This past week we held our fourth annual Leopardi Writing Conference in Recanati (hometown of great…read moreItalian poet Giacomo Leopardi). In the time since last summer, Recanati's only four-star hotel, The Gallery Hotel, closed down. Temporarily? Permanently? Who knows. We were forced to have as many of the attendees as possible stay at La Ginestre instead (The Gallery Hotel has at least double the number of rooms as La Ginestre, and we seriously considered canceling the conference for this year. There was a risk that such a move would cancel it forever. Upon arriving, one would think La Ginestre is a bit dated, more like an Italian pensione. Colors and fabrics a bit faded. The revamped dining room is beautiful, and apparently it was the first room re-done. The rooms are serviceable, but need some tightening up, showers replaced, etc. BUT, what The Gallery Hotel doesn't have is the staff that is at La Ginestre. Forgive the humblebrag, but here is a list of the hotels where I have stayed: The Mandarin Oriental in NYC, the Fauchon Hotel in Paris, the Oberoi in Delhi and the Taj Mahal hotel in Bombay. I've been at Kimptons in Germany, the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok, the Inter-Continental in Kowloon section of Hong Kong, the Villa Magna in Madrid, the Phoenix in Copenhagen, the Ramses Hilton in Cairo, the Oberoi Mena house at Giza, among many others. Nowhere, nowhere, have I encountered a front desk team who can come CLOSE to level of caring, charm, and good ness to equal that of Andrea and Arianna. And as the General Manager, Andrea clearly has the respect and ear of his staff, because everyone at the hotel has treated me better than any staff at any hotel has treated me. For ten straight days! The location is great, the food at the restaurant is fantastic, the cafe food is way above average. The breakfast, for what it is (a three-star hotel breakfast) doesn't soar, but it doesn't disappoint; how can it with such friendly staff. I know this sounds like a paid review. It is. Kindness and caring and friendliness (especially if done without an open palm extended looking for a tip) deserves to be paid back in the most honest way possible. Not only did I love the service and care, our faculty and our students as well were blown away. If the Gallery Hotel opens by next summer, The Leopardi Writing Conference might use some of their rooms, but I will stay at La Ginestre and will advice those attendees who register first to do the same.

Hotel dalla vista fantastica. Sono stato qui in giornata di mareggiata e le onde si infrangevano…read moreproprio sotto la terrazza. Se non fosse perché ci troviamo un bel po' di chilometri più a nord mi verrebbe quasi da dire che sembra di essere sulla terrazza del commissario Montalbano. Le camere sono un po' vecchiotte ma nel complesso il tutto è valido. Se siete fuori stagione magari per un viaggio di lavoro chiedete per una camera vista mare, merita realmente il Conero sullo sfondo. Unica pecca che essendo sull'adriatico il tramonto e' lato terra e toglie quello che sarebbe stato un bel tocco di magia.

From the owner: Nella suggestiva cornice della Riviera del Conero, tra Porto Recanati e Numana…read more.. L' Hotel Brigantino è un unico Hotel Porto Recanati per la sua eccellente posizione direttamente sul mare e per la sua spiaggia privata. E' un luogo ideale per vacanze rilassanti ed è uno strategico punto d'appoggio per gite ed escursioni all'aria aperta e nelle vicine città d'arte come Loreto, Porto Recanati, Numana e Sirolo.