Sanctuary of Santa Maria of Vena Tours and Activities

We are a family of four and had a really enjoyable stay at the hotel and all the staff were so lovely and friendly to us. A special mention to David who was our server at breakfast time, he was great fun and so friendly to us. The 2 pools were fabulous and well maintained and all rooms and areas in the hotel are beautiful. The spa is out of this world!! The breakfast was also great with a fabulous selection. In general the hotel and grounds are beautiful. However, some minor things that prevented me from giving it 5 stars were; the general upkeep of the building, as the roof and railings are getting dated and could do with being cleaned and/or painted to freshen up the building. We arrived 15 minutes before check-in time so appreciated we would have to maybe wait for our rooms, however we ended up having to wait over an hour, which wasn’t ideal. The location around the hotel is not great, it is a bit run down and no facilities. However, we had a cat so this wasn’t a big issue but something to bear in mind. The biggest issue for us was the lack of air conditioning in the rooms.. in Sicily.. in summer.. we were here for 4 nights and I don’t think slept one of them!

Perfectly located with breathtaking views of the sea. Staff was excellent. Only issue we had was it took over 45 minutes to get our car from the valet parking and I almost missed my train in Siracusa because of it.

Great experience all around. Welcoming friendly staff that were always happy to assist with any needs. Rooftop bar a must. Only complaint is the free standing tub / shower situation. Not comfortable to use and it flooded the bathroom every time since there is no curtain or proper drainage.