Minareto

Italy , Sicily
Siracusa, Via Del Faro Massolivieri, 26
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100 reviews shown

10/10

Exceptional

09 Nov 2025

Jose

Winderfull views but the staff isn’t so supportive!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Nov 2025

Tim

Front desk staff, concierge, the lifeguard Alexandro, and the site maintenance staff are all so kind, helpful, friendly and attentive. The restaurant was amazing and the service was perfect. They organized a boat into town for us and it was a beautiful boat ride at night both ways. Very nice to see the Ortigia / Syracuse city lights at night. This place is impeccable and they keep the grounds in great shape. The option for the private beach or private rock facing Ortigia is great for morning to sunset sun. The water is crystal clear and there are beautiful caves to explore with lots of small little fish to see. The sand is soft and the wat is is shallow to walk into with virtually no waves at the beach. Very secluded. Such an amazing place.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Aug 2025

Stanislau

Very convenient for swimming and relaxing.

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jun 2025

Lindsay

Loved it!

6/10

Pleasant

29 May 2025

Patrick

Nice setting unreliable service

Nice location and rooms. But service was undependable. Room service order did not come, some of our bags were left in our room when we were checking out, car not brought up when asked for.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

06 Nov 2024

Aiste

l ll give 4 stars not 5, for this hotel..

10/10

Exceptional

20 Oct 2024

marcy

Beautiful natural settings . Gorgeous views

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

13 Oct 2024

Mark

Really nice property. It’s a bit remote so definitely need a rental car to take advantage of activities that are not in the resort.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

06 Oct 2024

John

The location is very special & the staff is great!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Oct 2023

Lindsay

Amazing pool and beaches.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Sep 2023

Liam

This is a beautiful, peaceful place to stay in Siracusa as a base to explore all the wonderful towns nearby. The grounds and views are stunning. Great staff, wine and food selections. Its great to have a car to explore this region and even more perfect to have such an oasis to return too. Valet parking was included and incredibly prompt. We loved the private beach too!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Aug 2023

Daniel

Beautiful resort - even better than we were expecting! The staff and services are first class - such a lovely experience.

The only issue was that everything from the water, tea and coffee in the room comes with a price tag, so be prepared.

But overall if you're looking for luxury in an amazing setting - look no further! Wish we had stayed longer than 3 nights! Amazing stay - we genuinely are looking forward to returning at the earliest opportunity!

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

24 Jul 2023

Lisa

This is not Siciliano food

So it looks amazing but terrible food, service and the beach was all right. Sooooooo disappointing of the meals. It’s an embarrassment as an Italian to eat at a place that provided this kind of food. You spend almost 1600 euro a night and the restaurant is an embarrassment to all Sicilians. I live in Canada, that doesn’t mean that I should get crappy food. I’m Italian by roots and I know good quality food when I have it. This restaurant is disgusting. It should be ashamed of itself for being in Italy. The pasta came with lukewarm eight rigatoni pieces for €30 … I mean, if it was a dish that I loved I wouldn’t mind spending… I don’t care about the price, but this was an embarrassment to every Italian Sicilian mother, or cook out there. Shame.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

07 Jun 2023

samra

It is a wonderful place and all staff are very nice

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

08 May 2023

Roberto

The Minareto is a very well-located resort with superb views of the ocean and Siragusa. Rooms/beds were very comfortable, although the decor tended to be somewhat gaudy/outdated. Staff was very helpful and friendly, and the location was convenient to the sites in the area.

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

10 Oct 2022

Carl

Nice hotel on a peninsula . Bit cut off from anything . Nowhere local to go or eat out . Restaurant was lovely but expensive around £200 couple . We were not shown the Wellness area and everything was extra although never even saw it open . A brochure in room with what was on offer would have been nice .Pool and beach was lovely . Jacuzzis we’re too cold to use . Nice for a quiet holiday . Hotel bar seemed to be unmanned you ordered everything on the resort on WhatsApp . Bar area was dead all the time and just to finish it off the boat advertised to take you to Ortigua was 50 euros return per couple ! Such a shame as hotel itself was nice , clean and staff were good . Only stay here if you have a car .

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

01 Oct 2022

Michael

Minareto - great launchpad into Sicily

‘Minareto’ has to be the best hotel in the finest location with stunning views across the harbour to Ortigia, Siracusa and Mount Etna beyond. The facilities are excellent and the private beach areas offer safe swimming in beautiful clear waters - great for snorkelling as there are so many fish. Wonderful, friendly staff and the most excellent breakfast. We were lucky to be upgraded to a room with a spectacular view. As a guide, ask for either rooms 231 or 232.

