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L'hotel è vicino alla spiaggia.

L'hotel è vicino alla spiaggia.
The hotel is near the beach.
From Lesson 145:Formal commands with pronouns (lo faccia, mi scusi)·Italian

Questions & Answers about L'hotel è vicino alla spiaggia.

Why do we say alla spiaggia instead of just la spiaggia?
In Italian, the word vicino (near) is almost always followed by the preposition a (to) when linking to a location. When you combine a with the feminine article la, they merge to form alla.
Why does hotel get the apostrophe article l' even though it starts with a consonant?
The letter 'h' is completely silent in Italian. Because the word is pronounced starting with the 'o' sound, grammar treats it exactly like a word that starts with a vowel. So, just like you write l'orologio, you write l'hotel.
Will vicino change to vicina if the subject is a feminine word?
No, in this structure vicino acts as an invariable adverb indicating location, so its ending does not change. It stays masculine singular whether you are talking about a hotel (l'hotel) or a house (la casa).
Why is there an 'i' in spiaggia if it doesn't make a distinct vowel sound?
The 'i' is there strictly for pronunciation. It changes the sound of the double 'g'. Without the 'i', the 'g' would be a hard sound, like in the English word 'go'. The 'i' softens it to sound like the 'j' in 'judge'.

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