Grand Hotel Villa Politi

The hotel had bags of character. From walking in you can feel the history. It is a truly unique place to stay and for the price we felt we got our moneys worth (c€1000 for the last week September). The rooms and pool have been recently refurbished to a high standard. Especially the pool area which was a great relaxing spot. I got the impression they do updates to the hotel in the winter for summer peak. So it should keep getting better and better. I would focus on reviews for the summer just gone as that’s when the pool was completed. Beers by the pool were around €5 - more expensive than in the bars but pretty good for a pool bar. The location is a half an hour walk from Ortigia. That worked for us. Some people said the walk wasn’t pleasant in the reviews but we found it fine and it is down hill on the way there. There is a bus (105) that comes every 15 mins. We kept missing it and just walking instead which helped work off the copious amounts of pasta we ate. It was also great for the attractions of Syracuse itself with the archaeological sites around a 15min walk away. The free parking was also a plus as we hired a car to get around other parts of Sicily. Breakfast was largely European continental buffet style. There was some cooked elements - scrambled egg, sausages and bacon but they didn’t look at appealing to me. There was lots of pastries, cereal, yogurt and fruit which served us well.

The hotel is gorgeous. We stayed here for a couple of nights at the end of our holiday and after reading the previous reviews we were quite skeptical of how it would be. I think when you read the negative reviews you have to take them with a pinch of salt. This is a 4 star hotel, not 5, and to put it bluntly, you get what you pay for. We booked this as a cheap and cheerful end to the holiday and we were actually so surprised with how nice the hotel was. The staff were all super friendly, always said hello to us as we walked past, they were always happy to book us taxis etc. The breakfast was fantastic, again we were a little worried about this having read the previous comments but we were pleasantly surprised. They had a big selection of pastries, they had hot food, a big selection of meats and cheese, yogurt etc. The hotel grounds are beautiful and well maintained. The only thing worth mentioning is it seems to be for an older crowd, my boyfriend and I are in our 20s but this was never an issue, but might be if you want more of a younger vibe. The room was fantastic, so beautiful and the view out was incredible. A lot of people have also commented about the location, which is bizarre to me as you can see where it is before you book it! It’s not like they can pick up the hotel and move it, if you don’t like the location, don’t stay here. For us, it was lovely and tranquil, away from the town (but still close enough to get a taxi)

Extremely beautiful hotel which was extremely well kept and clean. The food and service for dinner was extremely good with very helpful staff. The buffet breakfast was acceptable and tasty The parking facilities were good. Checking in and out was very efficient and fast.

The hotel is a beautiful, historic building that has been renovated while keeping all the history. The grounds are amazing! The swimming pool is gorgeous with plenty of sun loungers. The rooms were spacious and clean. Breakfast was very peaceful with plenty of choice - pastries, eggs, bread, cereal etc. The parking had plenty of space and was on-site and secure.

Excellent staff, beautiful Hotel and superb location