My husband and I stayed at the hotel along with my parents who were visiting us from South Africa. We've travelled a lot and we've stayed at some of the best hotels around the world. We didn't expect the Excelsior Vanna to be on a par with the Hilton Group and so had an expectation of lets say, not to expect much. We booked our two double rooms at the hotel after searching the accommodation websites and realising that Sardinia, as we’d been warned, was extremely expensive. We wanted to stay on this side of the island though, not on the western coast. Even though the rooms weren’t cheap - £50pppn, it certainly was the best option for what else was available. The rooms are very big, the air-conditioning works (very important, esp in Aug) and there is also a small fridge which was useful for chilling beers & wine to enjoy after a long day on your balcony. There is a supermarket about 5 mins walk from the hotel so you can keep stocking up! Breakfast is a continental buffet breakfast – eat as much as you like and included a selection of cold meats, pastries, fruit juices and yoghurt. The view from the hotel is amazing – you can see the old town, the harbour area and La Maddelena in the distance. Getting back to the hotel from town was a bit of a trek, esp on your way back as it’s all an uphill walk but it’s not THAT bad – at least going to town it’s downhill! After dinner out (Palau has quite an extensive selection of restaurants / bars) a leisurely walk gets you home in about 10-15 mins. The staff were all very friendly and helpful. Recommended: a day trip to La Maddelena island by ferry then go by car to explore the island and also to hire a speedboat for the day from Palau and explore all the hidden coves and do some celebrity yacht spotting! An unforgettable stay!

This hotel is in a fabulous location overlooking the harbour but needs some major TLC to bring it up to date. It wasn't cheap but it was shabby. The rooms were dated. As we were the only people staying in the hotel we did not expect to be given a room with no light bulbs, no TV aerial lead and on the balcony we were welcomed with a glass full of cigarette butts. The hotel stank of cigarette smoke and the staff were smoking inside despite a ban already in place in Italy. Breakfast was very Italian; coffee, biscuits and bread & jam.

The bathroom was tiny and crumbling. The shower was not built for an above average sized Brit!

If you only need a hotel as a base it is ok but I'm sure that there are other cheaper hotels nearby that offer better value for money.

Make sure you head over to the island of La Maddalena though - not to be missed!