Sometimes it is not the splendour of the place or the attractions around it but one small act of kindness that is the dominant memory of a visit. And so it was regarding my stay at Hotel Sport Daniel in Pescasseroli. The breakfast buffet here featured a good variety of fresh fruit including my favourite, cherries. On my last morning there were no cherries and when I asked the waiter he explained that as the previous day had been Sunday and no deliveries there were none left. It was not a problem as there was plenty of other fruit to choose from. I forgot all about and went out for the morning. When I returned for a light lunch prior to leaving for the airport, Signora Roncuzzi (a member of the family that owns the hotel) presented with a plate piled high with cherries. She had remembered my request that morning. I was so impressed.
Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day and very enjoyable here at Hotel Sport Daniel. The restaurant has been arranged so most of the tables face the windows that look out onto green fields with hills and then mountains on the horizon. Pescasseroli, in the Italian region of Abruzzo, is in the middle of the National Park of Abruzzo There was always a good selection of fresh fruit on the buffet as well as various cereals and some fruit juice to start. To follow there was a choice of croissant, cake or fresh bread rolls with cheese, ham or jam. I have grown very fond of the Italian style of breakfast and have even been known to dip my croissant in a frothy cappuccino.
Hotel Sport Daniel has everything I look for in a hotel when I am travelling. My bedroom was flooded with light and there was plenty of room to move around: an armchair to relax in and a desk to work at. As the hotel is on the outskirts of the town it was very quiet at night so I awoke every morning refreshed after a good night’s sleep. Some of the bedrooms surround a small courtyard with a well in the centre, an attractive feature of the building.
Through my window I could see the surrounding countryside and the swimming pool. I always like to know there is a swimming pool available although I am unlikely to use it as I don’t like getting wet!
The reception area includes a comfortable but elegantly furnished lounge were guests can relax and enjoy a drink from the bar – or they may prefer to sit at the tables outside.
As it was early in the season the hotel was not serving dinner but arranged for me to eat in a restaurant in the town and organised transport there and back. I could easily have walked there and back but after a hectic day of sightseeing and walking it was nice to be driven there and back. I ate at Ristorante a Cavu’t at the top of Piazza Vittorio Veneto. This restaurant is renowned for its home cooking and jovial proprietor and on the two occasions I ate there it certainly lived up to its reputation.
I can highly recommend this hotel. When I stayed in Pescasseroli it was the perfect place to relax and enjoy the wonderful scenery that surrounds it.
My accommodation was arranged through the Associazione Albergatori e Operatori turistici del PNALM.
Getting there
I flew from London, Heathrow, to Rome, Fiumicino with Alitalia. There are regular long-distance buses from Fiumicino to Alba Adriatica in Abruzzo where I started my tour, run by Gaspari which are easily booked online. Thereafter I used local trains and buses. But Abruzzo does not have a very good public transport system (part of its charm for me) so hiring a car is probably preferable.
This article was based on the personal experience of Valery, an ExperiencedTraveller.