VOI Marsa Sicla Resort

The hotel feels as if it is located at the very end of the world. If you want to explore the region and not spend your entire stay within the resort, a car is practically essential. However, rental cars can be arranged directly through the hotel. From here, it is easy to visit the stunning Baroque towns of the Val di Noto, including Modica, Noto and Scicli. Syracuse is also within easy reach. And if you have the opportunity, make sure to enjoy lunch or dinner in Marzamemi – the atmosphere alone is well worth the trip. The room was the only weaker point of our stay. It was rather dark and had a slight musty smell, probably because the rooms are located in older villas. There was no window at all; the only source of natural light came from the partially glazed entrance doors. The bathroom renovation was not particularly successful either, especially the shower area. In addition, the flooring material chosen is difficult to keep clean and therefore tends to look somewhat worn and untidy. However, these shortcomings are more than compensated for by the hotel grounds. The beautifully maintained park is simply breathtaking and impresses with its exceptional beauty. The food was excellent. The culinary concept is based on traditional Sicilian cuisine, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Fresh fish and seafood, outstanding pasta dishes and fantastic risottos provided daily culinary highlights. Mediterranean cuisine may not suit everyone's taste, but for us it was a major plus. Do not expect fine dining, but the quality of the food is superb. Fish and seafood lovers, in particular, will be delighted. The staff – every single member of the team, from the golf cart drivers and lifeguards to the bar, restaurant and reception staff – were simply wonderful. Everyone was friendly, helpful, attentive and highly professional. Every request was dealt with immediately, and never once did we feel as though we were being a nuisance. A heartfelt thank you to the entire team and our utmost respect for the excellent work they do every day. The pool area is a real highlight. The large, spotless pool with its pleasantly warm water is perfect for relaxation. There are plenty of sun loungers available, and the attentive, friendly service completes the experience. The beach is beautiful and stretches maybe for more than a kilometre. We particularly enjoyed taking early morning walks along the shore at sunrise, when there were hardly any people around. During the day, however, it transforms into a typically lively Italian beach. As we prefer a quieter atmosphere, we happily exchanged the daytime beach crowds for relaxing hours by the pool. The beach can be reached either by a pleasant two-kilometre walk from the hotel or by using the hotel's shuttle service. The shuttle runs throughout the day at intervals of approximately ten minutes. Despite a few shortcomings in the room, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The exceptional hotel grounds, excellent cuisine, beautiful pool, stunning surroundings and, above all, the warmth and professionalism of the entire team make this a place we would gladly return to.

Food fabulous Friendly staff Beautiful pool area and grounds Excellent cleanliness A kids half an hour at 9.15pm Adult evening entertainment poor No daytime pool entertainment Hotel situated a long way from any shops. Recommend car hire as taxi fares very expensive, 70 euro for a 10 to 15 min journey. No local buses. A regular hotel shuttle bus to and from the beach If you like to stay on the resort then I would recommend this hotel, we like to visit other areas but due to the cost of the excursions and taxis we felt isolated.

Isolated taxis for 10 min drive 70 euro return. 40 mins 150 euro Nearest shop 30 min walk Entertainment none to speak of background music and 20 min toddler dance with a guy leading Theartre wrecked no poolside entertainment such as keep fit Staff and rooms very good as is the food Trips to a 40 min away town150 euro You are isolated

The hotel complex is located on a hillside on the edge of Sampieri with the beach and hotel's café located a 20 minute walk down a lane. Reception, restaurant, bar , shop and other facilities including a conference room and beauty room are at the top of the site with the 11 accommodation blocks in the spacious well maintained grounds further down the hill along with tennis court, paddle ball courts and a fitness area. There is a large swimming pool and sun terrace immediately below the reception block. Electric buggies are available to drive guests around the grounds with a regular 15 minute service to and from the beach. Cars can be rented directly at the hotel and may be booked in advance of arrival on site. Rooms in the accommodation blocks are on 2 or 3 levels each with own terrace or balcony, and are spacious. The restaurant has meals on a buffet basis; choice, quality and quantity of local food are excellent. Service throughout is first class, the staff charming and helpful with nothing being too much trouble. Cleanliness everywhere is excellent. Being remote from any roads, the entire site is peaceful, the atmosphere added to by the many trees throughout. We stayed for a week in early May, the hotel was quiet and all of the staff made us feel most welcome. With no hesitation, we can say that this hotel is an ideal place to stay for visiting the beautiful Val di Noto area of south-east Sicily, and we would happily stay there again. Thank you to the staff at VOI Marsa Sicla Essentia in Sampieri for making our holiday experience so amazing!

Thank you for a wonderful week in your hotel. We felt completely at home here, the staff were so attentive but never intrusive and I felt that they were all well looked after and seemed to be happy in their work. The rooms were well situated away from the hotel in gardens, so quiet day and night. I note that some reviews mentioned music at night but although we could hear the music from the hotel at night (we were 1 block in from the hotel) this was not loud enough to disturb sleep and did not go on for long. It is worth noting that if you don't have a hire car then you may have trouble exploring the area, we took the bus from Sampieri to Scicili for a few Euros which was lovely and we walked to the neighbouring villages. The hotel is so perfect that it seemed a shame to stray too far, Sampieri has a couple of coffee/ice cream places and a pizzeria where we ate lunch twice. The beach is over a mile long so we enjoyed walks along it. The pool is even lovelier than the photos show, it wasn't busy at all when we were there and the pool staff were always at hand to move parasols. The pool bar had well priced drinks and snacks as did the beach bar. We loved the food! There were so many healthy options, salads, vegetables and grilled fish and fresh fruit and a different selection of antipasti, cooked meats, pasta and risotto every evening. Breakfast options were very varied with breads, yogurt, eggs, bacon, omlettes cooked to order, fruit, tarts and many pastries. The hotel far exceeded our expectations. A big thank you to Marco on reception who was so polite, friendly and helpful and to Milana - we enjoyed her Yoga and stretching sessions and she is such a lovely friendly young lady. Without exception the staff were a credit to the hotel, we would return at any opportunity. Thank you again.