Carlton International Reviews

Rooms & bathrooms were small for 4 star hotel, shower so small curtain stuck to you when used. Staff all very helpfull & polite,room cleaners did a good job,dining room staff very good. Breakfast was adequate.Dinner, starters & main coarses were very good, deserts did not change much & were dissapointing.Coffee not offered after desert was served. Guests wer not encouraged to use the bar in the evening, we used it onece but nobody in there. I think this hotel is 4 star due to its location,rooms are a size you woild expect in 3 star hotels. I feel the good work by the staff is let down by the rooms

Just returned from a week in Carlton Hotel. The location is excellent but unfortunately the food doesn't match the standard of a 4 star hotel. Breakfasts were very poor, no choice at all. Cold ham or cheese, croissant and bread not even real orange juice although there were trees full of oranges out in the garden. Dinner had very little choice either. The most disappointing aspect was that for air conditioning you had to pay 10 euros a day - at temperatures of 30 degrees. All praise to the staff who were very helpful and friendly.

The Hotel could not be faulted, air conditioning worked perfectly, towels changed twice a day, staff extremely friendly, food excellent, we tried eatting out once but couldn't beat the hotel food. The view over the bay from our 4th floor room was wonderful and each night after our dinner we sat on the balcony watching the sun go down with a limoncello. The location of the hotel is excellent, 1 minute from the main square. We had read the reviews about the hotel and yes it is oldy world, some say it needed a face lift, but this added to the holiday, we felt we were in Italy but in other more modern hotels that we experience in the past you could be anywhere once you are through the front door, at the Carlton you knew you were in Itlay.

The resort was excellent plenty to see and do. Lovely restaurants, bars, or just sit in one of the many squares and watch the world go by. If you looking for a beach holiday this is not the place to go, a long steep walk to the platforms ie beach and port area. It would not appeal to children unless they liked old buildings and churches.

We did the usual excursions Capri, Vesuvious,Amalfi coast, Ravello. A few tips, you can get to Vesuvious and Capri yourself but it is well worth your while picking up a guide at each of the places to show you around, then do your own thing. We picked up a guide for Capri on the boat on our first visit, yes we went twice, and the second time we went back to the places we wanted to see again. When booking the ferry to Capri there are different prices so look out for the cheaper. We used the bus tour for the Amalfi coast and I would recommend this, need a good driver to do this.
Sorrento is a beautiful place, but if we go again we will only spend a week there and a week somewhere else, many other guests had done Rome one week, Sorrento one week.

We went to Sorrento to get married, the resort is great but very expensive and busy, you are expected to tip for everything and you have to pay to go on the beach!!

The Hotel Carlton International is the worst hotel we've ever stayed in, the only good thing about it is the location, it's only a short walk away from the bars and shops, the view is amazing from the hotel room.
The food was so bad that we had to eat out nearly every night, which made it a very expensive holiday! The waiters are another good thing about the hotel,they were very friendly (I am trying to find some positive comments)

We also had to pay for the sun loungers near the pool, the pool attendant tells you off if you move the deck chairs to follow the sun, it got so bad I didn't want to sunbath around the pool.

The Hotel is very well positioned for the main square (100 yards). The staff were quite friendly. The hotel in was spotlessly clean.

The food, although fairly limited choice (4 starters, 4 Main courses, 4 desserts), was of good quality and well presented. This isn't meant as a criticism, but the waiting staff are running around like blue a***d flies. The food arrived very promptly and as soon as one course was finished, the next appeared. It would have been possible to arrive, eat three courses and leave all within about 35 minutes. The Wine Waiter was very helpful, recommending good wines at reasonable prices (£7 - £15).

If you decide to pay extra for a sea view try to get a room on the fourth or fifth floor, ours was on the third which meant that a) we were closer to the busy road below and b) the sea view was a bit obstructed by trees. Also, the rooms on the fourth and fifth floors had baths with overbath showers whereas our room had a small shower cubicle (around 3 feet square)with just a wrap around shower curtain. I don't know about you but I hate it when the shower curtain sticks to you.