The restaurant menu for lunch and dinner is the same and somewhat unimaginative for Sicily and hugely overpriced, offering small portions and expensive wines - avoid! Similarly the bar!

Instead, a short walk along Via La Maddelena will lead to at least 3 more sensibly priced restaurants with great regional dishes. Go beyond the first, Villa Gaiangos - poor food/service. A little further, and the local shop, La Greca, is great for inexpensive food and wine.

The boat-taxi to Ortigia is dependent on sea conditions. At €40 return it’s good value. On days when it can’t operate, a return taxi fare shouldn’t cost more than €60.

There are plenty of towns and places of interest you can reach by hire car and/or bus excursions from the hotel. The Archaeological Park and Catacombs in Siracusa are easily accessible.

Getting there is easy: train from Catania Airport to Siracusa (1hr & 20mins) for €7, and then €30 for a taxi.

Despite its disappointing food and wine, Minareto is still the best for its location.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 Sep 2022

Paul

We loved our stay at Minareto. The food was delicious at all meals, the staff were lovely and we enjoyed the spa. Surrounded by the sea, the views were beautiful with Etna, Siracusa and their private beach. Highly recommended! Would be nice if they could get a English speaking news channel like CNN!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Sep 2022

karni

Beautiful Resort, great sea view from all over, lovely semi private bay with sand beach

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

17 Jul 2022

Matthew

Great hotel. If I could say one thing that was bad is that the surrounding area isn’t great. We had a car so it didn’t matter a bit

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Sep 2021

Andrew

Great place to get away from it all.

Lovely serene hotel. Fabulous room courtesy of an upgrade. Fantastic wifi. Great gym. So so breakfast. Useful water taxi service. Private beach and a good swimming pool.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

01 Oct 2020

Susie

Views amazing

Beautiful location lovely staff private beach

Partner

8/10

Excellent

27 Oct 2019

Verified traveler

Beautiful area but not in the main city of Syracuse.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

23 Sep 2019

Manuela

Beautiful hotel close to Ortigia

We stayed for two nights . A wonderful location to enjoy closeness to Ortigia . They had a private bud service to and from Ortigia . Breakfast was plentiful and delicious. Dinner was ok. The beach Access is a bit difficult but they have a big pool😁

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

20 Aug 2019

Leung

Housekeeping not good , cannot match 5 stars hotel

Family

10/10

Exceptional

09 Jul 2019

Ste

Stunning Grand Minareto , Syracuse

Grand Hotel Minareto is a stunning hotel , the setting and facilities are excellent . Stayed 2 nights only wish was more , never felt so relaxed. The ambience along with the stunning views was a treat , great place to base yourself to visit in Syracuse across the water from Ortigia . Our room which was a classic had great seaviews with terrace , comfy bed and nice aircon . Definitely want to return would recommend anyone to stay .

Partner

4/10

Poor

07 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Clean, grounds well kept. The rocky beach is gorgeous. The restuarants nesos had no ambiance and smelled of sewage from the ocean below.

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

04 Jul 2019

Oscar

Not very kind staff. Unjustifiable expensive. 12 € for a small drink of grapa (cheapest liquor in Italy). 3.50€ for a single espresso. Did not venture to the restaurant

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Excellent property, like paradise setting. Only one complaint we had a fly issue by the pool for a couple of days, apparently it happens for a few days at the end of June. The hotel did overnight spraying and the rest of the time was fly free. Would definitely return. Staff very accommodating and friendly.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

when we booked the room type photo indicated a water view from the balcony but the room type balcony had no view except a roadway - when we questioned this we were advised that none of the rooms in our category had water views - Expedia should ensure that photos of room types represent what you're going to get!!!!

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 May 2019

Verified traveler

Quiet oasis.
Resort is spotless and well maintained with full amenities and wonderful views of Ortigia/Siracusa/Mt. Etna
Great breakfast spread and professional staff.
Car is required but otherwise close to all points of interest both in Syracuse and Noto valley.

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

19 May 2019

Verified traveler

The complex is at the end of the road on the headland across the bay from Siracusa and Ortigia with a lovely view from the terrace. The beach behind the hotel is in a beautiful cove with white sand and clear blue sea. Car park is at the entrance and golf buggy collects you and your luggage at the start and end of your stay. Bars and restaurant on site, but prices are quite high. There are few options nearby and the best one is to travel to Siracusa. Free shuttle bus is only twice a day and gets booked up. Water taxi is 20euro pp with extra charges after 8pm. There is a sea view from some rooms or terraces, but not all. We could see the sea over the boundary wall, but only just. Lovely place with good facilities but there are drawbacks.

