Antica Perla Residence Hotel

The staff were lovely, the hotel was clean, and fresh towels were provided every day as standard. We were there for a family celebration in Sicily, and the beach location is great if you have transport, with the Valley of the Temples only a few miles away. The downside for us was being without a car: there’s no transport near the hotel, so we relied on taxis, which are very expensive in Sicily. The local restaurants nearby weren’t open yet, perhaps because the season starts in June, and a trip of about 3 miles to a restaurant cost 40 Euros each way. We spent a small fortune on cabs. There’s no snack bar either, so bring food if you’ll be at the hotel during the day. After breakfast, there was only ice cream and crisps. In season, I imagine the two local restaurants would be great. All in all, the hotel and staff were great.

You’ll need a car to get to the center, but this is a quiet, lovely hotel and I’d definitely return. It overlooks the sea, where you can swim, and there’s free parking. The pool is large enough for both fun and relaxing. Our room was spacious, with a view of the endless blue, though the small TV was in the wrong place, at least in mine. The hotel was clean. In the bathroom, though, there was just one sachet each of shampoo and shower gel for two people. Breakfast was quite good, and the staff were helpful.

The sea is only a few seconds’ walk from the lobby, and the beach feels almost private. I think the hotel deserves a lot more attention, since I found it almost by accident, and it’s worth much more. I’m pretty sure I got the best room in the hotel: spacious, with a little kitchenette and a balcony with an excellent sea view. The staff were friendly and helpful.

I’m sorry if this sounds harsh, but the woman at reception welcomed us as if we were in boot camp. In all our hotel stays in Italy, especially in Sicliy, I’ve never encountered someone so unfriendly. The man at the hotel bar was just as bad. The rooms were kind of clean, but worn with time and not renovated. There were even cut beard hairs left in some corners from former guests, which isn’t acceptable. The hotel personnel wouldn’t understand any English if they didn’t want to, so we had no chance to say this while we were there. That kind of arrogance deserves public blame.