Hotelito Oasi Italiana

Hotelito Oasi Italiana Review

A true oasis in a neighborhood of simple, one-room wooden casitas, this walled and gated complex is impressive from the street. Inside the recently-expanded compound are two buildings, with a pool in between. The first two-story building houses a restaurant and the owner's dwelling; the other building, the family's former home, has the eight hotel rooms. The ones on the first floor are centered around a salon with Italian leather furniture and an attractive mural of exotic birds and banana trees. These bedrooms, with the exception of the family room (which sleeps four), have the same décor as the three newer (and smaller) rooms upstairs. These have sea views and handsome desks and furnishings from the owner's native Italy. A new, large room that utilizes natural materials blends well with the gardens. Giordano Mettifogo is as good a chef as he is a photographer. Pastas and gnocchi are his specialties (made in-house); his carbonara is the real thing. A delicious sauce of fresh-peeled tomatoes with Italian olive oil arrives on fresh fish, and his octopus is marinated with the same fine oil and imported vinegar. Lambi in a tomato sauce with polenta is memorable; ask whether there are some lobsters to throw on the grill to go with the parsley butter sauce. Giordano's three children make this a real family affair. Dinner, served nightly, is open to the general public; breakfast and lunch service is only for hotel guests, who can now opt for a full meal plan ($35 per person, which includes one's room.)