Ortea Palace Luxury Hotel

This is a new hotel, which only opened a few months ago. As the name suggests the hotel is very grand and you do feel like you are walking into a building steeped in tradition. The hotel is immaculately furnished and decorated, and very clean. When we visited (early September 2018) the hotel wasn't very busy, possibly due to the time of the year, and the fact that it hadn't been opened very long. Therefore there wasn't much of an atmosphere at the hotel as it was so quiet, but this will no doubt improve as more guests visit it over the coming months. The best things about this hotel are the staff, who are very friendly and accomodation. Special thanks to Olmo, head concierge. Always had a smile on his face, went above and beyond when finding out information for us and is such a genuine guy. It felt like chatting to an old friend everytime we saw him! Also Gianmario (the bar manager) and Dario, who also worked at the bar were very friendly. We stayed in a deluxe duplux room which was fantastic - this room did not have a bath (just a shower). The only disappointing thing, and probably which stopped me giving it 5* was the fact that the swimming pool facilities and spa facilities are charged at €20 and €40 per person/per day respectively even if you are a guest of the hotel! (The fitness centre is free of charge) I feel that when paying over €350/night then at least the swimming pool should be included. Also the rooftop restaurant, which is advertised in the pictures, was not open and it was unclear when this would be open.

Stunning hotel inside an historical building, placed on the coast of the marvellous Ortigia island. The old 1920s Palazzo delle Poste has been beautifully renovated to host a state of the art Hotel and Spa. The quality of the architectural finish inside the building is of the highest standards. Rooms are spacious, comfortable and provided with every modern convenience. The junior suite includes an amazing bathtub next to the main bed which is incredibly comfortable. Bed linen are very soft and pleasant to the touch for a restful sleep. Bathrobes are soft and velvety. The in-room welcome bottle of prosecco on ice, with accompanying cakes, is a delightful touch. Breakfast includes a wide range of cakes, fruit, vegetables, bread and cereals. There are several choices for the English breakfast too. Service is extremely courteous, attentive and kind. The view from my room was simply gorgeous. Spa and swimming pool are brand new, nicely decorated and very good sized. The gym is equipped with the latest machinery provided with bluetooth technology and hd flat screens so you can watch youtube or any other video you like while excercise. Can't recommend it enough.

All of the staff are so lovely. Lobby/restaurant is also a great place to get away from the heat and relax and have a drink in an air conditioned beautiful place.

The hotel is amazing, the staff is kind and very attentive. We had a junior suite with a wonderful design. In the dinner restaurant, the beef is amazing. Small bémol on the spa, with the price we thought we were going to be less people.

Located in the Ortigia. Outstanding service and cleanliness. Silvia, hotel representative, was very helpful and pleasant. One of our best experiences in all of Europe. Parking could be improved, but if you are able to get the first row - you are all set.

The hotel and staffs are just amazing. Everyone in here is so kind and helpful. We had great time here. About its restaurant, we have to say that steak is the best! Additionally, its breakfast has different kind of food. We would like to come again.

Reception staff excellent. Room was not ready on our arrival and had to wait, but when 30 minutes passed frontboffice just upgraded us from classic to suite and this without any aggro from our end as we were waiting patiently. Room is split level and huge. Breakfast team work like clockwork following covid protocol to the letter. All staff speak English. Well done to everyone involved in this Hotel.

Facilities: I stayed 4 nights at Ortea palace Hotel. The hotel is located in an old palace and I found that the design although "grand" was an older style may be in need of refreshing. My room was a split level style with half of the facilities above and the rest below so you had to plan carefully. If you wanted a shower you had to go down,  same with watching TV, it was down only, so no possibility of doing that in bed. Service: My experience with the service started before my arrival when I reached out via email for some information and response did not come so I had to call to ask my questions. When I arrived for check-in, the front desk staff were busy, handling multiple issues at once and it took a bit until I could check in. Turndown service was not regular, sometime they came, others they did not. Also, very little drinking water was provided and not daily (2x250 ml bottles that was replenished once in 4 nights, so a total of 1 liter for 4 days), used bath towels (left on floor) were not always replaced. No inquiry was made as to how my stay was going in the whole 4 nights I spent there. Also, I felt particularly uncomfortable with the room service as every time the room was cleaned, I found that my things in the bathroom had been left a mess (which is not the way I had left them) as if the staff had been thoroughly bothered by my things being there. Breakfast: I had breakfast daily there and it was another strange experience. Everytime I arrived for breakfast, instead of being offered a table as was done with other guests I was left standing until I could myself find a clean table to seat at. Then again no one came to request what I wanted to drink, I had to flag them; also, no one came to ask how I was enjoying my breakfast; contrary to how other guests at other tables were being dealt with. Everyday I kept on hoping that the experience would improve but it was not the case, sadly.  If we put the lack of service aside for a moment, I have to say that the breakfast offers a huge amount of choice. Dinning: I dined at the restaurant Incanto once during my stay, and it was a special Arab themed dinner that showcased through food the Arab influence on Sicily. The main was couscous with seafood and it was quite good! Overall my experience at this hotel was unfortunately not the caring and attentive one I expected from a 5 star hotel and I personally would not stay there again nor recommend it.