Mangia's Polina Resort

Avoid like the plague. 30 degrees, the room is a sauna and the ac is not functioning. Manager said he cannot do anything and left us in this sweltering heat. Arrogance at its best. Absolutely not recommended.

While the resort is in a beautiful setting and very well maintained, there were little things that put us off. The requirement that we needed to wear an irritating plastic bracelet was the most annoying of all. It reflected the corporate attitude that dominated the feel of the place.

Not the place if you're here to explore or see Sicily. At least 30 The resort is engineered to make you pay for everything. There is nothing within walking distance of the compound so you are reliant on the resort to provide everything including drinking water. You're given 1 bottle each of still and sparkling on check-in. Options for food limited to 3 at the time of our stay and they close by 10:30. We arrived late and hungry and we found the only place left open at 9:30 was the pizza restaurant. Granted it was pretty good pizza. There were others who unfortunately arrived after us and found the restaurant too late. The "resort" seems to want to portray itself as a wellness retreat, with weekly programs of yoga and other fitness programs. Room was clean and bare minimum. No coffee or tea in room. Interesting considering the coffee culture but maybe that's not a done thing by hotels in Italy. There is a thermostat in the room but it doesn't seem to work as an a/c as there is no way to set it any lower than 27.5⁰C. They seem to have considered the elderly and mobility challenged in the bathrooms. However the wing we stayed in is not the most accessible for many. Wouldn't recommend for most travellers.

What a beautiful place in every way. Staff are excellent with a beautiful setting. We are definitely coming back. Walks around the complex are stunning

Avoid this resort if you value honesty, comfort, or a peaceful holiday. We booked two rooms for a special wedding anniversary trip, paying extra for what the website advertised as beautiful, comfortable, 4-star accommodation. Instead, we were given dark, depressing rooms nothing like the photos, with rock-hard beds, broken air-conditioning, and loud DJ music from the kids’ club blasting until late at night. When we complained, staff were evasive about the noise and repeatedly refused to move us, claiming there was nothing else available – even though we later discovered there clearly was. When they finally offered to move us, it was to rooms that were even worse – hotter, noisier, and with beds so uncomfortable we couldn’t sleep. It took four nights of misery before they finally gave us the type of rooms we’d paid for from day one. By then, most of our holiday was ruined. We spent our days exhausted instead of exploring and relaxing. We asked for a fair refund for the nights that were awful, but the resort instead offered an insulting €150 “goodwill” payment or 20% off a future stay – completely missing the point that we would never return. The only bright spot was Claudia at reception, who genuinely tried to help, but by then it was far too late. A supposed 4-star experience turned into one of the worst holidays we’ve ever had.