Going to the Hotel Flora? What you need to know is: 1) Don't get a room at the front of the hotel overlooking a busy road and petrol station. A room on the side is good and a room at the back with a view over the pool is likely to cost you a bit more. 2) You'll get a great view over the sea from the Dining room which is at the top of the hotel. 3) The best staff are without doubt in the dining room. They're cheerful and friendly without ever being overbearing. Moreover they are really organized and get the job done well. I'm a vegetarian and on half board I was well catered for. The food is plentiful and of really good quality for a place dealing with large numbers. 4) The rooms are very clean. Linen changed every day or two. 5) Turn right out of the hotel and within a minute or two you are in the centre of town. You're on the main road anyway - that's why you don't want a room at the front of the hotel. 6) The railway station is less than five minutes walk from the hotel. Just turn right out of the hotel and you'll find it as you walk into town. 7) Go to Pompeii independently on the train. It's lots cheaper than an organized trip and you get dropped off a couple of hundred yards from the entrance. 8) We took an organized bus trip of the Amalfi Coast which was excellent and visited Positano, Amalfi and Ravello. 9) We had lots of reports of trips to Capri just involving huge queues on hot sticky days so gave that a miss and went to another island - Ischia - instead and had a great trip. 10) For any trips just go to the 'Marina Piccolo' and book up. Booking offices tend to be closed around early afternoon. Our full day trip to Ischia cost 35 Euros and was good value. 11) Don't wait until you want to get on a bus to get a ticket. The bus driver is one of the few people who won't take money off you! You need to go to a tobacconist and get a ticket (1 Euro) in advance. When you get on the bus you have to validate it by pushing it into a little machine at the entrance. It's valid for 45 minutes from the moment you validate it so it's possible to take two trips with one ticket. 12) Many people speak good English but have a go at a few basic Italian phrases.

Was rather let down by the hotel in general, felt more like an easy target for money than a guest,sunbeds were 5 euros to hire, no gym or sporting room, bar prices way too high, service can be varied. Rooms dated with old fashioned lighting fitments and wood inlay furniture, needs a revamp, rating of a four star too generous, maybe 3 at a push, food not catering for the basic eater, can be very fancy and includes a lot of seafood, staff quite offish and a bit patronising. Wouldnt go again, all show and no substance.

Enjoyed our holiday at Gran Flora. Disappointed at location across from garage, but after getting used to noise it was quite entertaining. Food ok. Reception staff not very helpful but the waiters in dining room made up for them. Loved Sorrento

This was our first visit to this part of Italy and fell head over heels with Sorrento and its beauty. The hotel grand flora was excellent; the food was very good and plentiful with a staggering buffet breakfast which lasted us all day. The waiters were a brilliant blend but always very friendly and attentive. I would have no hesitation in recommending the flora to anyone wanting excellent hotel. Two points that for us was a bit disappointing was there wasn’t any entertainment in the hotel at night and we would have liked a room with a balcony but as we booked last minute this was the luck of the draw

I have just returned form a holiday in Sorrento having thourally enjoyed it and that Hotel Flora played a large part in making that happen. The hotel is very welcoming and give efficent service. The staff obviousley enjoy working there and this comes across making you feel valued, and special. We were only there for a week but I would definatley go back there, there is so much to do, and the staff would make you feel like you were comeing home. The Hotel is situated close to the center and the walking was not a problem as it was surpisingly mainly on the flat untill you wonder down to the port or up to the Tuesday market. Which we did and it looked worse than it actually was, if walking is a problem then the bus service is adequate.I was in a party of three ladys and we felt perfectly safe wondering around at any time of the day or evening. There arn't any touts pushing there establishments on you, it is hassle free to wonder freely. I have read reviews about Hotel Flora, perticullay about the busy road its on and the balconys at the front overlooking the petrol station, well we had one such room and we did not linger there only used it the dry swim wear. I don't know what to say only that it did not spoil our holiday the room and Hotel was lovely but if it an important part of your holiday then specify this before you book. Our holiday rep was George and we found him very helpfull.

My partner and I stayed at the Grand Hotel for seven days in June (2005). The Hotel has been recently renovated and this has been done to an acceptable standard. The pool is of a decent size although the pool area is limited in space. The hotel charges for the use of sun beds (5 euros each) but the Flora cannot be specifically criticized for this practice as this is the norm for hotels in the area. Nevertheless it does add to the general impression that you are a commodity at the hotel rather than a guest. This impression is compounded by the strictly enforced rules regarding the consumption of water whilst using the pool area. In 90-degree heat it is totally unreasonable to insist that all guests only consume water purchased at the hotel's inflated prices. This may seem like nit-picking but it is just an added impediment to feeling comfortable in the surroundings. As is the rule that the pool area is closed to guests from 6 pm-9am. Of course the pool has to close at some point but why should you be made to leave the pool when the weather remains gloriously hot until well after 8 pm? Leaving one sunny area of the hotel would not be such a problem if it weren’t for the fact that, apart from the few who are lucky enough to get a decent balcony, this is the only area in which you can enjoy the sun. The majority of the hotel's rooms and therefore balconies face a very, very busy main road. It is simply not possible to relax in this space. Trust me on this, the view is absolutely up there with the worst that you could imagine. Across the busy road is a busy petrol station and the combination of audial and visual unpleasantness that this panorama induces make the room's curtains and double-glazing by far its most attractive features. In short the balcony is redundant which makes you question where Thompson's/Hotel Fora get the nerve to charge a supplement for such a facility. This brings me to the crux of my grievance with this hotel and it's booking agent's and this is that having read the reviews on this page I knew that the rooms facing the road would not provide the type of holiday accommodation that my partner and I wanted. We stated this to the Thompson booking agent who assured us that we would be placed at the other side of the hotel. Further, although she couldn't guarantee this part, we might even get a sea view. On arriving at the hotel we found that this was never the case. The majority of the rooms face the street and those that don't are snapped up early by those that are in the know. Not only was there no chance of a sea view, which is to be expected, but there was no chance of us being placed away from the road. This was not to be expected because had i known that there was the slightest chance of being placed in such a room I wouldn't not have booked the holiday. I arrived on a Monday and was told that there was a chance that we could be moved the next day, this didn't happen. I spoke to the holiday rep on Tuesday morning who told me that she would investigate and that there was a chance that we could be moved by Friday, this didn't happen. I saw the ‘rep’ on the Wednesday and she told me that her investigation would take a few days and that she would get back to me, this didn't happen. I saw her two days before the end of the holiday and she told me that she would have an explanation for me before I left, this didn't happen. When I left on the Monday there was a note from Patricia saying she was still investigating and that she would let us know what had gone wrong with our booking by writing to us at our home address. Needless to say as of yet this has not happened. The upshot of the whole experience is that if you want a perfectly adequate hotel that is well situated in relation to the town centre then the Hotel Flora is okay. However, if you are looking for a holiday where the Hotel's four-star facilities extend to enjoying any amount of time spent on your room's balcony than it is not. This is really a three star hotel and that is what you should expect and pay for unless you can get a written guarantee that you will not be put in a room facing the road.