On the strength of other reviews, we booked the Palumbo as a treat to finish our week on the wonderful Amalfi coast. It was ghastly. The hotel clearly wasn't ready, English-speaking staff had to be rustled up, painters were moving ladders, ashtrays full of cigarette ends, washing hanging outside, they hadn't bothered to unnet the lemon trees (everyone else had). It wouldn't have been worth the asking price anyway - very run down and God help them, another hotel is in the process of being built next door which doesn't help the view any. We explained we were very unhappy and that we felt they had misrepresented themselves but the owner was utterly uninterested - they had my credit card details and simply deducted the night's stay. We didn't stay, put the cost down to experience and moved next door but one to the fabulous Caruso who took pity on us and gave us a generous deal on a wonderful suite. Ravello is beautiful but avoid the Palumbo.

We have just finished spending 4 nights at the hotel in November 2007. Genteel decay is one thing , actually allowing a hotel to go completely to seed is another. Facilities are decrepit , room rates are exorbitant for what you get. The almost entirely Sri Lankan (!!!) staff speaks no English .Most of the furniture is falling apart, water stains on ceilings are everywhere & our room had cockroaches !! Internet WiFi access requires you to sit within 5 feet of the front reception or else there is no signal. Drying laundry hangs outside some windows. There is an aloofness to the staff that makes for a very uncomfortable ambience and a complete unwillingness to tackle issues. Comments or suggestions about shortfalls in services get a very Italian shrug in response. TV's in the rooms have no English channels at all & while management does think this is an issue for a hotel that has over 70% of it's guests coming from outside Italy, there is no inclination to do anything about it. . This place needs a complete makeover & some money spent on decor , furniture & facilities. What is very clear is that management is doing it's utmost to avoid having to spend any more money on the establishment . I suggest travellers do the same. Avoid.

We held our wedding reception at the Hotel Palumbo in Ravello in September 2007 and everything was perfect. The staff were very helpful, the food was wonderful and the Hotel and scenery were beautiful. The reception package provided by the Hotel Palumbo was very reasonable and good value for money. The Hotel also made our wedding cake which looked and tasted wonderful. I could not fault the wedding reception provided by the Hotel. Ravello is a beautiful place in which to get married and we shall never forget our wedding day there. I would highly recommend a wedding reception at the Hotel Palumbo in Ravello.

I booked and paid for - in advance - 3 nights in a de-lux room with sea view. Two days before departure I rand the hotel to book a transfer and check all was OK. They were looking forward to greeting me they said! On arrival I was informed that due to renovations they did not have a room - of any kind - and that arrangements had been made with another hotel. With only a long weekend there was little option but to elect for the alternative. How this kind of customer service is acceptable to The Great Hotels of The World group is beyond. My advice - Don't risk it.

My wife and I and another couple spent four nights at the Hotel Palumbo at the end of October, 2006. The hotel has a spectacular view of Amalfi. Ravello is a very small town in a beautiful location. It is a short bus ride to Amalfi and we took a boat from there to Positano. You can also catch a boat to Capri or a boat or a bus to many other destinations. The hotel is very small and the public spaces are nicely decorated. The rooms all have names and we picked “Moresco” which is on the second floor with spectacular views. Unfortunately there are no screens in the windows and we could not get the air conditioning to work. At night you must either close the windows which makes the room very stuffy or open the windows and close the curtains to keep the bugs from getting in. Either way it detracts from the view. The other problem with the room had to do with the bathroom. It was up some tile stairs. The tub had a shower outlet but no shower curtain. Therefore, every time we took a shower the bathroom was soaked and that made walking down the tile steps to the bedroom somewhat treacherous. In addition, we mentioned to the front desk that the toilet seat was broken but that was not tended to for two days. Our friends did not choose a room in advance and were given a room on the ground floor which was not as nice. They asked to change and were told that many more guests would be arriving in a few days and that they had to stay in that room even though the hotel was almost empty. Our room rate included breakfast and dinner. The dining Room is located on the third floor and there is a terrace with great views where we had breakfast one day. The menu for dinner was the same each day with the addition of nightly chef’s specials. The food was great with the exception of Sunday night when the meat was significantly undercooked and one dinner was too salty. I asked if the Chef had the night off and was told he did not so I do not know what happened that night. Breakfast consisted of freshly squeezed fruit juice, made to order eggs and a small choice of breads or pastries. The selection was small but adequate. The first two nights there were only two other couples dining at the same time as we were and the hotel had a very intimate feeling. However, a meeting for a French company commenced bringing many more people to the Hotel which completely changed the feel of the hotel. At dinner the next night, the entire dining room was filled with this group and they were so loud it was impossible for us to carry on a conversation. At breakfast the morning after they arrived the dining room was crowded, the service was not as good and the fresh juice ran out and was replaced by canned or frozen juice which is totally unacceptable for hotel of this stature. Our last night at the hotel, the French group finished dinner and adjourned to the lounge and lobby on the first floor and loudly talked until 1:30 AM I called the desk at 1:00 AM and asked them to try and get the group to be quiet but they did not seem willing to do anything. I realize that the Hotel needs to generate business in order to stay in operation but it is unacceptable for a property of this type to subject guests to a situation where one group overruns the entire property. I had prepaid for my stay so had no acceptable alternative but to stay but under other circumstances, I would leave a hotel if this were to happen to me again, Also, Ravello is fairly small and I am not certain if there would be an acceptable alternative with a vacancy. The waiters and other hotel staff were friendly and helpful. There is a computer with free internet service available. Since it is so small, the hotel has not other features or amenities. I asked the front desk if there was a gym in the area and they said they would inquire and let me know but I never heard from them about it but found walking in the hills to be sufficient exercise. I would rate this hotel a 4 star and not a 5 star despite the 5 star price. The main reason it is not a 5 star is the rooms. They are small and need modernization. We have never stayed in a property this small before so perhaps that is to be expected that problems like the unattached toilet seat would not be fixed at once but in my experience, 5 star hotel fixes all problems at once and would never have served canned orange juice at breakfast. Despite these issues, we really enjoyed our stay in Ravello and for the right person without a noisy group in residence, this is a lovely, romantic hotel.