Filicudi Scuba Diving Vacations

We had a great stay here for 3 nights. The pool area is lovely and the staff were all really helpful and friendly. We didn’t have the breakfast but we had snacks at the pool which were great. The hotel is a little way out of town in a quiet area so it’s around €17 - €22 each way in a taxi inc a tip to get into the centre of town by the elephant statue. There’s a bus stop around 10 mins walk away and a Tabacchio near there to get your bus ticket. I would also recommend you take the hotel up on their helpful offer to arrange your airport transfers as their option is about €10 cheaper than flagging a cab at the airport. For the price of the hotel and the lovely pool it’s worth being a little way out of town.

Beautiful property and grounds and highly maintained. Staff very helpful. Thoroughly enjoyed our stay - only criticism, food availability was somewhat limited if you didn’t want to eat in the main restaurant at night.

Very beautiful and comfortable Hotel! One of the best!

Magnifique hôtel de luxe au cœur de Syracuse. Emplacement de choix, propreté et service remarquable. Matelas, literie et oreiller très confortable.

Great staff, funky room, best night’s sleep of the trip.

Just a one night stay between airport arrival and our road trip through Sicily. Breakfast buffet was tasty. Room was outdated but adequate.

Our stay at Palazzo Vecchia Taormina exceeded our expectations. We were warmly greeted upon check in and were able to get into our room earlier than expected. Our room was beautiful, clean, and spacious. The staff at the hotel were some of the best we have ever experienced. They accommodated any and all our needs to make our stay and experience in Taormina memorable. The Monsu restaurant was excellent. The waiters Armando, Giuseppe, and Laura were very attentive and accommodated all our requests. Compliments to the chef as well! We enjoyed use of the Blu Sky Bar on the rooftop and especially the service of Patrizia, who made us feel at home. Thank you again for making our stay one of the best we have ever experienced. Mille Grazie!

One cannot say enough about this sweet place in Ragusa. The rooms are well appointed, the terrace room added another dimension looking out on the rooftops, cathedral tower, and hillside. We had a dinner snack at sunset on the terrace which set off the marvelous day we had at the Valley of Temples (note you could see them lit at night from the terrace). Great beds -- we slept very well and enjoyed a great shower. The best part of the stay was the help from Benny who got us a bottle of wine for our sunset snack, helped with luggage, and prepared coffee and a lovely breakfast for us before we left. Highly recommend.

Very friendly and helpful staff.

We were a bit disappointed with our stay at Grand Hotel des Étrangers. While the hotel has been beautifully renovated and is in very good condition, it felt more like a generic luxury hotel and lacked the Sicilian character we were hoping for. The breakfast room also felt somewhat “hotel-like,” although the breakfast itself was delicious. The staff were consistently friendly and helpful, and we especially loved the pool, which was heated to a very comfortable 28°C. The spa was also lovely, although it was frustrating that we were only told about the beautiful recovery room after our treatments were finished and we had already changed. The outdoor rooftop bar was lovely as well with comfy couches and a great view. There were a few downsides that made the stay feel overpriced for what we received. Parking at the hotel costs €50 per day, but we found the public Talete lot nearby for only €15. Our room was quite basic and very small, facing an alley where there was constant noise from dumpsters being emptied. For roughly $1,000 per night, we expected much more. Another issue was the loud music from the beach club on the ground floor, especially in the late afternoon and evening. We’re also not convinced it’s worth paying a premium for a sea-view upgrade, as the views over Siracusa are pleasant but not particularly spectacular. Overall, the hotel has some strong points, but for the price, we expected a more special and authentic experience.

Spacious room, dated but comfortable.