The hotel public areas are fully air-conditioned but if you want it in your room you will have to pay 10 euros per day, we managed without. The swimming pool is fine, although quite deep, 1.5 metres at the shallowist point. You have to pay for the sunbeds, 5 Euros a day, but deckchairs are available free. Despite what appear to be negative comments I would return to this hotel and would recommend it to my friends/family. One final point, if you want to visit Pompeii, Capri or Amalfi look into ";doing it yourself"; the train from Sorrento to Pompeii stops right opposite the entrance to the site and boats to Capri etc can be caught from the local Marina.

This Hotel was one of the better ones we have stayed in over many yearsin Europe and U.S.
The sea view from our 4th floor room was well worth the extra cost and made our stay exceptional. The Carlton is of a high standard with efficient,friendly staff and just about merits its 4* rating in all aspects. We had a minor criticism with the meals which we found fairly average in content and portions were only adequate because of 3 courses served at dinner. Our only other criticism of the Hotel was the absence of a courtesy room on check out day which we expected in a good hotel.

Sorrento itself is brilliant. We found the warnings about organised excursion prices to be worse than we thought. Pompei, Capri and Amalfi can be done fairly easily by train, bus or ferry at about 1/3 of the Tour company excursion cost.

For eating/drinking/free entertainment don't miss The Foreigners Club-a good time was had each time visited.

We have just spent a fantastic week in Sorrento. The Carlton International is a great hotel and on the whole the staff were very friendly and accomodating.

When we stayed we had paid for a Sea View but were disappointed when we opened our door and found that we had a Pool View. The Receptionist arranged for us to be re-located next day and all our luggage etc. was moved for us as promised.

It is worth paying the extra for the Sea View. Standard Rooms accrue an Air Conditioning Charge of Euro10 per night whereas this is included in the Superior Rooms which are much bigger and have both bath and shower as opposed to shower only. The Rooms were cleaned and Towels changed on a daily basis by a friendy Maid.

We stayed on a Bed and Breakfast basis and found the Breakfast more than adequate.

The Hotel charges 5Euro per Sunbed per day but at least they were plentiful and there were no problems getting one.

People on Half Board said that on the whole the standard of food was good and rated the Gala Dinner on a Thursday evening.

As for Sorrento then if you like chilling out and watching the world go by then this is the place for you.

We didn't have a bad meal and would especially recommend La Lanterna. For an excellent fish restaurant (and inexpensive)try La Emilia in the Marina Grande.

We would not hesitate to return to Sorrento or the Carlton International.

Chose Carlton International after reading comments on your site.We were not disappointed! Location could not have been better as everything was in close proximity.Hotel was very friendly and staff could not do enough for you (especially Tony the barman-Cocktail champion).Rooms were spotless and air conditioning a welcome addition in the heat. The only downside was the breakfast which was very boring - pineapple every morning for a fortnight. Dinner was good but a few wrong choices were made. Table service was too quick as you could have finished your meal in 15 minutes but wine was very reasonably priced.

The foreigners club was a wealth of information and timetables for the local buses , ferries and trains were available there. Capri, Pompeii, Positano and Amalfie all easily accessible on your own but reccommend an overnight organised trip to Rome to capitalise on the short time available.If you want to swim in the sea forget about the bathing platforms and head to the beach the locals use at marina poalo( take the linea A bus to the last stop , walk along the main road then take a right down through the lemon groves). Food and wine is much cheaper here than in the main square and sunbed hire is only 3 euros.
Our first holiday in Italy was a pleasure- it won't be our last.

Sorrento is a wonderful place to visit, so much to do so many beautiful places to see.
The Carlton is situated very close to the town centre and this is a large advantage.
The rooms are spacious and very clean, good balconies with sev or pool views. Maid service is excellent.
The staff in the hotel are very friendly and helpful.

Apparently the hotel is under new ownership and this appears to bringing problems.
The food quality on the whole is good but not brilliant, the portions are small.You have to ask for small extras such as butter and salad. Breakfast is a disgrace, basic continental fare. You can pay extra for cooked (3E for a boiled egg). In my opinion not 4**** standard. The waiters always seemed to be under pressure and unhappy.
How much of this ecconomising is due to the tour opperator THOMAS COOK is questionable. We got the immpression that TC was penny pinching all the way.

would certainly recommend Sorrento but not the Carlton International Hotel