Hotel Cala di Volpe, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Costa Smeralda

Staying in Hotel Cala di Volpe is always an absolute pleasure; it is quite simply one of the most unique and iconic hotels in the world ! Firstly the setting is on a magical a bay with the most beautiful views and we were especially appreciative to have been given a sea view junior suite with a balcony to take them in from. We ate at the Barbecue by the pool, Le Grand and Matsuhisa Japanese and each one of the restaurants was delicious with the buffet lunch and breakfast having such an amazing selection. But it is the staff that ultimately make a hotel and the staff at the Cala di Volpe are some of the best trained and professional in the world. They combined that with a warmth and friendliness which is always a winning combination. Particularly of note; Annalisa who with her concierge team went out of her way to help us plan various aspects of our trip to perfection, Luca Idini in reservations for his help and kindness with our reservation, Eleonora in guest relations for the many small touches such as the gift of the beautiful Cala fox teddy bear (as photographed) to take home, Andrea the head bar man for his delicious cocktails on the terrace and Franco Mulas the GM who was around the hotel every day with his humour and charm. You can always tell how well a hotel does things by the number of returning guests and it w nice to see so many familiar faces again from my previous stays  I cannot wait to be back next year...

For a Marriott property, we found the employees to be extremely rude. Don’t bother wasting your time if even to have lunch or dinner on this property.

I’ve never been treated so poorly by hotel staff. There was no mention of a minimum spend, and when we brought it up, the manager raised his voice and told us to go ahead and leave a bad review, arrogant, agressive, no apology, no professionalism. Worse, he behaved in a way toward my friend that crossed personal and professional boundaries, making her deeply uncomfortable. This hotel is now firmly on my blacklist, and I absolutely do not recommend it. Proceed with caution.

We were shocked and disgusted by how we were treated. Four of us arrived for what we clearly explained would be a quick drink — just an aperitif. Instead, we were met with completely inappropriate behavior: the manager touched my friend (which is beyond unprofessional and unacceptable) and assured us we’d get a table. After just a couple of drinks, we asked for the bill. Without a word, a rude and dismissive waiter dropped it on our table. To our complete shock, they added €368 to the bill — supposedly because of a “minimum spend” of €120 per person. At NO point were we told about this. Not by the manager when we arrived, not by the waiter when we ordered, and not even when the bill came. It was deliberately hidden. We were never informed — no verbal notice, no heads-up. Absolutely nothing. When we questioned this, the staff were arrogant, aggressive, and completely unhelpful. They claimed there were signs at the entrance and on the menu — but we arrived by boat, did not go through any entrance, and saw no such signs. As it’s famous for the Bellini we did not open the menu where we could have seen this minimum spend. Even when we explained this, they doubled down and treated us with disrespect and hostility. They tried to force us to pay this hidden charge without any explanation or warning. This felt like a complete scam, targeting young women who came for a simple drink — and were instead ambushed with an outrageous charge that was never disclosed. This is not just bad service. This is manipulative, dishonest, and deeply inappropriate behavior — from both the manager and the staff. It completely ruined our evening and left us feeling taken advantage of and disrespected. Do not go here. There are plenty of better, more honest places where you will be treated with decency. This place is a trap.