August 30, 2014

A Room with a View

After surviving a gauntlet of public transportation stress upon our first arrival in Italy, the Hotel Vittoria in Pompei restored our sanity and reminded us that there's more to Italy than the hustle and bustle of big cities!

Choosing to stay in Pompei (the modern city is Pompei and the ancient city is Pompeii) was a gamble when we made our reservations back in the winter.  It seemed apparent from Trip Advisor forum conversations and travel blogs that most people visit only as a day trip from Naples, the Amalfi coast or even Rome.  But we decided that a day-trip would be too costly in time, spending one night in Pompei and the next in Sorrento would be logistically tiring, and instead opted to stay at a hotel near the ruins and the Circumvesuviana train station.  And that's how we found Hotel Vittoria.

The view
The hotel was incredibly easy to find and only a five minute walk from the Pompei Scavi - Villa dei Misteri train station.  As we entered the hotel and made our way to the front desk, we were greeted warmly by Daniela.  In perfect English, she confirmed our reservation, price, and request for a "room with a view."  When she opened our room's balcony doors a few minutes later, I couldn't contain my enthusiasm; I could see the ruins of Pompeii from our room!

Besides a great view and balcony furniture, the room featured a comfortable queen-sized bed, a desk, mini-fridge, wardrobe, and a spacious bathroom complete with a bidet.  Everything was neat, clean, and in working order.  As a budget traveler, my only firm requirements are no bugs, no dirt, and no bad smells!  Hotel Vittoria satisfied all three.

We were beyond thrilled with the service from Daniela during our stay.  She is very professional, courteous, and quick with a smile.  We had no complaints with any other front desk staff member; although not many spoke English, it didn't pose any problems.  Hotel Vittoria provides complimentary breakfast to its guests, consisting of deli meats, cheeses, bread, all-you-can-drink espressos and coffee, yogurts, and juices, and the dining room staff members were quick to inquire if they could be of any assistance.

The lobby and dining room decor of Hotel Vittoria reminded me strongly of something you'd see in a Poirot movie.  The furnishings seemed more appropriate to a high-end hotel of the 1920s or 30s, and perhaps that's when the hotel was last updated.  Hotel Vittoria had an air of resigned grandeur, and I wonder what sort of grand people stayed there back in its heyday.  But the tired furnishings did not make the hotel feel dirty; it just reminded you of another era.

***

During the day, Pompei is mobbed by a sea of tourists coming in for a tour of the ruins, but by evening it is quiet and very relaxing.  Although the modern day city is aesthetically unremarkable,  the Hotel Vittoria was an oasis for us after long days under the hot Italian sun.

Hotel Websitehttp://www.pompeihotelvittoria.com/
Cost:  55,00€ or $72.45 per night (high season July rates)
Directions:  From the Pompei Scavi - Villa dei Misteri train station on the Circumvesuviano line, take a right down the station's steps.  You'll pass the main entrance to the Pompeii ruins on your left (surrounded by a tall wall).  At the bottom of the hill, take the first street on your left.  The street opens out into a small piazza with the hotel in front of you and slightly to the right.  There are outside tables and seats near the front door of the hotel.  Total time from station to hotel is 6-7 minutes.
Tips:  Hotels have to pay third-party sites (such as Orbitz, Hotels.com, etc) a fee, so save them and maybe yourself some money by booking directly.  Daniela was very responsive to e-mails, so don't hesitate to reach out to them that way, too.  Request a room with a view!  Take full advantage of the free breakfast.  We did not try lunch or dinner there, so can't recommend it either way.







Have you stayed in Pompei or visited the Pompeii ruins?




Linking up with Chasing the Donkey for #SundayTraveler!

24 comments:

  1. Looks like a lovely hotel - and really reasonable for Pompei! One to keep in mind :)

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    1. Even though it is a budget hotel, I was astonished at how affordable it was. Here in Richmond, a hotel of the same price wouldn't have been half as nice!

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  2. How lovely. It sounds like Venice or even Santorini, swamped during the day and much quieter once the tourists have all gone of an evening! :)

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    1. It's lovely when the hordes of tourists leave, isn't it? :)

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  3. Katrina, It looks like a great place to relax...with no taxi or bus drivers in sight!

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    1. Not at night anyway! It was crawling with people, buses, taxies, and tourists during the day, but by 4pm things would die down and become quite peaceful.

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  4. Great spot to see the ruins. I was there a few years ago, but would love to go back someday and see it all again. Thanks for linking up with us for #SundayTraveler.

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    1. Always glad to be a part of it! I'm a frequent reader of your Croatian posts as I'm trying to convince the hubby to make Croatia our next destination!

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  5. It looks like a nice historic inn and great location to the ruins.

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    1. It's pretty much the closest hotel to the ruins and definitely (one of) the cheapest hotel for the area.

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  6. How fantastic to have a view over the ruins of Pompeii; that's definitely a room with a view! x

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    1. It was awesome. And I was so surprised (pleasantly) at the value: great location, low prices, but it wasn't a crappy hotel. Sure it wasn't the Ritz, but I don't travel to marvel at the inside of a hotel room! :P

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  7. Never never stayed in Pompeii :( I would absolutely love to though, it is on my top ten list of places to see!

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    1. I would definitely recommend this hotel to you! For a great location, cheap price, and a decent, quality hotel, it's definitely the one to go with!

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  8. Oh how fun to be able to see the ruins from your room! I haven't been to Pompei yet but it looks really lovely!

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    1. No kidding. It's definitely one of my more favorite hotel room views.

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  10. A view of an ancient city, now thats rare!

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    1. :) And the great part was that we didn't have to pay 4 or 5 star hotel prices to get the view!

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  11. I passed by Pompeii on my way from Florence to Sorrento. Wish we had time to stop and explore there a bit. The history there fascinates me!

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    1. Just add it to the bucket list! Even if you can't spend the night, Pompeii is definitely worth a stop to or from Naples and Sorrento/Amalfi coast!

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  12. Looks like a lovely hotel. When we visited Pompeii a few months ago, we stayed in Sorrento as I wasn't too keen on Naples. This looks like it would have been a very nice alternative and certainly much closer to the ruins.

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    1. After landing in Naples and having a quick bus ride from the airport to the train station, we were very glad that we didn't decide to put Naples on the itinerary! Maybe one day I'll stay there long enough to visit the museum with the Pompeii artifacts, but otherwise I haven't really seen anything listed online that would entice me to stay there longer.

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Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear your comments, feedback, and suggestions.