Alia Vacations from $1,371

The staff was amazing and very helpful. They moved our room after our first night because the people in the room above us were so loud we could hear everything. The rooms are nice but have some drawbacks: in order to have your windows open to get fresh air at night, the room is flooded with all the uplighting surrounding the hotel. The windows have wooden shutters inside which means in order to block out the light, you must close the windows and then close the wooden shutters. Either turn off the floodlights at night or provide some curtains. The walls are also very thin and you can hear everything in the room next to you. We couldn’t get any of the TV apps to work so only had access to Italian TV. Did a fun (but very long) cooking class. The pool area is interesting but not inviting. It’s in a corner in the main area of the courtyard and faces 2 walls so there is no view. Also not very private. There is no lobby bar or any soft seating to relax anywhere. There is also not a set restaurant at the hotel - you have to do a cooking class or a private chef cooking for you (which would be nice but it’s in the cooking class/breakfast room so you have to experience it while a class is going on beside you). It’s a very pretty hotel but not really designed for the best experience for guests.

In the middle of everything

Really nice stay at the Grand Palladium Sicilia. I will say that some of areas of room could do with updating. Some of the wardrobes had stains on. The food was excellent! A la carte restaurants were all fantastic and there was such a vast amount of choice and variety in the buffet with a different themed cuisine each night. Everyone was exceptionally helpful and the animation team did a brilliant job throughout the day and night. Would highly recommend!

MASSERIA DEL CARBOJ was one of the highlights of our trip to Sicily. The setting is beautiful, with a fantastic pool area and stunning views over the vineyards. Dinner at sunset was a memorable experience, and the food and wine were excellent. We met Marco at dinner and again the following morning. He was friendly, welcoming and clearly passionate about both the property and the local area. When we checked out, he gave us a personalised guide for the next stage of our journey, packed with recommendations for places to visit, restaurants and wineries. We followed many of his suggestions, and they turned out to be some of the best experiences of our holiday. A wonderful place to relax, with thoughtful hospitality and an authentic Sicilian feel. We'd happily stay again.