Terre di Romanello Relais in Val di Noto

We stayed for a wonderful fortnight, having found out about it from Lonely Planet. We found the location perfect, just outside of Noto and used it as a base to explore southern Sicily, taking day trips to Syracusa and Ragusa. The hotel itself is an old farm house, with some newer rooms added just separate from the main house. The (deluxe) rooms are large and comfortable. The air conditioning was excellent. Each day the free mini bar is replenished with still and sparkling water and some other soft drinks, and the shower products are also replaced. All good quality and appreciated. It was not completely clear from their website, but they do offer breakfast, lunch and dinner. They also have an all day bar serving a full range of wines, beers, cocktails and soft drinks, with pool service. Dinner was mostly good, and you can see the passion and love that goes in to it. The only bad note for me was a steak on the first night which was very very tough, but I had steak 3 times in Sicily and all were the same... We didn't see any cows while we were there, so that may explain it... Otherwise they were very accommodating for our children's various difficult tastes. Breakfasts were good, but I'd advise going slightly earlier as they did have a tendancy to run out of things, but I personally think that given the small team that runs it and the friendliness with which they do it, there are worse things that could have happened, and everything was fresh and tasty! The pool is wonderful. It's salt water rather than chlorine, and immaculately clean. Very soft and fresh, and long enough to do laps in. A good deep end at nearly 2 metres as well, which is always fun for the kids. Finally, the wonderful wonderful staff that couldn't do enough to help us. They work very long hours and always wear a smile. I don't know any of their names unfortunately (top tip: introduce yourselves to your guests) but from the breakfast team to the indomitable bar guy, to the friendly cleaning team, and the chef, all were top quality and should be very proud of the environment they've created there. Tips: Ortigia is extraordinary and well worth it; Ragusa honestly didn't feel worth the drive. We had dinner in Noto a couple of times : Quadrilatero just down the road is a great pasta and pizza joint, Nache was very good, and Retablo, excellent. We also went to some beach clubs : Agua Beach about 20 mins away is quite large with good facilities.. We also went to Puravita about 35 mins away, which is a bit more bouji, but was amazing.. particularly as evening falls..).. Top tip: you can download the " spiagge " app and book any beach in Italy directly!

We enjoyed our stay here, the bed was very comfortable and the room quiet. Had a lovely view from the patio. The staff were all very helpful and friendly and the food is good at both breakfast and dinner. The only downside was having the wash basin in the bedroom rather than the bathroom, not a convenient for me but not all of the rooms are have this arrangement. I would recommend this hotel but would chose a different room if we visited again.

Perfect!! Wouldn't hesitate to recommend. We chose a deluxe room and it exceeded our expectations - so spacious and quiet. All staff were great. Breakfast excellent. Short menu for evening meals showcasing local ingredients - huge portions by our standards. Pool divine, as were the views towards Noto. Totally relaxing venue.