Eco Resort Dei Siriti

The private beach and bar were nice, and the hotel is well placed for exploring the area, though you'll need a car. Rooms are large, clean, and well equipped, with friendly staff, a nice view, plenty of activities, and a hardworking entertainment team. It's family oriented. Breakfast was varied enough; we didn't eat lunch or dinner there. English was limited, with most things focused on Italian. The main drawback for me was the entertainment team's loud music and microphone use, almost constantly from 10:00 onward.

At first I thought this place looked like a four-star hotel. The staff seemed helpful and friendly, and the pool was nice, with water that felt soothing in the 35°C heat, neither especially hot nor cold. The hotel is around 5 km from the beach. But the microphone guy yesterday wouldn't stop talking over the music, making silly comments and singing out of tune. I don't know if he was drunk or high, which is fine, but someone should take the microphone away. The show had a couple of theater jokes too. Maybe I missed the point of the demonstrations, so I'll think about that. Breakfast was tasty, though nothing special, the usual Italian food trying to be international. I don't like coffee dispensers, since pressing a button doesn't make good coffee, though I understand they're probably the latest thing in catering. I'll try the beach shuttle. Update, July 19, 2018: The pool lifeguards were polite, useful, and knowledgeable. Reception was the opposite. I asked for help twice today and both times they were obnoxious, rude, and almost laughed at me. They could learn something from the lifeguards. Update, July 20, 2018: This really isn't a four-star restaurant. Yesterday they served us old french fries. The buffet last night seemed to recycle lunch leftovers and old fries. I tried the cornetti today, but they were covered in powdered sugar, which I dislike, and the pastry inside was still raw. I'm disappointed they can't serve a decent pastry. I also can't believe a four-star place gives out paper towels and plastic cups, with only one glass. The dispenser coffee and soft drinks, plus the lack of extra glasses at meals, are part of a longer list.

The facilities are new and work well, and the resort is nice. Staff are attentive and helpful, though they're not necessarily used to assisting tourists who don't speak Italian. We managed fine.

We stayed in early June right when it opened. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, the staff couldn't have been more helpful, and the food was fantastic. Would love to visit again.