Grand Hotel Ortigia Siracusa

It was a great hotel and an enjoyable stay, but relying on them to do my laundry proved devastating. After three years of continuous travel around the world, this was the first hotel whose laundry vendor lost several items, not just one. At first, the hotel said it had no record of the laundry, though the bill showed otherwise. That whole episode spoiled what had been a great stay. Checking the returned laundry bag before leaving might have caught the problem before it escalated and tarnished the experience.

We went up to the rooftop terrace at sunset for food and drinks. The panorama from the rooftop bar was grand, and the food pairings were very good. A little pricey, but worth it.

The staff are what made this hotel so memorable: always smiling, efficient, and happy to help. Carmello and the team were attentive, kind, and fun, and it was lovely coming back to Fortunado and Adrianno’s smiling faces. The cleaning crew came morning and night to make sure we had everything we needed. The hotel also had a wonderful fragrance from its scent sticks; we liked it enough to buy the same one as a memory of Sicily. I chose it for the location because my mom can’t walk much. I spent more than I could afford, but it was worth it. Breakfast on the amazing terrace was fantastic, with a buffet and an included menu to order from. The room was nice and comfortable, and while it didn’t have a balcony, the view from the window made up for that.

The hotel feels outdated, with small rooms and photos that don’t show its current condition. There were no outlets in the rooms, the WiFi didn’t work, and they charge extra for every service. I was disappointed and wouldn’t recommend it.