We booked Villa Ducale 9 months in advance and reserved a sea view suite costing over €600 per night for our honeymoon. Two weeks before arrival, we were informed that some rooms had flood damage and that we had already been relocated to another hotel without our consent.
The replacement hotel was clearly lower quality. For the same dates, Villa Ducale was around €600+ per night while the relocated hotel was closer to €300. The hotel also felt outdated and disappointing, so we walked to Villa Ducale to complain. After waiting over 30 minutes, we were reassigned to a North Wing room with only a partial coastline view, which still felt underwhelming for a honeymoon stay.
Communication was poor throughout. Villa Ducale confirmed by email that our shuttle bookings would transfer automatically, but our pickup from town had not been booked at all. When we called, staff insisted we never reserved it and became defensive instead of apologizing, even after we showed the confirmation email. One staff member was especially rude and dismissive during this interaction, which made the experience even more frustrating.
Breakfast was also disappointing compared to other 4–5 star hotels we stayed at in Italy, with extra charges for most à la carte items and very limited included options.
The views, pool, room condition, and cleanliness were excellent. However, the relocation handling, communication, and customer service were disappointing for a hotel at this price point.