La Guardia Hotel
Selected
Hotel Details
Location
La Guardia Hotel · Giglio Island, Italy
Explore More Hotels
Key Highlights
- ✓Deluxe rooms with balconies provide stunning sea views, making guests feel "perched on the prow of a yacht".
Expert Review: La Guardia Hotel
La Guardia Hotel, Giglio Island: A Michelin Key Selected Oasis of Mediterranean Charm
La Guardia Hotel on Giglio Island stands out as a "Michelin Key Selected property", consistently earning high praise for its breathtaking location, sophisticated minimalist design, and exceptional service. Guests frequently describe their stays as a "chilled experience" in a "magical location".
1. Overall Rating & Sentiment
The general consensus for La Guardia Hotel is overwhelmingly positive, with guests frequently using terms like "beautiful property," "exceptional," "uber-stylish," and "the best on the island". The hotel garners high scores across various review platforms, particularly for its location, cleanliness, and comfort.
2. Key Highlights
Guests consistently rave about several aspects of La Guardia:
- Service: The staff is frequently highlighted as "friendly, attentive, helpful, and diligent". Many describe them as "extremely nice, genuine, kind, and helpful".
- Location: The hotel boasts a "fantastic and superb location". It offers direct access to the public beach and is situated at one end of Giglio Porto, providing a quieter atmosphere while still being a short, walkable distance to the main attractions. The "incredible views" over the Tyrrhenian Sea, natural bay, and harbor are a recurring highlight.
- Design: La Guardia is celebrated for its "modern, minimalist, simple, and tasteful" design, featuring a "soft and natural aesthetic" that harmonizes with its island setting. Interiors showcase whitewashed walls, concrete flooring, beamed ceilings, and custom furnishings made from organic materials and local handicrafts. Parts of the hotel are uniquely carved into a granite cave.
- Amenities: The hotel offers direct beach access, a serene garden, a beautiful terrace, and free WiFi. Wellness facilities include outdoor yoga sessions and massages performed beneath an olive tree. Guests can also rent e-bikes to explore the island. The hotel is noted for its eco-friendly practices, including solar power, being plastic-free, and sourcing local, organic ingredients.
3. Room Quality
La Guardia Hotel features 29 rooms, including three suites, all praised for being clean, modern, minimalist, and comfortable. The design incorporates a subtle palette, juxtaposing contemporary Italian furniture with natural materials like wood, stone, and concrete. Rooms are acoustically designed for tranquility.
- Junior Suites with Beach Access offer a unique experience with private terraces, outdoor furnishings, and bathrooms carved into natural rock, creating a distinctive sensory experience.
- Deluxe rooms with balconies provide stunning sea views, making guests feel "perched on the prow of a yacht".
- Standard room amenities include air-conditioning, heating, satellite TV, a minibar, free bottled water, and Ortigia bath products.
4. Dining Experience
The hotel's dining experience is a significant draw, particularly at its restaurant, La Terrazza.
- Restaurant: Chef Milena Andreetto's menu focuses on "simple yet elegant Mediterranean heritage dishes" that change seasonally, drawing inspiration from various islands. The cuisine emphasizes local fish, organic produce, and ingredients sourced from Giglio or Maremma.
- Breakfast: Typically included and served buffet-style, breakfast is described as "delicious," "very good," and offering a "great selection". Options include Continental, Italian, Vegetarian, Vegan, and Gluten-free choices, all enjoyed on the terrace with "amazing views".
- Bar: The hotel's bar hosts an "aperitivo hour" at 6:30 pm, serving wines from small island suppliers, traditional Venetian Spritzes, and cocktails made with local fruits and botanicals, accompanied by bruschetta and local antipasti. The terrace provides "180-degree views over the Tyrrhenian".
- Wine List: The hotel boasts an impressive 70-label wine list, exclusively featuring bottles from small Italian islands, including Giglio's local Ansonaco wine.
