Hotel Onda Verde

Hotel Onda Verde- To be Avoided !!!

by TripAdvisor Member Chickynyc

Our honeymoon in Italy (July 05) was wonderful before arriving at the Hotel Onda Verde, Prainao. Me and my wife stayed four nights at this coastal resort and regretted it the moment we arrived there. On our arrival, the young manager (Casimiro-also doubles as a waiter and receptionist) barely acknowledged our presence. There was no welcome, not even a smile! His wife was equally miserable and not in the least courteous towards us. Indeed, we both felt that the manager and his wife disliked anyone who spoke English.

The hotel room (Albeit, Chalet) was very basic and rather stuffy at night. We both complained about the air conditioning not being properly functional, but to no avail! Also, the shower in our bathroom was an absolute disgrace! It was broken from the wall holder leaving us little choice but to hold it up above our heads!!! This complaint also went unanswered. Our two justified complaints made the Manager and his wife more cold towards us; thus, giving the impression that we were the ones at fault! Unless you are staying here for more than one week and hiring the most expensive chalets, you’ll be treated with disdain by the management (Casimiro and wife) who are snobs! However, they’ll love you if you pay for the overpriced rooms at their resort. There are plenty of sickly sycophantic smiles [and much groveling] for those spending big.

This place, unlike most holiday resorts in Italy, has a very unfair and inflexible cancellation policy. Even if you try to cancel with a 24 hours advance, they make you pay for all the time you previously booked! Check out their on-line policy…unbelievable!!

Now for the honest good points about this hotel; the food was fine- although nothing great. The kitchen staff displayed themselves in a very warm way towards us. The view was very beautiful, especially at night time. Sadly, that’s all that I can positively say about this place.

The most audacious occurrence happened as my wife and I were finally checking out of the place. The manager almost demanded that the bill be settled in cold cash, not credit card!! My wife (A tough, native New-Yorker) argued and insisted that the bill be paid by credit card. He begrudgingly accepted and was very unpleasant about the whole matter! (Remember to bring lots of money if you want to stay here…they dislike foreigners with credit cards!!) Another (Elderly) English-speaking couple had a ferocious argument with the Management during their departure at the check-out. Once again, method of payment was the big issue! Sadly, we left the Onda Verde without being given a ‘Goodbye’. The arrogance of both manager and wife was second to none!

We eventually returned to Rome that day and we enjoyed the rest of our vacation together. Prainao on the Amalfi coast is a beautiful place to visit; but we warn you to keep well away from the Hotel Onda Verde. It was without doubt the most inhospitable place we ever stayed at!!!

Fine menus!

by barbskie about Cala Paradies

A family-run restaurant located between Hotel Onda Verde and the Sarceno Tower. The owner is Erica with her son Rafael. They are very nice people. It is a glassed-walled resto at the cliffs of Praiano bay not far from Marina di Praia. While dining, you'll have a fantastic sights from the mountain side and the Mediterranean Sea. The foods were superb. My husband and I loved this place!

****Please check it's availability. Our last visit was on 2002 and lately we heard some news from the owner's friends that they might quit their business ....

Magnificent isolation on the crowded Amalfi Coast

by TripAdvisor Member Vicman

Six wonderful days in late September, despite less than wonderful weather, at the Hotel Onda Verde. As the elevator descended from the road to the hotel reception, our anticipation rose. We were not disappointed. Sheer cliffs falling to a blue sea. Our private deck gave the illusion of having this all to ourselves.

A family run property with an impressive reputation of service, we were made to feel welcome and a part of the family. Our only complaint is a result of one of the hotel's attributes. The beauty of the Onda Verde's isolation is tempered with the dependance upon public transportation. Unfortunately, public transport on the Amalfi is anything but dependable.

V Menzies
Victoria, BC

Perfect Location on Amalfi Coast

by TripAdvisor Member nearPhila

For our vacation in Italy, I chose 3 hotels with recommendations from TripAdvisor (Hotel Concordia, Hotel Onda Verde & Hotel Teatro di Pompeo). I have reviewed them all as well and included some photos. But go to Onda Verde's website for a better look at what they offer and what is around the area. Casimiro Milano keeps up with the website and seems to always be adding more everytime I go back to it (I do visit it often to listen to the music and re-live the beauty!)
My husband and I took advantage of the 7 night package Hotel Onda Verde offers with breakfast, dinner, transportation to and from Naples and 2 tours. The food was always wonderful, the view spectacular, the rooms very clean and we were thrilled to stay in such a beautiful location! The shower in our room was the smallest we encountered in Italy, so if that's an issue for you, keep it in mind. The room itself was spacious with a perfect view 24 hours a day. They provide a safe in your room (which were at all the hotels we stayed), although we never felt it necessary, we did use it for our passports, etc. The owners and staff were always cordial and helpful to us. All in all, I wouldn't hesitate to go back. Hotel Onda Verde is a great location from which to explore the Amalfi coast and for first-timers, the 7 night package was the perfect idea for us. It was a pleasure to come back from a long day of touring around, take a shower and stroll to the restaurant right above our room for an always satisfying dinner overlooking the Tyrrenian Sea, a bottle of wine, a limoncello and a relaxing evening back on the balcony of our room. In regard to negative reviews, my personal feeling is that if you have a great attitude, are easy-going and a little out-going too, you'll be quite happy with Onda Verde.

