Italy is a beautiful country, but because of the chaotic transportation strikes we will not go back to Italy. A few hours before our plane was to depart, KLM informed us that our flight had been cancelled due to an airport strike in Italy. We lost a day but were able to re-book our flight. After being in Italy for seven days we discovered another strike was to hap[pen in two days. After returning home, we learned another transportation strike was scheduled for October 27. This is three strikes in just over three weeks. These strikes cause chaos and economic hardship for both Italians and tourists. Do not go to Italy unless you are fully aware of this continuing problem.
We stayed at the Grand Hotel Aminta for five nights, and discovered many guests love this hotel and quite a few were very disappointed. The main frustration is the distance of the hotel to Sorrento, and the difficulty getting there. The hotel provides a complimentary shuttle to and from Sorrento, but it is only once an hour and there is no service from noon to 3PM (1500). There is a City bus that stops at the hotel, but many tourists (including us) may prefer a hotel that is much closer to Sorrento. Our room was fairly large, quiet, comfortable, and the bed was firm. The bathroom was OK, but when I used the toilet my knees banged against the bathtub. The closet (wardrobe) in our room was terrible - the wood was warped, and the drawers would only open or close with great effort, and closed with a loud bang. Several plastic hangers had sharp barbs on them, and I impaled my finger the first time I grabbed one. I have never seen hangers like this at any hotel! I spoke to two of the employees at the front desk about these hangers, but they did not seem to be concerned about guests getting impaled, cut, or possibly getting an infection from these hangers. The breakfast was OK, but the pastry consistently tasted stale and the fruit tasted as though it was canned fruit. We had previously stayed at a 2 star hotel in Sorrento (Hotel Mignon) and the food there was far superior to this hotel. With the exception of the hangers, most of the hotel staff were friendly and helpful.