We have recently returned from the hotel president. We had a wonderful trip, the staff were very friendly and couldn't do enough for you. We had a room on the 5th floor very comfortable and cleaned regularly, we used the train it visit Lucca which I loved. A lovely little town which felt laid back, walked the wall around the city and climbed the tower, we had lunch in the amphitheater which was great. I was disappointed with Florence we were ripped off two Luke warm coffees for ten euros.
Viarregio is a nice town, promenade is good to walk along in the evening , beach Irene oppositie the hotel is good, friendly staff and it is kept lovely and clean .
All in all I would recommend this hotel, the food was good four courses every night, the only criticism the menu was only changed a couple of times and it did become a bit Samey.
We hired bikes from the hotel and cycled miles along the prom which was a good thing to burn off some of the pizzas and pasta we had over eaten during the week..

We were recommended by Thomson for this hotel. I could write this for ever but I won’t but what I will say was the Hotel President in Viareggio was excellent in all respects. OK it only had 50 rooms and yes not all with balcony’s but is that the end of the world as there was two private beaches across the road FOC for the guests, which more than made up for it. The staff and meals in the hotel were brilliant and we have no hesitation in returning back.

Having just returned from a 2 week, half board, stay at the Hotel President I can confirm many of the good points made by other reviewers. The hotel location in Viareggio is perfect, being just across the road from the beach and lots of nearby cafes and restaurants. There is a long promenade along the front of the cafes and shops extending from the harbour area through to the next resort of Lido Camaiore, with easy flat walking. The hotel rooms are very clean with a fridge and flat screen tv and free safe, no tea of coffee making facilities. The hotel staff are first class, very friendly and helpful.

Viareggio is an attractive resort with beautiful art deco buildings, a large busy market in the town centre and a weekly street market on the promenade. Each evening and especially at weekends all the Italians like to walk up and down the promenade looking in the shops.

We used the Bagno Irene beach just across the road from the hotel. This is a family run beach establishment, very friendly and they will let you keep the same place on the beach for all your stay. Inclusive in the hotel package is an umbrella and 2 deck chairs, a sun lounger costs an additional 5 euros per day. For lunch we found the food at Irene to be first class with home made pasta dishes and very good salads and pizzas.

We did try the Bagno Balena and whilst this had a swimming pool, note swimming caps must be worn, and an extensive gym with exercise bikes and organised exercise classes, we found the staff particularly unfriendly.

The train station is around 15 mins walk from the hotel and it is easy to get to Lucca, Pisa and the towns of Cinque Terre. Tickets are cheap and can be easily obtained from machines with English touchscreens.

One point to note with the hotel is that there is traffic noise from the main road at the front. We had a room on the first floor at the front and if you are a light sleeper the traffic noise could be a problem. Also please note first floor rooms do not have a balcony, other floors do.

The evening meal in the half board option is a 4 course with starters, pasta course, main course and dessert. The menu changed every 2 to 3 days. The standard of food is generally good with a number of choices for each course. However the choice for the main meal was on occasion limited, for 2 days we had 3 variations of veal and 2 sea bream dishes on the same menu which if you didn't like either of these only left a choice of chicken. There is a good choice of wines, however if you do not wish to have a full bottle then you can buy wine by the glass, with a large glass of a good chianti Classico costing just 5 euros.

Even given the short comings we would definitely return to the President. We would however ask for a room on a higher floor to reduce the traffic noise and to get a balcony from which to enjoy the sea view.

My husband and 10 year old son stayed at the Hotel President on September 1st and 2nd 2012 and loved the experience of the hotel and the town. I am a firm believer that customer service is defined and earned when things go wrong, not when they go right. We had a mix up with the booking and we felt that the ladies at the front desk tried their best to find a solution and in the end the manager came through and made it right.

We stayed on the 3rd floor over looking the ocean and it was spectacular. The hotel is situated right in the centre of all of the shops, beach clubs, restaurants and is in the ideal location. There is a mini bar, small flat screen with satelite channels, wifi, and though the rooms weren't huge, they were a comfortable size and very clean.

All of Viareggio's beaches are private so you have to pay no matter where you want to sit. Hotel President is affiliated with the Irene Beach club for $10 euros a day or the Balena 2000 for $20 Euro's a day. The Irene is closer, has more of a family friendly feel to it where as the Belena 2000 or B2K has more of a health club feel. We preferred the B2K because it had a pool for our son and the ocean was too rough to swim in. We had the BEST seafood salads at the B2K.

The breakfast at the Hotel President had much more variety than we had seen in other hotels. Bacon, Eggs, Pasteries, Cereal, some fresh fruit - all served in the white table cloth restaurant.

We had our best meals in Viareggio. The front desk suggested the Amaro and the Pizzeria in the Church. Both were amazing. Please make a reservation as both the Amaro and the Pizzeria are very popular and hard to get into. The Amaro has beef and fish but our son had the best pasta we had ever tasted.

Make sure you rent a bike! There is a rental shop around the corner from the hotel and you can casually ride along the bike paths, see the town and the ocean.