Last day - Grado beach
We wake up and head to the rooftop of the Fonzeri for our breakfast. Not Earth shattering in quality but enough to fill a gap and get us ready for the beach. The panoramic views from the roof terrace are amazing.
We pack up and check out and then head beachward. The sign is confusing offering prices for the closer rows to the water, premium loungers, chairs, huts etc. After some confusion I pay €21 and 2 of us get in with an umbrella and 2 lounges. A man shows us to our parking space and here we are. The beach wasn't nearly as busy on the Monday as it was Sunday which was good, plenty of relaxation and maybe even a sand castle.
Early afternoon we had to call it quits, pick up our luggage, eat a Pizza and get back to the bus station. The line 26 took us back to the Airport in about an hour with again some cool views of farms and vineyards. We got to the airport 2 hours early which was about 1.5 hours too soon it seems as there is just a room with some seats and 9 gates. There were 3 flights that night so not really busy. We had some water talked about how nice the beach was and were soon back in the grasps of Ryan Air for another exciting cheap flight brough to you by Mr O'Leary.
London was dry and mild so the shock wasn't bad but the next day at work would be...
Just beachy
We finally arrive at Grado and love it right from the minute we step off the bus. The town centre is a marina with loads of nice boats. We head southward to the coast and our hotel, Fonzeri. A quick look of the map and following the tourist trail gets us right to the spot. Our room has a view of the sea and the beach - not perfect views but enough to make you want to go out there right away!
There is a free bit right by the hotel where you can walk on some stones and get into the water which was frequented by some loungers. We walked out the jetty and got some nice photos back of the beach. The water was shockingly cold but refreshing. A quick sun bathe and then we walked the beach before having some drinks and dinner. We decided the next day we'd pay for beach chairs and all that.
The place is very modern and inviting when you first walk in. The room was fresh looking and clean with a huge balcony to take in the views (see 2 photos). The bathroom was also large, modern and very clean.
Breakfast was typical continental with various breads and fruits and a coffee machine. It is served on the roof with beautiful 360 views of Grado and the ocean all around.
There is also a rooftop pool but it did not look very inviting and you have a whole beach there so why bother? You could use the sun loungers by the pool though and be only a shout away from the poolside bar.
The rooms was expensive at €130 per night, which is why I gave it average value due to the pool and average breakfast. You can't beat the location though and knowing you'll have a clean and modern room is nice given some of the other places we drove by in Grado.
The hotel is very family friendly, most punters were younger couples with young/teen aged children.
