Hotel Prater

This hotel is situated on the edge of Grottammare where it meets San Benedetto del Tronto in the Ascoli Piceno province of le Marche, Italy. The hotel is not on the seafront but on the next road down, about 2 minutes walk from the wonderful sandy beach. Some front rooms have sea views. The service is very friendly and, although not widely spoken, the staff can understand and try to speak simple english. It's helpful, not to say courteous, to learn a little italian before going. The food, whose quality is unfailingly good, is a mixture of local and international dishes. The cooking is done by the owner so he has a vested interest in making sure all is well. I stayed full board in May and got three meals a day included for 40 euros per night. It was excellent value, in fact, I had to reduce my lunchtime meals to one course only to avoid being too full up in the afternoon!. The hotel can easily be reached by car for those touring and there is plenty of car parking within the security gated compound outside the hotel entrance. The train station at San Benedetto, which is situated to serve the main line from Ancona, is a 12 - 15 euros taxi ride away or you can walk it in 20 minutes. Buses are frequent and can be caught along the seafront- the nearest bus stop is called "il gabbiano". Although I had booked a single room I was given a large double with en suite shower room. There was a TV (only useful if you speak or want to practise italian) and a balcony around 2 sides of the building giving me both a sea and mountain view. I should qualify these remarks by saying I was the only guest as it was not yet the season for tourists. It tends to get full up in June and june and tails off in August. The area itself is mainly populated by italians so it's a great place to escape expatriates. The only time on the entire week's trip I heard english spoken was during my return home at a market in Bologna. There is a downside for any visitor to the seaside towns along the Adriatic coast: the railway line which runs parallel to the sea the entire way. Always ask for a front facing room or, if you like watching trains, don't. I chose the Hotel Prater entirely sight unseen and it turned out to be a really enjoyable experience. I am going again next year.