We recently stayed at the Bellasera Resort in Naples for 9 nights with our family, staying in a 3-bedroom, 2-bath suite. Overall, I’d rate our experience a solid 7/10.
There were definitely some positives. Our room was very clean, which was something we had noticed in previous reviews before booking. The daily housekeeping ladies were absolutely wonderful — some of the sweetest and friendliest people we encountered during our stay. We also appreciated the bottled water provided each day and the $50 gift card to Claw Bar, the on-site restaurant.
The location is excellent. Bellasera is conveniently located downtown and within walking distance of Fifth Avenue, which made getting around very easy. The valet staff were also helpful with rides to the beach. That said, the beach rides became somewhat costly once tips were factored in, and you often had to wait a while for your return pickup.
Unfortunately, there were also some significant negatives.
The biggest issue for us was the smell in our room. Despite the room appearing very clean, there was a persistent, very musky, almost mildew-like odor throughout our stay. We contacted the front desk about it, and the room was given a deeper cleaning, but unfortunately the smell remained. It’s difficult to describe exactly, but it gave the room — and at times the resort itself — a feeling of being somewhat damp, dirty and unkept, even though the actual cleanliness of the room was very good. We also spoke with other guests who noticed and agreed about the smell, so it didn’t seem to be an isolated issue.
We were also disappointed with the friendliness of some of the staff. In particular, our interactions with the hostesses at Claw Bar were unpleasant. They came across as rude and snooty, which left such a bad impression that we ultimately decided not to dine at the restaurant, despite receiving a $50 gift card as part of our stay.
The pool was another disappointment. It is quite small considering the size of the resort, and it doesn’t open until 9:00 a.m., which felt surprisingly late — especially for families who like to enjoy the pool earlier in the morning.
In the end, Bellasera has a lot going for it: a fantastic location, beautiful and very clean accommodations, wonderful housekeeping staff, and convenient amenities. However, the persistent room odor and the lack of warmth from some of the staff really affected our overall impression.
Would we stay again? Probably not. The room smell was bothersome enough that it would prevent us from returning, and the overall lack of friendliness from some staff members didn’t help.
That said, it wasn’t a bad stay by any means. We had a solid experience overall, but for the price and expectations of a resort like Bellasera, we expected more.