Wonderful hotel in great setting

by TripAdvisor Member mangiamo

Our family group of 17 has just returned from five glorious days at the lovely Hotel Onda Verde. The cheerful and patient reception by Sophia put us at ease from the beginning. We took 7 of their doubles and one triple, can you imagine dealing with the arrival of so many all at once, each person tired from a long drive and anxious to settle in. But with great grace and humor, Sophia managed to do the job and we immediately fell in love with this sweet family run hotel. I had been corresponding with Casmiro for over a year, and it was so nice to finally meet him and his sister Sophia.
The rooms were immaculate, and well appointed, with balconies or terraces with drop dead views to the sea and the dramatic cliff formations all around.

I assumed the responsibility for choosing a Hotel for this family trip and was very anxious that it be a good choice. The minute we arrived at the reception, my anxiety disappeared. The hotel Onda Verde was all I had hoped for and so much more. GREAT DECISION!

The dining room is beautiful, overlooking the sea, fresh flowers on each table, freshly prepared dinners of pasta, seafood, soups, etc,. The talented chefs were visible behind the counter and we enjoyed their flair. Each morning, while sitting overlooking this gorgeous scene of sea, sky and mountain, sipping a second cup of cafe, we would watch the delivery of the fresh produce and fish to the kitchen. Breakfast and dinner could also be enjoyed from tables set up just outside the dining room, with the most amazing views all around.

What to say of the capable waiter Gennaro? Handling the dining room with grace, patience and subtle humor, he became a friend quickly, and we will miss being around him.

Breakfast included rolls, cheese, ham, all the usual cereals and yogurt, some wonderful pastries and even cakes. Also for a reasonable charge you could, and my husband did, order off a menu of eggs, omletts etc.

The lift so amazingly worked into the cliffs was a big help as many in our group are up in years, it takes you from the street level to any level of the hotel and to the dining room as well. We were able to easily access our cars, (5 of them!) from the street level parking area for trips to beautiful Ravello and Amalfi. Sophia could magically get us water taxi rides at a moments notice, with the landing stage a stroll away on a gently inclined pavement.

One of the ancestors of our family was born in Positano, and Cosimiro went way out of his way to set up a contact for us with the present day members of this family. We are in debt to him for this favor. Behind a rather quiet demeaner, Miro proved to be a helpful and concerned manager.
As we had a flight out of Naples at 11 Am, the hotel served us an early breakfast, skipping none of the graciousness we had come to appreciate all week. Nice touch. Check out went quickly and efficiently. Internet access for a small fee is available.

We absolutely loved this hotel. It suited the needs of group, provided a relaxing atmosphere to just sit and gaze out over the beauty of the vistas, fed our hungers for all things gracious and we were well treated by ALL the staff. Would we return? In a heartbeat!

Disappointed and Vastly Over Hyped

by A TripAdvisor Member

Because of the good reviews this hotel had, we decided to stay there.

On arrival the manager had no record of our booking, despite us receiving a confirmation email. He made it out to be my error, rather than his, but did luckily for us have a spare room.

Dinner in the restaurant which is served strictly between 7:30 pm -9:30 pm which are hardly Italian dining hours (but maybe they are catering to their mainly American client base), was below average but with above average prices. We sat outside, admittedly with a stunning view, but when the wind picked up, the candle extinguished and we were left sitting in darkness, our requests to move inside were repeatedly ignored by the rude and arrogant waiter.

The main reason for our visit to Praiano was to go to the much hyped Africana nightspot, a club built into caves in the rocks by the sea with glass floor above the water; it sounded like a must see! Imagine our annoyance, after a day travelling in buses, ferries and water taxis, to find that the club was closed for the summer. The hotel failed to mention this fact within the extensive information for the club on their website.

A vastly over-rated hotel whose only saving grace is the natural and stunning surroundings and coastline. With miserable staff this is a hotel to avoid at all costs.

