Hotel Borgo Pantano

(English below) Lavoro da anni nel settore turistico, ho dormito un po’ ovunque e l’unico posto in cui sento di tornare al termine di una vacanza è casa. Qui no. Qui si arriva e non si vorrebbe mai andare via. Qui è casa. Qui è silenzio, natura, attenzione al dettaglio, cura dei particolari. Qui è il sorriso di chi sta in reception e di chi lavora nella sala colazioni (esperienza davvero stellare, che non teme confronto coi migliori boutique hotel a 5 stelle. Lo si deve ammettere: è decisamente migliore!), è l’accoglienza del ristorante e della bellissima zona piscina. Esci da questo luogo pensando a come rendere casa tua più simile a qui e, se ci si pensa, non capita spesso girovagando per le strutture alberghiere. Posti belli, per carità, ma difficilmente non ti fanno rimpiangere per qualsivoglia motivo casa tua. Giusy ha una visione che persegue e che qui si sente, si avverte: tutto il progetto e il luogo sono impregnati di rispetto e cura, di bellezza e pace. Un luogo davvero magico, sospeso tra i mondi. Stare qui è vivere una poesia. ENGLISH I have been working in the tourism industry for years, I have slept almost everywhere and the only place I feel like returning to (at the end of every vacation or job trip) is home. This doesn’t happen at Borgo Pantano. You arrive here and you don't want/feel to leave. Here is home. Here it is silence, nature, attention to details, care. Here it is the smile of those at the reception and of those who work in the breakfast room (a truly stellar experience, which does not fear any comparison with the best 5-star boutique hotels’ one - I must admit: is FAR better!), it is the welcome of the restaurant and the stunning swimming pool area. You leave this place thinking about how to make your own home more like Borgo Pantano and, if you think about it, it doesn't happen often while wandering around hotel facilities. Beautiful places, for goodness sake, but they all, at a certain point, make you miss your home for some reason. Giusy has a vision that she pursues and that can be easily felt here: the entire project and the place are filled with respect and care, with beauty and peace. A truly magical place, suspended between worlds. Staying here is like living in a poem.

We have stayed in five star hotels around the world, both boutique and known chains like Rocco Forte hotels. Some we would return to and some we would not. Hotel Borgo Pantano is top of the list of places we want to come back to. What an oasis of relaxation! The hotel is only 15 minutes from the magical jewel box town of Ortigia but yet it feels like an oasis of calm, just 7 kilometres away. We made use of their daily shuttle service and also the special deal with the local taxi service when the shuttle times did not suit our schedule. It is very easy to have dinner in the town of Ortigia and get a taxi back to the hotel, if you want to experience the magic or Ortigia at night (parking your car in Ortigia is a pain, so do use their shuttle and taxi arrangements). We ate most of our meals at the restaurant at the hotel and it was consistently excellent. We love seafood and everything on the menu was fantastic. The service at the restaurant is excellent and the atmosphere of dining in the romantic setting is very special. Our Unique Suite was full of character and had plenty of room for us. We loved the spa bath upstairs and the split level suite. The air conditioning worked perfectly, which was a relief in the humid Sicilian late Summer. It is perfectly quiet so you will get a very good nights sleep here. Breakfast is extensive and is a balance of sweet and savoury items. If you can't find anything there to like I question your enjoyment of food. The grounds of the hotel are just BEAUTIFUL. I loved all the little touches like the hammocks and lounges in the grounds to relax in. The pool is huge and never felt crowded. We had coffees and Aperol Spritz sundowners by the pool from the poolside cafe, which was so relaxing. Most of all though, what makes this place special, are the staff. The staff here are magnificent in making you feel welcome. A big shout out to Manuela who was always excellent in helping us. Also Ana (I think) who checked us in and of course the incredible Giusi who takes a hands-on approach to running her wonderful hotel. It was incredibly satisfying to see a strong women running such an excellent hotel so professionally to such a high standard in male dominated Sicily. We can't wait to return here. Just a tip: its an easy one hour drive from Catania Airport to here in a rental car. You may have seen reviews saying the roads aren't great. It is true that there are some bad pot holes in some of the local roads but we had a small SUV which didn't have any issues with the roads. The parking at the hotel is very easy. You then have the option to get to the UNESCO town on Noto which is only 45 minutes away, or the place we loved, Modica, which is an hour away. There is so much to see in the area, or you can just relax and enjoy the beautiful grounds of the hotel. We are already trying to work out when we can fit in a vacation back to this fabulous place!