Grand Palladium Sicilia Resort & Spa

The hotel is massive. Not the size we would normally stay at, plus in the middle of nowhere. We immediately upgraded to signature level which was worth it. Only went to the buffet in the main hotel once and that was enought. It was like being in a market. The signature breakfast was fantastic. table service and menu which we had every day, fresh fruit and ecellent selection of pastries. Out side area has wasps which they need to address. I waas stung which was very paifull. the A la Cart restaurants were all excellent. Challenge to get into, but as we were signature level we were prioritised. Only went to main buffet in the evening once and that was more than enough. The 2 members of staff that stood out were Yosra El Ghabi - hostess and Khalil Haboubi - Sala.in the A la cart restaurant. they deserve a promotion and recognition. WE books a trip to Mount Etna - 12 hour roubd trip. Woyuld not do that again. we should have hired a car rather than we in a bus for 12 hours. The trip to Palermo and Monreale was excellent. We booked through Jet 2 rep. Had a great time but need to be in signature level and an upgrade to a suit. Thank you to all staff that were excellent also YOGA and stretch every day was excellent. The instructor from Ukrain was first class.

We read the reviews before we made our last minute booking and we can see why most are positive but some are not. This is stated to be a five star hotel but if you’ve travelled to many five star hotels outside Europe you may feel that it’s more of a four star experience. We booked the day before we travelled and were not told by the holiday company or hotel that the Signature option would not be available. It turned out that the Portafino restaurant was closed and the other two restaurants had limited opening times. Nevertheless the helpful Guest Relations lady managed to get us bookings at both the Thai and El Dorado restaurants where the food was good but more four star than five. What we feel really let the hotel down was the buffet restaurant. It was not an enjoyable experience being rushed into seats designated by men with earpieces resembling a security detail, who did not smile or engage in conversation at all. After a quick question and answer session about whether we wanted still or sparkling water, beer, house wine or a soft drink, a waiter would rush off to get drinks and deliver them without a word. It was like being in a canteen at a railway station with people rushing back and forth and queuing for ages just to get an unpleasant cup of coffee. Inside was extremely noisy due to the number of people. Outside was better but there was no view from the restaurant other than concrete. The food was typical international buffet food, mostly edible with a decent amount of variety and warm if no one had left the top off the serving dish, which they often did. Again there was no social interaction with serving staff. It was a case of eat and go. That was the most negative aspect of the hotel for us but there were positives. The entry to the spa cost 25 euros but because we had massages the cost was less. The spa was clean and the massages were excellent, thanks to Martha and Elisa. We had a good sized sea view room on the second floor with a lovely view of the pool and coast. Our cleaners were brilliant and kept the room immaculate. Water and tea bags were replenished daily but we felt they were being rationed. We were all inclusive and kept having to ask for water. There was no water station apart from in the gym. Mo on the front desk was particularly helpful but not all of the front desk staff. The bell boy Salvatore was extremely friendly and helpful and took us to restaurants in the buggy. The beach bar guys (Andreas and Salvo), one tall and one with glasses, were also extremely friendly and made the best cappuccinos we tasted in Sicily. The disposable coffee cups contain plastic but should be recyclable. The hotel could improve its approach to 'sustainability' as lots of plastic bottles were used. The hotel was in an isolated location but the grounds were pleasant to walk in. The beach was not the best we've seen in Sicily but take water shoes if you want to go on the beach or swim in the sea as it’s pebbly! The high points o

Beautiful resort with all the amenities you could desire. Amazing food, relaxing environment. Chef Antonio Carrollo was especially helpful in the main dining room, as he made sure I always had meals made to order to meet my dietary needs. What a week!!

To start with positive; Animation team were amazing, friendly, fun and engaging and very hard working, they did seem to have some limits on resources, the dartboard and darts for example had seen better days but they were amazing. Drink quality good and not watered down, most bar staff lovely and again hard working. We stayed in a bungalow and it was spacious and kept clean. Views from beach area are lovely. Shuttle bus from hotel is needed and great to have at reasonable cost. The negatives; Food was awful, 3 star at most. Poor quality, lacked flavour and was served luke warm. Only decent food was from cooking stations like pasta or fresh meat/fish. Cups at breakfast so small not worth bothering with. There was fresh orange juice at breakfast which was great but only one choice of youghurt. Was only able to book one of the extra restaurants on stay as no availability, this was better but portions very small. Major problem with seating in evening, yes there are multiple bars but the one most people wanted to sit at had limited seats and every evening people either carried seats from other areas or just stood around. No one at hotel did anything to address this obvious issue, there was space to increase seating. Pool was dirty in places on the pool wall was green. Gym was poor, equipment broken and extremely hot as on roof and air conditioning was poor. Not a five star hotel or experience so expensive for what it was.

a couple of things, probably mentioned in earlier reviews, that are worth noting. The beach is a pebble beach and not easy to walk on or to access the sea from, without rubber shoes. During our stay I saw very few people swimming in the sea. Long walks along the beach are not done. We did not pick this up prior to booking- a disappointment for us. The hotel is in a fairly remote location- so no evening strolls into a nearby village. Cefalu is a 20km drive. I understood that the hotel has a bus service. We had a rental car so did not use the bus service. As for the hotel. nicely set up over a large area. Plenty of swimming pools. choice of restaurants. Well maintained and very clean. We opted for the Signature Level. This enhanced our stay, and we would do this again if we returned. Valet parking, private check in, exclusive pool, exclusive breakfast, reserved areas at "inner" beach and restaurants made a difference. Our room overlooked the SL level pool. the room was clean and tidy but on the small side. No chairs in the room. Large bed. Mini bar with soft drinks and beer. Water pressure in the shower could have been better. Restaurants and bars. We ate in all the restaurants during our stay and experienced various levels of quality. Overall the staff throughout the hotel are super friendly and helpful. breakfast in the Chang Thai ( SL level) was very good. A choice of buffet or a la carte and a nice place to sit. Lunch at the Portofino, also very good. Plenty of variety and good Italian dishes. Dinner at Portofino: disappointing: standard main courses. personal taste with this one. We have travelled across Italy and this one had no "wow" factor. El Dorado: Good steak if you take the premium menu. the 1.2kg Florentine steak will serve 2. So if you take this option order one and share. Chang Thai: had to laugh at the desert dish. " More than a pineapple." turned out to be one pineapple ring with a blob of sorbet. I thought this restaurant average. I should qualify this by saying that we have travelled extensively in the Far East. Sportsman bar: does what it says on the label. No surprises. Quality was good. The main buffer restaurant. Sicilian evening had some fantastic dishes. Our other evening here was the Arabic evening. Probably more Moroccan than Arabic. generally there was a large selection of dishes available. In conclusion; we had a very pleasant stay and would recommend and stay at the hotel again, but for the fact that we missed a nice beach and the location of the hotel is remote.