Excellent food and service

by A TripAdvisor Member

Dear Casimiro:
It's been over a month since our delightful stay at the Onda Verde. In our original emails you assured us of "your best care and attention" at all times. It's refreshing to have promises come true. Your spectacular property, your quality service, the memorable food; all these are reasons enough to stay with the Milano family at the Onda Verde. The biggest asset is the family atmosphere at the Onda Verde. We truly were treated like family, our every request was granted. I can't believe that Fodor's, Frommer's, or Karen Brown travel have not yet discovered the Onda Verde. This is their loss. I have recommended your hotel to many since my return. I still dream about the pasta with lobster sauce. The full moon over the Amalfi Coast on the 24th of April was even more romantic than we imagined. Thanks again, our best wishes to the entire Onda verde staff. We hope to see you in the future.
Michael and Marjorie Cox

Pretty Praiano

by Openseas

"Day One."

The driver had told us the autobahn is always bumper to bumper all the way to Naples, so we opted to take the coastal road starting from Ostia. We drove through many seaside towns which was interesting but then realised if we stayed on this route it would take years to get to the Almifi Coast, so we decided to try and head back to the autobahn, which we later joined at …….

Praiano is situated along the coast, in-between Positano and Amalfi, parallel to the sea front, above and below the windy road that runs directly through this small village. Beautifully and brightly coloured homes are built scattered along the steep cliffs.

After hours and hours of driving we finally arrived at the Almifi Coast at 6.00pm. The road was something else, narrow roads, hairpin turns, blind curves, village streets wide enough for a car or a bus, but not both at the same time, and motorcyclists trying hard to kill us.(how Peter managed to drive along this road in beyond me, I would have just stopped, parked the car and literally given up!)

We finally arrived after a nervous one hour at our Hotel Onda Verde in Priano at 7.30pm. The hotel is perched on a cliff overlooking breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Ocean, the lift takes you down to the reception area where we booked in, only to find to our disappointment that our room 113 had no ocean view but did have a large balcony up a few flights of stairs.

The kids room was joining to ours and we shared the same balcony. We complained about our rock view and the owners were upset we didn’t like what they had chosen for us, they thought we would like to be all together.(so much for my ocean view superior room I had booked six months in advance).

"Day 2."

Everyone woke up early and headed to the restaurant for breakfast overlooking the stunning scenery. The day had began with a glorious sun shinning brightly and radiating glistening fragments sparkles on the ocean, we were all keen to slap on some sunscreen to do some serious sun baking and swimming.

We had originally thought our hotel had a lift which took you directly to the edge of the water but to our disappointment we found that not only the lift didn’t exist but the hotel had no beach. So we ended up hiring deck chairs from the local café which belonged to the Milano family for 10 euros and enjoyed the rest of the morning swimming in the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

Lunch was delightful and relaxing with fresh seafood and pasta, we were all thoughly relaxed and contented, and now seriously in holiday mood. Most of the afternoon was just spend just hanging on the deck chairs reading and swimming and enjoying the superb wonderful sounds and summer breezes of the sea.

In the evening we again enjoyed a sumptuous meal with some good vino watching the full moon shine shimmering twinkles and shadows on the water. Later, the kids headed off to explore the nightclub in the grotto and Peter and I walked along the coastal path to the next village a charming, exquisite and picturesque village, which reminded us of Portofino on the Italian Riverina,. All in all, the day was beautiful, and the water divine and sunshine magnificent; a truly relaxing and serene day.

"Day 3."

Another glorious summer morning, its now such a shame to be leaving the Almifi Coast today, but we have all agreed to get most out of the morning by having an early morning breakfast and swim before packing our bags for Santa Margaritta.

We checked out around 11.00am and drove up through the Almifi coast until the village of Almifi and then headed up the mountain towards…..the drive was nerve racking, full of tiny curvy bends, narrow lanes, mad motor cyclists, local buses, all motoring through the hair-pin bends perched over steep cliffs and mountain drops. Finally, we arrived on level ground all in one piece and took the autobahn via Naples and Roma which took around four hours. We stopped for lunch at the Autobahn service station and restaurant, the food was excellent with fresh pasta and salads.

We followed the autobahn to Florence which seemed to take forever, and then headed towards Pisa, stopping off for fuel, only to find 10 minutes later the car losing power and having convulsions, luckily another garage was a few minutes away so we glided towards its path, only to find it was a coin operated petrol station.

After checking out the situation Peter realised he had put petrol into a diesel car ! so we rang Avis which was totally frustrating trying to communicate in English, we finally hailed down an Italian driver who spoke Italian. One hour later we had a tow truck which took us to the Avis centre in Pisa. We said our goodbyes to the old Ford and now settled for a brand new VW Passat, which unfortunately was manual much to Peters dislike.