Zahira Resort

“The most relaxing holiday and the friendliest staff ever!!!!”

I knew that this hotel was fairly out in the middle of nowhere when we booked. To be honest, I thought there would be snacks/pizzas, etc available nearby, but there really wasn't, so I would say that Full Board is the way to go, unless you have a car and plan to travel around. I messaged the hotel… more

I knew that this hotel was fairly out in the middle of nowhere when we booked. To be honest, I thought there would be snacks/pizzas, etc available nearby, but there really wasn't, so I would say that Full Board is the way to go, unless you have a car and plan to travel around. I messaged the hotel about a transfer from the airport to hotel in advance and Roberto was very helpful from the start, and all the arrangements went smoothly. He also arranged for a taxi to take us to nearby Selinunte one day, where we visited the archaeological park - well worth seeing! So, once we had sampled the food, we upgraded to full board. The food was delicious, with freshly cooked pasta and fish/meat every day, a selection of salads, and drinks on tap. Breakfast kept my daughter very happy with croissants, plenty of cakes and even doughnuts!! The best thing, however was the lovely waiters and waitresses who worked so hard, but still had time to be friendly and helpful - especially Vanessa (who could speak English luckily for us!), Salvadore & Alessio. We happened to arrive on the Ferr'agosto bank holiday weekend, so we were treated to some special extras like aperitivo on the terrace and a gala dinner around the pool with musical entertainment. We are not really entertainment/beach activities kind of people - but the 'Much More' team were so friendly & their enthusiasm was infectious, so we got involved with all the Italian families in beach games, morning stretching, salsa dancing & even a pool party on our final night! A very special thank you to Seline, Marco & Francesco for getting us involved and explaining the games to us in English! I cannot fault this hotel & its staff - it was perfect for us, as we were very happy to relax and spend every morning on the beach and every afternoon at the lovely pool. But there are lots of beautiful beaches & sights within easy reach if you have a car. This was our first trip to Sicily and it certainly did not disappoint - I bought back some of the local olive oil which is SO tasty with just bread dipped it and I tried some local wines which were also very good! But most of all, the people are incredibly friendly!

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“Not great, not terrible”

Food - Breakfast was a joke. Every day was offered the same and really basic (you can see on the photos). Coffee could be made only from the coffee machine, but it wasn't drinkable - if you wanted a good one, you had to buy it extra (3 Euros for Cappuccino). Only positivity is, that automat for jui… more

