Hotel Villa Calandrino

The B&B we’d booked let us down, so we arrived late at night. The man at reception was really friendly, even though his English wasn’t very good. Our hotel room was great, with lots of space and cute decorations, and breakfast was awesome too.

Breakfast was a daily disappointment. It was only served from 8:30 to 9:30am, and several mornings there was no butter, barely any bread, or no bread at all. The selection was minimal: packaged ham, processed cheese, cornflakes, oats, and hard-boiled eggs, with no fresh fruit or variety. Once, we were sent to a nearby bar, where we each got just one croissant and a coffee. We were a group of six, three couples, at Villa Calandrino for four nights, Wednesday to Sunday. The 4-star rating and photos had raised our expectations, but the property is about a 10-minute drive from Sciacca centre and the photos don’t match what we found. When we arrived, an intoxicated person was in the driveway. The receptionist was polite and professional, one of the few positives. The pool was unavailable when we arrived. The water was green and clearly unmaintained, despite mid-April temperatures reaching 26°C. The grounds looked neglected, mostly uncut grass and old, broken outdoor chairs. Our rooms were basic but acceptable. Wi-Fi didn’t work, rooms were cleaned only once in four nights, and there was no proper hot water for showers, just lukewarm water on one occasion. Management was frustratingly absent. We asked several times for the manager or owner, but they never came to address anything. Communication was poor. Late one evening we were told we might have to change rooms because of a party, then that was cancelled at the last minute. At checkout, there was no real process, we were just told to leave the keys and go. This place feels neglected and isn’t being kept to the advertised standard. With the poor maintenance, missing basic amenities, and no management around, we can’t recommend it. The location is convenient, but the stay was far from what we expected.

We liked it so much that we extended our stay. It was low season when we visited in June, so it wasn’t busy and we practically had the amazing pool to ourselves. The rooms were nice and the staff friendly. Breakfast wasn’t elaborate, though that may have been because it was the season.

The grounds are kept extremely well and the staff are very nice. The room could have been a little bigger, but it wasn’t a deal breaker. If Davide is serving breakfast, you’re lucky, he’ll take great care of you with five-star service.