the pool for an hour or so (as much as we could handle), and we heard the entire playlist 3 times.

Finally, the location: while it doesn’t seem that far from the village of Orosei on a map, the walk feels MUCH longer when you’re walking at night. There are very few street lights in the area around the hotel, and some stretches of the road are completely dark, with grass/bamboo 3-5 meters high on either side. Definitely bring a flashlight and look out for animals! You can also drive your car into Orosei, but good luck finding a place to park there.

We had planned to stay at Sisula for two nights at the end of our road trip through Sardegna. After the terrible experience we had from the moment we arrived, we decided that we absolutely couldn’t stay the second night and left the next day to drive up to La Maddalena to finish our vacation in comfort. Even as we checked out a day early, the owner was talking on the phone the entire time, and wasn’t even concerned with our reasons for leaving.

Bottom line: avoid this hotel, it’s absurd that it claims to be 4 stars when it lacks the basic amenities and service of a 2 star hotel. The owner is rude and arrogant, and the hotel is insufficiently staffed to maintain the property or ensure quality service. Don’t be fooled!

If you intend to spend nice holidays with your beloved ones at Sardinia please don´t go to this place
- We reserved a room 5 months in advance and the owner wasn´t even able to keep it free for us so we had to find another hotel in the peak season
- arrogant and unreasonable receptionist as well as owner
- incompetent staff