Acacia Palace Hotel

What wonderful service we had all the staff are beyond exceptional, they all made our week very special. All the staff were wonderful, Simone, Monica, emiliana, Giuseppe, Fredric, Maria, Agata, gianmarco, paolo, Mariacristina, Venessa, Barbara, peppe, Katia, florentin, Franco, peppe, toninio, uskhin, Giorgio, Carla, Cristina, Michela, Leandro, Laura and Vanessa. Big shout out to all the above who looked after us. Definitely a place to visit again. Food and drinks were very good, pizza was exceptional.

WELL, to start with Thomas Cook collapsing while we were away, didn???t help. The atmosphere was tense to say the least especially with the Germans . The hotel is owned by Thomas Cook so it is not known if it will be still operating as people were leaving and only a few were coming in. Whether it was due to the collapse or not we found the food very repetitive, with meals being rehashed from meal to meal. Our room was large and clean,but the shower was so small you could not move in it.the water was left ad hoc. The staff were attentive especially the reception. Beware the the journey to and from the airport is long and uncomfortable with stops to drop off and pick up people (2.5 hours) Bearing this in mind the trips are about the same duration and expensive. The area is very Italian with very few people speaking or understanding English.

We booked through Thomas Cook. It's a long way from Catania airport. Two hours on a cramped coach. The hotel is ok. Not great, but ok. The swimming pool was good though and well looked after. Our room (205a) had an excellent view of the Mediterranean sea. I could sit for hours there watching the ships on the horizon. The hotel but of beach was excellent too and the water shallow but very warm. Some days the red flag was up as it can get choppy. Hotel food was good but not fantastic. The a la carte option was better but that menu didn't vary much. All inclusive was ok and the beers, wines etc good. Staff could be amazing and special thanks to Guiseppe in the restaurant and Florentin both of whom made my wife smile and me too. The regular grill bar guy was great too and Carla our regular cleaner. The spa area was good and we both tried a treatment. Lots of British stay here and excursions are run. But many are quite distant. Buses are hit and miss but the drivers friendly and we used these to visit nearby towns. The resort was excellent with loads of venues to eat and drink at. In fact it may be better to stay B&B and eat out? Lots of sandy and clean beach front and it felt safe. Nice to sit among the locals in the square at night. The market and local shops for food were all good with reasonable prices. A nice place to stay but be prepared for lengthy journeys to the sights of Sicily.