Ama Collection Esclusive Spa

Ama Collection Esclusive Spa is at via Alessandro Algardi 14/1, in the Bolognina district, the part of Bologna north of the railway, on the opposite side of the station from the old centre. The high-speed station is a little over seven hundred metres' walk away and the historic Bologna Centrale one kilometre; the Museo per la Memoria di Ustica is six minutes on foot, while piazza Maggiore and the two towers are a little over two kilometres away. It is not a hotel: on the portal the property is registered as an apartment and its licence is that of a holiday home, so no reception and no hotel services, but accommodation taken as a whole.

How it is built

Three units are published: a one-bedroom and two studios, with a king or queen size bed. The rooms are furnished for effect, with dark walls and ceilings, coloured led lighting, chromotherapy and projections: in the photographs you see a starry ceiling above the bed, a large screen in front of the tub and petals on the floor of the wet area. The declared fittings include air conditioning, heating, a private bathroom, a TV, a kitchenette, a dining area, a dressing room, a patio and a washing machine, with bathrobes and a hairdryer. Parking is free on site, as is the wifi. Check-in runs from 15.00 to midnight and check-out by 10.00: a photo ID and a credit card are required, and the time of arrival must be given in advance.

The wellness area and the pool, named for what they are

Here the spa is the product, not an accessory service, and it is private: it is used alone, inside the accommodation, not in a shared department. The portal lists a wellness centre, a sauna, a whirlpool and a relaxation zone, and adds an indoor pool for the exclusive use of the apartment, which in the photographs appears as a lit basin next to the stairs. It must be said honestly that the property declares neither dimensions nor temperature for this pool, and that no steam bath is on record. Anyone looking for a many-sided wellness circuit will not find one here; anyone looking for a sauna, a whirlpool and a pool all to themselves, with no opening hours, finds exactly this formula.

The rules of access

The property has no official website of its own, so the figures in this entry come from the booking portal, which is the source the manager keeps updated. The portal writes, in those words, that children are not allowed and specifies that cots and extra beds are not available. No minimum age is published in figures, though: this entry therefore records the outright ban together with the fact that the property declares no threshold in years. The important information adds that anyone under eighteen may register only with a parent or guardian, and that stag or hen gatherings are not accepted. Pets are not allowed, there is no smoking and parties are not permitted. Anyone travelling with a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old should ask for written confirmation.

Who it suits

It suits the couple who want a night of private spa without leaving Bologna, anyone arriving by train, because the high-speed station is ten minutes on foot, and anyone arriving by car, because parking is free. It suits less anyone looking for a hotel with a reception and breakfast, anyone who wants to sleep inside the walls of the old centre, which stays a couple of kilometres away, and anyone expecting a large spa: the overall guest score, 6.8 from seven reviews, says that the experience pleases but is not a five-star one.