Twosilverwings
October 18, 2023
Ischia was our first stop in a 21-day trip in Italy and, even though we stayed in some amazing places, Grifo Hotel still holds a special place in our hearts. We had a wonderful room on the second floor with balcony and beautiful views of the water. The room was a good size, the bathroom very nice with a great shower. Rooms vary so when making a reservation be sure to indicate what you'd like (terrace vs. balcony, first floor vs. second, water views vs. garden, etc.). The hotel has a free spa with steam room, pools, saunas, etc. in addition to an outdoor pool and outdoor thermal pool. They were all wonderful to use after a day of exploring Ischia. The hotel location near Ischia Porto was perfect because Porto is where all the bus lines depart so getting to any and all sites using public transportation was easy. The hotel is on a hill, away from the town bustle, so it provides a shuttle to/from Porto. You are required to reserve/call ten minutes before the scheduled time to make sure they can accommodate everyone, but it was never an issue. The bar service by the pool was terrific. Had the best drinks there of our entire trip. But the very best thing about the hotel is the staff. I'm so sorry to not remember the names of everyone, but each staff member was so helpful from the very first young lady who annotated a map of the island for us, to others who made reservations (and changed them when our plans changed!), to the gentleman who oversaw the restaurant and remembered what we liked at breakfast after the first day, to the spa staff that came out to check that the water in the outdoor thermal pool wasn't too hot for us, just anything you needed, they were there, kind and personable. An example: when Francesco ( I think that was his name!) dropped us off at the ferry port for our departure, we realized that my husband had left his phone charger in the room. Not the end of the world, but he was upset and said we would call the hotel and ask them to mail it to somewhere along our trip. Then we said good-by. Just as we were boarding the ferry plank, Francesco called out to us and handed us (across many people) the phone charger! He had driven back to the hotel, looked for it, and brought it to us. That's what the staff will do to help make your trip wonderful. Just an amazing place.