Food - Breakfast was a joke. Every day was offered the same and really basic (you can see on the photos). Coffee could be made only from the coffee machine, but it wasn't drinkable - if you wanted a good one, you had to buy it extra (3 Euros for Cappuccino). Only positivity is, that automat for juice was available, that wasn't for the rest of the meals. - Lunch & dinner every time offered two types of pasta, fish and sometimes a piece of pork. Chicken was on the menu only ONCE during our week stay. Then there were salads also with seafood. I would definitely NOT RECOMMEND coming to this hotel, if you do not like seafood or fish. Side dish was ALWAYS potatoes (no fries ever btw), but also happened, that there was no side dish. Also, what was ruining our experience was, that besides salads EVERYTHING was SERVED by the staff. If you have sweet tooth, like I do, maybe better to not come here at all. For lunch it was usually only one type of fruit offered (I do not want to see nectarines/peaches for quite some time) for example watermelon was only ONCE. Only for a few times there was also (one type of) ice cream served (= prepared in small plastic cups). For dinner if there was ice cream, there was never another dessert (pieces prepared on plates). Either ice cream with fruit, dessert with fruit or dessert alone. - There were no descriptions of the food. - Overall, I cannot say, that the meals weren't tasty, it is the lack of variety that concerns me. You were basically "forced" to eat something, that you would not normally take just because you would end up with nothing at all. I would say it is rather a full board than all inclusive, because there are also no snacks/ice cream between meals. Drinks - To lunch and dinner, you could only have water or wine (white or red). Other soft drinks could be purchased (small can of coca-cola for 2,5 Euros). - At breakfast you could only drink out of small plastic cups, because there were no glasses (same at the beach bar). - At beach bar you could use the machine for drinks on your own (there was good variety of options). - Alcohol was available only from 17:30 and only in a form of shots of vodka, rum and gin. If you wanted a cocktail, you had to buy it extra (for Mojito 8 Euros!). Accommodation - Our room was OK, cleaned every day (without possibility of "denying" the cleaning by putting "do not clean" sign on the door), with AC (that cannot be turned off), no balcony, but with drier outside attached to the rail. In the shower there was only a static shower head from the wall. Pool - We attended pool once, and it was a disaster. Important to say, that there are opening hours of the pool (9:30am - 1pm, 3:30pm - 7pm) and you also have to wear swimming cap. Pool was opened 25 minutes after the official opening - we basically waited and watched the lifeguard (illogically) cleaning the pool. The water was rather the color of the milk, than crystal clean - you could not see your feet in it. I cannot understand the small kids swimming (and drinking) in it. Sea & beach & sun beds - The reason we came to this hotel, is its beach. It is located about 350 m (walk on the frequent, but straight road) away from the hotel entrance and there is shuttle bus available (we used it only once tho), that drives very friendly Vincenzo. - The beach is sandy (and clean), with slow entry to the water. Water is clear (only with a few seaweed strands at the shore) and quite warm. There are really no seashells. Be careful about the jellyfish - my friend got stung (nothing serious) by one the last day. - I really appreciate that there were always sun beds to lay on. No one here is "reserving" them and that is really refreshing. - Life guard seems fine, only thing is, that he is closing the sunshades or sun beds quite early while there are still people at the beach or in the sea. It happened to us almost every day, while we watched him from the sea. He also closes the water for the beach-shower (around 6: 30 pm) so you had to walk with sandy feed back to the hotel. He is doing it all of this at the end of his working hours - after 6 pm. - Beach bar and the toilets nearby are really nice and clean. Staff & animation - Staff in the restaurant and the cleaning ladies were nice. None of the receptionists seemed friendly or was helpful. The animation-staff did not care about us at all. They only spoke ITALIAN to the Italian guests, that they recognize by the color of the wristband (Italians had white one, Polish had red/orange one, Czechs had blue one). Only ONCE they approached us about some night program. We felt quite like some "second class" that no-one really cares about and almost is trying to avoid. They knew a little English, but really didn't want to use it. - In the morning and the afternoon there was some 2/3-hour program on the beach including playing music and playing some games. It was really noisy and quite disturbing (when you do not understand a word they say and have to listen to it for hours). - At night (from 10 pm to midnight) there were loud (like crazy) "discos". Even through the closed window we could hear every tone of the songs like we were there. - It is quite shame, that we did not know about some special nights/offers, because no one told us, while we did not understand Italian. Guests - It is mainly hotel for families with small kids, that are really noisy in the restaurant. We got really tired/upset of the constant cry or scream of the kids. Surroundings - There is basically nothing around the hotel, which we knew. What surprised us is that even in the closest village ("center" around 3 km walk) did not have ANY souvenirs or grocery store (on the main road). - Only "souvenirs" that are offered, are ceramic products placed next to the road that leads to the beach. Check out - You must leave the room to 10:30 am, which is really early. If you wanted late check out, you had to ask if the room is available and pay 25 Euros per room. - There is basically no room/place for the ones waiting for the bus. We had to stay in the basement and use an "unserviced" (dirty) toilet - the only one available outside the ones in the rooms or on the beach. No place for luggages or where to stay after checking out was offered to us by the receptionist! We only knew from our travel agent.

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“JOKE”

the rooms for 2 stars, Very often was not a clean table in hotel's restaurant. THE BIGGEST JOKE was when we wanted check out, we got an extra bill 100euro for terrace club ( WE HAD ALLINCLUSIVE HOWEVER ON RECEPTION TOLD US THAT USE SWIMMING POOL WAS NOT INCLUDED !!! ) The hotel is on the village- n… more

the rooms for 2 stars, Very often was not a clean table in hotel's restaurant. THE BIGGEST JOKE was when we wanted check out, we got an extra bill 100euro for terrace club ( WE HAD ALLINCLUSIVE HOWEVER ON RECEPTION TOLD US THAT USE SWIMMING POOL WAS NOT INCLUDED !!! ) The hotel is on the village- no shops, no restaurants, any attractions around the hotel. To town is 1h-1,5h in one way. No gym in the hotel like was in description on the offer from loveholidays.com I think the hotel is more for local people than tourists

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