8/10

Excellent

17 May 2019

Verified traveler

The staff, the room, the breakfasts, the grounds and the location were all very good.

The dining room in the evening was a disappointment. The menus was limited, it was very over-priced and on one of our two visits the service was very poor.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 May 2019

Verified traveler

Great view, great breakfast

The resort is a perfect place to chill and enjoy the full panoramic view of siracusa. It was quiet and peaceful. The breakfast was incredible!! Nice sercive and good taste!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

Great location if staying for a week or more.

The view from the room was amazing. However for just a one night stay to visit Siracusa and Ortiga it is very pricy. This is a resort hotel with two beaches so it is really more the destination. With this said, the staff was absolutely wonderful and the dinner and breakfast equally wonderful. Would stay again but would plan for a week or so as a \"resort vacation\"

Partner

8/10

Excellent

17 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

The rooms and views were amazing!

However for a 5 star property, the included amenities were subpar. The water for the outdoor jacuzzis was not warm. There was an 45 euro per hour fee for the indoor jacuzzi.

Also, the outdoor pools were not heated. There was also no free bottles of water for the first night of stay, which is pretty customary for 5 star hotels.

The staff was accomadting and extremely helpful.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

17 Apr 2019

ANGELA

Great hotel & fabulous views

Hotel was fantastic.?
Could have done with more in room facilities (hot drinks)

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

14 Oct 2018

Rita

Beach resort 15 minutes from everything

This resort is off the beaten track (15 minute drive to Ortgia or Syracuse) but a great place to hang when you’re not taking in the sights. Unfortunately it rained so we couldn’t take advantage of the magnificent beach or rocky outposts you can swim from with beach chairs to hang out on. But, the gym was available to use instead! Restaurant on the grounds was delicious as we didn’t want to trek out again after returning from Ortgia for a rest.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Oct 2018

Verified traveler

Amazing

Very nice hotel! Come back for sure.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Aug 2018

Gabi

Excellent hotel facility very good service
Beautiful beach and sweeming pool .
Enjoy the staying .

6/10

Pleasant

15 Jul 2018

Verified traveler

Beautiful place, with great views and nice pool area. Mostly friendly staff. Average room and breakfast. The place had many private wedding parties which limited your access to dinner area and other places.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Jun 2018

Verified traveler

Terrific resort near Siracusa

Very luxurious resort across the water from Siracusa. Private beach, and all the amenities. Expensive but well worth it.

8/10

Excellent

11 Apr 2018

Stephane

Hotel with views

I stayed at the hotel with my 12 years old daughter for 7 days.
The staff is really cheerful, special mention to Gabriela for looking after us and Alessandro for all my espressos at breakfast and all the reception team for helping with trips directions.
The restaurant terrasse has a great sea view (we used it at breakfast).
Perhaps some signpostings would be useful around the hotel (arriving at night we couldn't find the reception even if it's the first building you come across).

10/10

Exceptional

17 Jul 2017

James

Just brilliant

One of the best hotels in Sicily that we have stayed at. Great facilities, great rooms.

10/10

Exceptional

31 Oct 2016

christopher

Beach Luxury with history thrown in!

What a nice surprise when you reach the dead end of a long country road. Superb location and staff are very proactive at making the stay perfect. Evening Meals are a bit 'trendy small' but reasonable price. The breakfast is healthy, loads of fruit. Foreigners can't do sausage and bacon so lets not go there. Would stay here any time. Syracuse town is great and reception helped us with best parking locations and access around the place. Great for a wander.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Oct 2016

Sarah

Exclusive, luxurious hotel with beautiful beach

If you want an exclusive, luxurious hotel with its own beach, stunning views and lovely staff, come to this hotel. ♡♡♡♡

10/10

Exceptional

27 Sep 2016

Diana

Beautiful scenery from the hotel

We had an amazing stay, beautiful scenery from the resort, access to facilities, and helpful staff. I could have stayed longer and would definitely return.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

19 Jul 2016

Victor

Great hotel in oasis like setting

We have stayed here before and it's a great property. You can choose from a private beach - which is very acceptable (not for walking though), and the pool - which is large and very clean. Breakfast is very good and rooms are large and comfortable. Staff was fairly helpful and generally happy. Not sure if it's best value for your money but it's a real good option when visiting Siracusa. We would definitely recommend this place.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

12 Jul 2016

Alejandro

Nice beach. Restaurant awfully expensive and quality of the food poor.

6/10

Pleasant

08 May 2016

Verified traveler

Great location. Breakfast not up to rivals.

