Marina Gardens Boutique&Suites

The building, surrounding grounds, and garden were absolutely lovely, peaceful, and beautifully maintained. Everything feels very modern, and the garden is a particularly relaxing space, with comfortable sofas, chairs, and tables where guests can sit and unwind. The private parking inside the property is also very safe, convenient, and easy to use. From the moment we arrived, the atmosphere was extremely relaxing. The staff were incredibly kind and helpful, and the lady at reception gave us a very warm welcome and even made us coffee during check-in. Our suite was very large, modern, spacious, and equipped with pretty much everything we needed. A lot of attention has clearly been given to every detail, from the furnishings and artwork to the more practical aspects of the room. We particularly liked the modern, minimalist style, which was exactly to our taste. The balcony was another highlight, with comfortable chairs and a lovely view over the garden. There were also some complimentary snacks and drinks in the fridge, which was a nice touch. The bathroom was beautiful, especially the spa-style shower, and the bed was extremely comfortable. Overall, the property feels very well cared for and offers a quiet, stylish, and relaxing environment.

The main drawback for us was the limited reception opening hours. Reception is only staffed until around 14:00–15:00. Normally this may not be a major issue, but it can become inconvenient if you need something in the afternoon, want to rent a bicycle, have an urgent request, or encounter any kind of problem. In addition, once the reception staff leave, the entire indoor reception/common area is locked and no longer accessible to guests. We found this quite unfortunate, as it is a pleasant space that could otherwise be used to relax, sit down, or perhaps make a coffee in the late afternoon or evening. The spa-style shower was very nice in terms of design and features, but unfortunately the water pressure was quite low, which made the experience less enjoyable than it could have been. The property also does not appear to have an arrangement with a specific beach establishment. This means guests need to find a suitable beach club themselves and check availability and prices directly. Depending on what you are looking for, you may need to walk some distance before finding one that suits you. The property is located in a pleasant and quiet residential area, but it is quite far from the livelier centre of Francavilla, where there are more restaurants and where it is nicer to walk in the evening. On foot, it can take around 30 minutes or more. This is also why having bicycles available and rentable throughout the day would be particularly useful, especially since parking in the centre can sometimes be difficult. Finally, considering the overall quality of the accommodation, we would have appreciated a slightly more generous selection of complimentary food and drinks in the room, as well as beach towels and perhaps some additional amenities such as bathrobes and slippers.

The location is perfect. It is a small street next to see boulevard with a direct connection via a narrow passageway. On one side, there is a railway track with sometimes noisy trains, especially those with high speed. On the other hand, the windows open to a very cozy park in the direction towards the sea. There is a private parking on the property ground, and it is protected by the code (the gate). All feels very safe. The staff were extremely friendly, very competent, always at your disposal.

As mentioned above, sometimes you can hear the train passing by. However, it is not at all irritating, you just hear it. Breakfast is not included and it would be great if a fresh cornetto and other bakery products could be offered in the morning instead of products which were pre-packed. The coffee served in the lobby was great, however.

The room was almost more like a self-catering room with a cooker and pots and pans etc. as well as a fridge. That was a nice surprise, making it a longer term option. Mattress and WiFi were very good. The rooms were clean and spacious with lots of storage space. The location is great. Very close to the beach, and parking is usually not a problem.

Location wise, you do probably want to have a car. The busses exist, but it involves quite a bit of walking. The shower isn't the best we had, but it is ok. If I were to go full self catering, a microwave would have been nice, too, for the many yummy supermarket convenience options.

The terrace for al fresco breakfast looking over the harbour.

I booked the property mainly because of the advertised parking facility. Trying to access the property and car park by car was a disaster . Both were ring fenced with limited zone vehicle access cameras prohibiting you getting anywhere near. I spent more than an hour trying to find a way through eventually giving up and finally finding a parking spot by the castle about 500m from hotel. Find somewhere else if you have a car!