Hotel Dolcestate

We spent two weeks at the hotel at the beginning of September and, unfortunately, left very disappointed. The hotel is reasonably well located as a base for exploring northern Sicily, but its current standard is definitely not what we would expect from a 4-star hotel with an all-inclusive option. The room was cleaned, but very superficially. The bed linen was changed once during our two-week stay, while towels were replaced regularly. The furnishings are very worn and outdated: old furniture, yellow walls, uncomfortable mattresses, metal beds, and curtains that do not properly block out the light. We were given two beds pushed together. There was mould and limescale in the bathroom, and we also had ants in our room. There was no tea and coffee-making facility, nor were there conveniently accessible power outlets. The fridge only worked when the card that activates the electricity was inserted. The plastic all-inclusive wristbands started coming unstuck after a few days and became scratchy and uncomfortable. The food was the biggest disappointment. Lunches and dinners were often barely warm, the meat was very tough (mainly pork and fish), and the vegetables and fruit were surprisingly poor quality for the beginning of September. The tomatoes were sour, the cucumbers rubbery, and the canned corn was grey. There was very little fresh, seasonal fruit, while fruit in syrup was readily available. Breakfasts were very poor in terms of protein: mostly eggs, a small selection of cold cuts, and bacon. Yoghurts were available, but their quality left a lot to be desired. Another issue was the replenishment of food. On our last day, the early breakfast for departing guests consisted of very little beyond a stale bread roll with jam. On the positive side, some of the pasta prepared at the live cooking station was acceptable, and the pizza at the hotel pizzeria was quite decent. There was no limit on the number of visits to the pizzeria. The all-inclusive offer also leaves a lot to be desired. Snacks between meals were extremely limited, essentially consisting of a few pieces of fruit and the same cakes that were served at breakfast. There was no bottled water in the room, and there were signs by the restaurant's water dispensers asking guests not to refill their own bottles. A proper Italian espresso cost extra, while breakfast and the all-inclusive package only included awful instant coffee. What is more, only one bar was open, so virtually everyone used the same place throughout the day and evening, resulting in queues when there were more guests. We also had the impression that the offer for French guests was more extensive, including Aperol Spritz, for example, and that the entertainment programme was aimed primarily at them. The swimming pools are a decent size, but clearly neglected: there was black grime along the edges, worn-out infrastructure, and peeling enamel. There was no lifeguard for part of the day. The beach is a few minutes' walk from the hotel, behind gardens and other buildings rather than directly next to the property. It is rocky, has no lifeguard or beach bar, and sun loungers cost extra. With an all-inclusive package, this means that there is practically no way to make use of the services you have already paid for while at the beach. A car is essentially necessary because of the location. There is not even a shop nearby, while the hotel shuttle operates only a limited number of times, requires advance booking, and is relatively expensive. A return trip to Cefalù cost €14 per person. For someone without a car, the hotel can therefore feel extremely isolated. Having a car does not necessarily solve all the problems either: the rental company employee arrived an hour late to collect the car, and if you rent a car outside the hotel, you have to add €15 per day for parking. “Hidden costs” could be the common theme for many of the services we would normally expect to be included in the price of the stay: renting and exchanging pool towels costs extra, as does the deposit for the prepaid card required for purchases at the bar. You should also be prepared to pay the tourist tax. We got the impression that the hotel had its heyday several decades ago and is now mainly relying on its ageing infrastructure while offering the bare minimum required to keep operating. Our stay was saved by Sicily itself: the beautiful historical sites, charming towns, and incredible nature. We would not, however, choose to stay at this hotel again.

Location middle of nowhere €10 euros to get to a supermarket and €10 to get back as the place had no facility for buying water pop crisps anything you might want unless it was at the bar for drinks only with over inflated prices €35 to get a Cefalu i’m €35 to get back absolutely shocking The trips to see Etna we were told don’t even bother booking as they only cater for the French and Polish no one will be speaking English The food at every meal was either frozen or out of a tin and we did not have one hot meal the whole time we were there everything was freezing cold Manager did send us round to a little pizza restaurant that they had in the Hotel three nights in a row because we could not eat and would not eat freezing food in the restaurant a word I use loosely The scum mark around one of the swimming pools was about 2 inches deep green algae The only good thing I will say is the rooms are clean or ours was in anyway another English couple who were there said thiers wasn’t Massively disappointing holiday, my Advice go somewhere else

The hotel is very pleasant. Its biggest strength is undoubtedly its staff and the entertainment team, who work tirelessly to make our stay as enjoyable as possible. Despite that, we were a little disappointed. We would have loved to see more shows and experience more authentic Sicilian traditions and specialties, which is why I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

The hotel is fine, and is very clean and the staff also very attentive, despite being overwhelmed at times. The food is quite basic Italian and very repetitive and also often cool to cold. At the time of our holiday the hotel was mainly French and Russian, all quite rude at times. Again during our visit only one bar was open, located at the pool, although there is a second bar indoors but never open. There is a severe lack of tables and seats resulting in many sitting on the sunbeds. The bar is supposed to stay open until 24:00 but only if you're on full all-inclusive, 3 levels of all-inclusive upto 22:00, upto 23:00 and the best at 24:00. No proper snacks available at the bar unlike most other hotels. Having said that we were upgraded to the low level of all-inclusive on arrival. Our initial room had only a very limited view of garden from the balcony but generally rendered wall outside, and the air conditioning wouldn't work, apparently it is controlled from the reception, very strange, we did move to a better room with working AC. The animation team are all very young and again French, so catered for those tourists. The level of entertainment was very poor and the team appeared to think of their own enjoyment ahead of the guests. We had a hired car from the airport due to the isolated location of the hotel and we're shocked to find we also had to pay €15/day for parking, albeit due to length of our stay this was reduced to €10/day. The receptionist and assistant manager weren't very helpful at the end of our stay when asked if they had any facilities we could use to shower and change due 10:00 check out and not leaving to catch our flight until 16:30, suggested we use the pool shower, not impressed 🤬. Wouldn't recommend.

OK! Location very Best, atmo. Super, rooms ok, and all ok !