“Definitely a place to relax”

I wish we had read the problem with finding this hotel. It is off of the main road on a hilltop it took us two hours and asking 5 people 2 actually drove us to areas to find it. The hotel needs to put up a better road sign. There are no street lights so finding it in the dark is nearly impossible. The hotel was beautiful and had a great pool but again if you can't find it in time you can't use the pool check out time is 10am! Taorimina is a nearby choice if you can't find this hotel.

“Quiet, secluded and clean.”

Ignore the map, and don't head for the hills of Motta camastra. Head for "Gole Alcantara" which is a botanical gardens, with water rapids and walk routes etc. This is located on the main road "S185". Here, at reception, you will be assigned to one of their four hotels, which are on or near the grounds of the park. We were assigned the "Il Borgo", which is about 2 miles away. The hotel is surrounded by lemon trees. It's clean, with a nice pool & sun loungers. There's a restuarant there, which also acts as the breakfast area, and a nice bar, that will stop open as long as you're in there. The rooms are clean, and there's CCTV in operation. Most of the staff speak English quite well. Breakfast is continental, we only tried the evening meal once, and wasn't overly impressed, however we only tried one meal, so it may be ok. A car is essential. You're nearly on the north face of mount Etna, and we chose to eat in the seaside town of Naxos, some seven miles away, where you'll find lots of restuarants serving fresh fish and some nice beach areas. You've also got the nearby town of Taormina or Catania. On check out, settling my bar bill was a pain, as their new credit card facility, wouldn't accept visa, so be prepared with some cash from an ATM in Naxos. It's a nice quiet hotel, and is an ideal base for relaxing or seeing the local sights, I can't stress enough how handy the car was.

“'Il Borgo'”

We stayed in 'Il Borgo',one of the premises from a small group of 'Agriturismo' rural hotels belonging to the same owner as the Gole Alcantara Parco Botanico. Sicily was suffering extemely high temperatures at that time and 'Il Borgo's' beautiful peaceful setting amongst lemon groves with views of Etna was a very welcome retreat - so was the pool! The evening meals were excellent, fresh home cooking and we ended up choosing to eat there each evening. One evening, following a yummy buffet,they had arranged some traditional musicians to play for us. That was great fun and a total surprise. We found it all much to our taste especially the principle of Agriturismo - a far cry from some of the hectic(to our minds) resorts along the coast. But then it depends what you're looking for.

“Great family stay”

Although somewhat nervous as we were not sure which of the 3 hotels we would be in, nor exactly where they were, we had a fantastic stay. Booking in was simple via the reception at the Alcantara Gorge Centre, the hotel was lovely, in a great spot and the staff were excellent. Breakfast was great with a wide variety of foods and homemade cakes(not remotely full English!) and evening meals had to be booked, but again were simple and very local, OK choice was limited but it was fresh and well cooked. Nice pool and great access to Etna, Taormina, Alcantara Gorge etc. Overall a great and relaxing place to stay with Sicilian charm and character.

“Quiet relaxation”

Friendly hotel away from the main tourist route in quiet country setting. Pool and tennis court needed some attention, but rest of hotel was clean and comfortable. Typical Sicilian food

“A Trick to Find but Woth It”

We stayed in one of the three facilities the park offers, this one has the individual rooms and the Junior suite (which is what we had booked). Read your package from Expedia carefully since you will need to know where to go to check in and get your room assignment. We didn't do that so we had a bit of searching to do before we settled in. The Junior suite is the entire end of a building and ours faced the valley and the surrounding hills covered with olive groves and wonderful mountain views. The rooms were spacious and very well kept, and staff was very helpfull and pleasant. I would recommend this park to anyone who enjoys nature and wants to spend some time just chilling out on a balcony or terrace.

“Fabulous”

We stayed in il Borgo. It was heavenly. The scenery is stunning and the staff so helpful. Will definitely return.

“Gole Alcantara Wonderful Stay in Beautiful Countrside”

Gole Alcantara Park has several Inns as part of the Park and Gorge Area. We stayed in "Il Borgo" which was a Manor house built in the middle ages, well taken care of with modern amenities. Situated on a hillside overlooking the valley/gorge and river surrounded by lemon and olive trees. We read other reviews about getting there during daylight while Park Cafe open, we did and had no difficulty finding the hotel which is about a mile away. Welcomed cordially by Carmela and Francesca with smiles and Cappachino. Our room with a view on 3 sides was a junior suite, roomy, clean, canopy bed and the nicest we stayed in during our 3 weeks in Italy and Sicily. We had dinner in the hotel. It was very good served in a pretty dining room by Carmela. Sampled the after dinner Orange/Aranci and Lemon liquors. Breakfast next morning was good. We recommend Gole Alcantara as a place to be in the country, pretend you own the manor, relax, read, hike, tour and enjoy the Sicilian hospitality. We were there in October, if the weather was warmer could enjoy the nice pool and patio. This is a place you come to be away from city hustle and to enjoy the quiet and beautiful countryside. We would Return!!!!

“Very nice, stayed longer than we pland. It is not in the park.”

. we got room no.3 in the pink house (the main one) it was big and beautiful.

“Friendly hotel in beautiful, peaceful location”

Firstly, this 'hotel' is 3 individual buildings (ours had about 20 rooms) within the Gole Alcantara park, about 3km apart, each with its own reception, restaurant etc. It's an agriturismo set-up (old farm buildings converted). All 3 sites are in gorgeous surroundings of hills, and olive/lemon groves. A word of warning though - you definitely need a car (buses and train are miles away). The flip side of this is that the hotels are really peaceful (no traffic noise at all). For us it was perfect - the nearest town (Giardini Naxos) is 20 minutes in the car along scenic roads, and has beach, supermarkets, restaurants and bars. Our hotel was very clean, all the rooms a decent size (the shower cubicles are a bit small tho!). All the staff are friendly and helpful. There are also public areas to sit for a drink - bar area, terraces etc. The pool was lovely, set back from the hotel slightly with great views (again!). The only downside was the food. Breakfast was pretty basic - bread (more often than not a bit stale) with jam, yogurt and sometimes salami. Dinners are a set menu (2 choices for each course) - and a bit 'pot-luck'. Pasta was always good, but main courses varied - either lovely or awful & poor value for money. We ate at the hotel only twice in 8 nights. Also there was no food available outside the breakfast/dinner time so if you want something mid-afternoon, you have to go into town. Likewise for late-night snacks! Overall though, a fab hotel in a great location!