Palazzo Avino

Palazzo Avino, to begin, has a lovely view and the people working in housekeeping and at the bar/breakfast are all very nice and hardworking people. The hotel itself is very clean and the communal spaces are well appointed and have nice plants and views. They’ve got very cute branding and it looks like they’re very popular with instagram influencers who like to take photos with all the pink umbrellas. One night, we saw a young couple taking photos of themselves for 20 minutes on the stairs leading down to the restaurant in a variety of poses (funny and weird) then they left. This area is roped off, but it doesn’t seem to deter non-guests from coming in and taking photos anyway. Lots of younger people posing all over the place with the menus, the coasters, etc.- but this is now at every hotel you visit.

Many of the reviews show photos of the suites, likely from honeymooners. I wanted to attach a photo of our room as well as the view, so that other people might see what a “mountain view” (1,200 euros/night) room might afford them. The room is very small and dated- there are no en suite amenities that you might expect in a 5 star property (such as an espresso machine or a teapot, should you wish to have a coffee in room before breakfast begins at 7:30). The Mountain View rooms face the alley where there are often people smoking, talking loudly and crashing bottles from the hotel for early am garbage pickups. The bathroom toilet runs and runs, the bathtub is for sure not ADA compliant- so be aware if you are yourself an elderly guest or traveling with an elderly guest. The positive of this terrible room is that you want to spend as little time in it as possible, so there is much opportunity to see beautiful Ravello.

The front desk staff has a markedly different demeanor (cold and unwelcoming) than the rest of the staff- it was a disconnect for us after staying at another 5 star in Ravello in years past, where the service from start to finish is incredible. We generally felt as if we were annoying the front desk staff upon all interactions. Please also check your final bill; I found many erroneous minibar charges that had to be stricken from the bill. I cannot say I would recommend this to clients as “how you treat anyone is how you treat everyone”. Palazzo Avino is ultimately lacking the soul we’ve come to expect from the gracious residents of Ravello.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Not worth over 900 Euros a night! Hotel rooms are awful - small (yes I know it's europe but this is ridiculous), not updated at all (seriously i'm showering in a tub that has layered on dirt on the bottom at a 5 star hotel???), the breakfasts are not that good (they literally added chilis to my omelette instead of TOMATOES) and our AIR CONDITIONER (despite muggy humid and hot weather) was not working at ALL the entire stay. We complained multiple times and although the main GM at the front kept telling us there was nothing wrong - at the end of the stay... the other receptionist let it slip that they were going to "wait to fix our AC" because it needed to be removed. We complained multiple times and even - at one stage - requested a refund... but the team kept denying our requests. We also asked the hotel front desk to call a local pizzeria and book a table for us... the staff told us it was fully booked but we walked by the pizzeria anyway and to our surprise the bookings were FIRST COME FIRST SERVE and the woman owner at the restaurant complained that the hotel is corrupt and wants $ in return for reservations. The meal was one of the best we had while on our vacation and we're glad we persisted... not minding what the team at the hotel said. Additionally - hotel is an absolute WEDDING FACTORY (one every other day the 2 nights we stayed) and the parties go LATE so it's noisy for all the guests. In the end - full disclosure - the hotel gave us a refund of 200 EUR to make us feel better - but that was NOTHING in comparison to the 2000 dollar stay. Disappointing stay all round. Totally avoid. If you're looking for a truly 5 star experience - stay at the Monastero Santa Rosa about 45 min away in a neighboring town.