I stayed at Pisa Tower Plaza hotel for three nights in the middle of April and it was a very humbling experience. Before booking a hotel, I always do lots of research around the location, star rating and guest reviews of potential hotels. I also like to look up videos online and on social media from guests that have previously stayed at the hotel, so I am able to gain an honest perspective of what to expect during my stay.
Pisa Tower Plaza is a 5* hotel, however after reading some reviews, it became apparent that the hotel is not living up to its 5* rating. I chose to give the hotel a chance and booked it anyway but after a short stay, it became apparent that the reviews were to be trusted. We arrived very late and whilst check in was quick and easy, when we got to our room, the room was dirty. Due to the late check-in time, we decided to make do for the night and raise the issue with the reception in the morning, who were helpful and assured us that our room would be properly cleaned whilst we were out that day, which it was. This wasn't a massive issue but it did start our trip with negative views of the hotel. On our first morning, we took a walk around the hotel and were very excited to take a dip in the pool, only to find that the pool was empty. It would have been nice to have known this in advance because we may have booked a different hotel, although this didn't affect our stay too much and we were still able to get a swim in the sea during one of our day trips🌊🏖️
The room is a nice size, although one of our drawers were broken on arrival and the tea and coffee refreshments were not replenished whenever you had some. There was no shower head in the bathroom and the bath had a small little pipe which made showering extremely difficult. One of the positives of our room though, was the massive terrace that we had. Unfortunately the weather wasn't very good when we were away so we couldn't properly enjoy it but it would make a fantastic addition to the room during summer months.
That's it for my negatives, onto the positives! All the staff that we encountered were extremely friendly, particularly those working in the restaurant. I am currently learning Italian so it was nice to be able to give some of my limited Italian ago without judgement from the staff. The food was definitely the best part of this hotel. The breakfast was absolutely delicious and had a varied selection, which was different on each morning that we were there. The bacon was some of the best bacon that I have ever had and I am still craving it to this day! One night we decided to have dinner at the hotel and whilst the menu was very limited, my food was particularly delicious and was very reasonably priced.
Probably the best part of this hotel is the location. Whilst it is located on a busy main road, the hotel isn't far from the Leaning tower and is an easy walk to all the main sights. We walked the route multiple times during our stay in both daylight and evening and we felt extremely safe each time. You can also see the leaning tower of Pisa from the hotel, which is a nice bonus whilst having breakfast in the morning.
Overall, whilst I do not believe that Pisa Tower Plaza is a 5* hotel, I do think that it is a great hotel with lots of potential and it will make a very good base during a short trip to Pisa, where you plan to be out exploring for the majority of the days.
Look out for my 3 day guide to Pisa coming to the blog soon 🇮🇪
