Hotel Minareto

“Great Experience in Siracusa”

I was fortunate enough to be invited to a conference at the Minareto. The setting is fantastic, with the old city of Sircusa just across the water with Mt Etna snow, smoke and all in the background behind the old city. There are multiple outdoor gathering places for mixers or meals. The staff ... more

I was fortunate enough to be invited to a conference at the Minareto. The setting is fantastic, with the old city of Sircusa just across the water with Mt Etna snow, smoke and all in the background behind the old city. There are multiple outdoor gathering places for mixers or meals. The staff was highly attentive particularly Desk agent Luca. Kudos to Chef Francesco who took extra care to make sure that dietary needs were addressed in the most tasty and satisfying way possible. What a great setting and a wonderful hotel for a destination conference like the one I was attending, or for locals gathering for a special event.

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“Paradise in Sicily”

I attended a conference with colleagues and friends (April 4-8, 2024). Great hotel, beautiful location, and attentive personnel. Just 15 min drive from the city of Siracusa and Ortigia Island. I definitely recommend. When I get back I will plan to tour the island and discover all the other bea... more

I attended a conference with colleagues and friends (April 4-8, 2024). Great hotel, beautiful location, and attentive personnel. Just 15 min drive from the city of Siracusa and Ortigia Island. I definitely recommend. When I get back I will plan to tour the island and discover all the other beautiful cities.

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“This is not a Syracuse hotel!”

This is a strange hotel. For a start, we were sold it as a Syracuse hotel. While the postal address may be Syracuse, it is a 30 euro each way, 30 min drive, taxi ride from Syracuse. It is set in an agricultural area that is not pretty, though the hotel is very clean and well kept. The reception b... more

This is a strange hotel. For a start, we were sold it as a Syracuse hotel. While the postal address may be Syracuse, it is a 30 euro each way, 30 min drive, taxi ride from Syracuse. It is set in an agricultural area that is not pretty, though the hotel is very clean and well kept. The reception building is typically ‘1970’s package hotel’. The staff are friendly but there is little to mark it out from countless others. The rooms and pool are in a different compound. Our room was modern and well equipped with a view across the bay to a distant Ortigia. The room was pleasant, air conditioning worked well and the bathroom was lovely. I had some issues however. The shower was dreadful, it fluctuated from red hot to ice cold in the course of a shower. Hot drinks: they seriously wanted you to pay 3 euros for each tea bag or coffee pod. I’ve never heard of a hotel doing that! Thirdly, there was a very strong drain smell that prevented us from sitting out on the patio or keeping the door open. The hotel had obviously made adaptations during Covid that they’d kept. They use a very efficient WhatsApp system to communicate with guests. This can be used to order food and drink, ask questions about facilities and, as we did, order a taxi to return to the hotel from Syracuse. It’s something that other hotels might do well to consider… though it does reduce human contact. They have also dispensed with signing for extras, that is probably sensible but made me nervous! The food offer was mostly pretty good so far as quality was concerned. We found the restaurant staff knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. They were proud Sicilians who wanted guests to appreciate its produce. We were informed about the varieties of tomatoes ina pasta sauce, the provenance of the olive oil and advised which Etna wines to order. I loved that. Breakfast was good with a wide choice, though cake for breakfast still bewilders me! The prices in general were high compared to other places we’ve stayed in Sicily. Some have complained that they can charge what they like as there is no local competition, I have some sympathy with that view. Despite some lovely staff, particularly in the restaurants and the extreme cleanliness of the place, I’d be most unlikely to recommend the hotel. It is too isolated, too soulless and too expensive for what it is. I can see why so many reviewers would not rate it as a 5 star hotel.

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