5. Service & Staff
The service and staff at La Guardia Hotel receive consistent accolades. Guests commend the team for being "friendly, attentive, helpful, and diligent". They are described as "extremely nice, genuine, kind, and accommodating," assisting with taxi and boat bookings, and offering excellent restaurant recommendations.
6. Location & Accessibility
La Guardia Hotel is idyllically situated on Giglio Island, the second-largest island in the Tuscan Archipelago, approximately ten miles off the coast. It is located in Giglio Porto, the main settlement, right by the natural Lo Scalettino beach and the historic harbor. This position offers both tranquility and easy access to the port's activities, which are just a "three-minute walk" away.
While the hotel has two wheelchair-accessible rooms, guests should be aware that the island's "rough terrain and ancient paths" are not easily navigable for those with mobility issues. Accessing the hotel involves a cobbled road, which some guests have found challenging when handling luggage. The island itself is compact (20 sq km) and best explored on foot or via rented e-bikes. Ferries from Porto Santo Stefano provide an hour-long connection to the island.
7. Value & Pricing
The hotel receives a "Value for money" rating of 8.1 out of 10 from guests. While specific pricing varies by season and room type, a double room can start from approximately €208 per night during the low season. Minimum stay requirements are in place for certain months, such as three nights in June and July, four nights in August, and two nights in September.
8. Common Complaints
Despite the overwhelmingly positive feedback, a few minor recurring issues have been noted:
- Some "Premium Ground Floor rooms" may have limited views.
- A few guests mentioned that washbasins in some ground-level rooms were "clunky to use".
- While generally praised, a few reviews indicated that breakfast options could feel limited to some, with additional choices incurring extra costs.
- Some guest interactions with staff were described as taking "a bit longer".
- The cobbled road leading to the hotel entrance can be an inconvenience for guests with heavy luggage, especially for the elderly or those with children.
Sources
Points to Consider
- •Despite the overwhelmingly positive feedback, a few minor recurring issues have been noted:
Google Reviews
180 reviews
Recent Guest Reviews
Jules Fallman
I truly can’t say enough good things about this hotel. I planned a trip for my parents last year and sent them to the hotel and they loved it so much I had to come check it out myself. It is the PERFECT little respite from the world in the coziest corner of the island- tucked away but close to so much and a super easy walk to the ferry. The staff were so kind and helpful and made sure we had ever...
Giovanni F.
This is easily the best place to stay on the Giglio island. The hotel is very clean, quiet, elegant and perfectly located. Each room has been furnished with a special touch to a high end standard. The bathroom is very elegant with a great walk-in shower. The terrace offers an amazing view on the most characteristic area of the island and is a great place for a nice aperitif, dinner or breakfast. T...
J. VK
Very comfortable hotel great atmosphere, excellent breakfast and dinner. The view from our room was stunning and the sea is only a few steps away from the terrace with comfortable lounge chairs. We enjoyed it immensely.
Ari Dinar
A very special hotel to relax and enjoy this lovely island. We stayed at one of the garden rooms which opens to the picturesque views in different times of the day. I usually have prejudice in swimming near ports but this one changed my views. The rocky sea entrance experience is quite fun and also probably because of that the sea is clear even with windy and wavy days. The hotel restaurant is rea...
Lynnette Wilhardt
We just stayed 3 nights at La Guardia Hotel—our third visit to Giglio Island—and it was amazing. The hotel is beautifully decorated and in the perfect location, just steps from the port. The front desk staff were incredibly helpful with reservations and organizing our trip. The Terrazza Restaurant serves excellent dinners, and the included breakfast offers fresh pastries, yogurt, eggs, and one of ...
Response from the owner
Dear Lynnette, thank you for leaving such a positive and detailed review. We hope you will come back very soon for many cappuccino's with a view!
Suzanne Duff
We loved our stay at this hotel - location, cleanliness, offerings wr perfect. Staff were generally fantastic and loved the laid back nature of this island.
IHG
Amex FHR