Loved the views. Service fair not great and bit slow. Nice staff but bit disorganised. Modern architecture rather ordinary.

10/10

Exceptional

25 Mar 2016

Arnoldo

One of the best seaside hotels in the world?

Is this one of the best hotels in the world?15 minutes from Siracusa, in a wonderful position facing the bay the hotel is in a beautiful carefully planned garden.The 90 rooms are spread in the garden, each a building with just ground floor. We had a large room for three and a large bathroom. Elegant and efficient, excellent bed and private balcony. The hotel has a reception and a restaurant building. All is close, 200m. Swimming pool. But the top are the two options for swimming and sunning: on one side an exclusive beach, 100 meters of paradise. Between sand rocks and a blue water. Silence and sun until the afternoon. On the other side, facing Siracusa, spectacular cliffs, with platforms with sunbeds. Many options, each an experience. Evening sun! And two jacuzzi facing the view.
Breakfast is unusually rich for Italy, try the cured pepper cheese or the orange salad with onions. excellent dinners. Try the Norma!
Simona welcomed us and upgraded us to a room with view.Very kind and efficient, provided a wifi broadcaster for our room which then had excellent Internet. The staff at the restaurant was so kind and nice, say hallo to Gabriella. Michele at the reception needs a special mention: I got a fine and failed to find an open ufficio postale to pay it. He offered to do it for me! Incredibly nice and friendly. I also got the impression that all the other guests got individual attention.

Family

8/10

Excellent

25 Sep 2015

Verified traveler

5 Stars but no plans to return

A very strange experience staying at the Grand Hotel Minareto. It would be difficult to criticise the facilities or the service, but this is not a venue I would choose to return to. There were lots of Italians who were there to be cossetted and pampered, along with quite a few Americans. There did not seem to be much interaction amongst the guests except for those who already knew each other. If there is any criticism it would be about the size of the room - it was a bit cramped for two people with even medium sized suitcases. We were there for just three days, so not inclined to disgorge our entire two week wardrobe and thus found it a bit difficult. And air con was a bit ferocious and tricky to turn down.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

07 Sep 2015

Bhaks

5 star prices but not 5 star

The location was outstanding but hotel was in the middle of nowhere.
The prices at the restaurants and pool cafe were very high for the food but since they had a captive audience they could charge.
Shuttle services to town were not available in the evening and taxi each way was 25 euros.
On the plus side, the private beach was what made our holiday.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

21 Aug 2015

Barbara P.

Lovely stay

The hotel has the most amazing views of the water, private beach and Siracusa.
The room was comfortable but the decor was absolutely horrendus. It looked more like a brothel than a 5 star.

The restaurants are both overpriced and lack of atmosphere and service.

Breakfast is good.

Overall a lovely stay but surely not a 5 star hotel.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Nov 2014

Kazzyt

Lovely Family Holiday

I cannot fault the Grand Hotel Minareto, we all had a fabulous holiday. Really recommend it.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 Sep 2014

Verified traveler

Fantastic, want to go back

Gorgeous facility. Large hotel with 2 wonderful private beaches and a lovely pool. Staff very, very nice - at reception and at each of the restaurant. Had a an amazing maitre d' at the restaurant who made dinner an exceptional experience. Great place for a romantic weekend! Definitely plan to go back!

Family

10/10

Exceptional

13 Sep 2014

Rachel

Great but small 5 star resort, with fantastic views across the bay. The rooms are beautiful, however I bath would of been nice in the rooms. If you are coming here to relax by the pool for a few days then this is perfect as very quiet. But not much to do here, I would recommend hiring a car as the resort is in the middle of nowhere, if you want to get out and explore. There are other 5 star resorts in the island that offer a better service and facilities.

10/10

Exceptional

02 Sep 2014

Lizzyfox

Lovely hotel

We stayed at this hotel on the last night of our honeymoon as a little treat. It was lovely and very swanky! If you're looking for character and charm it's probably not the place for you as it's all very new and lavish. However if you want to sit in a jacuzzi watching the sunset, choose between a rocky beach, sandy beach or the pool and have massages and nice food then it's the place for you - it doesn't come cheap though!

Partner

2/10

Poor

23 Jul 2014

donald

Tacky design, cheap resort designed for bus loads

What a waste of money! If this is a five star hotel, then the ratings are a bad joke.
This would be at best, a 3 star hotel, designed and functioning like a cheap tacky airport hotel. Only redeeming feature is small beach, and view across the bay of Ortygia.
Breakfast was terrible, with tacky chocolate fountain flowing like Mt Etna as a \"highlight\".

8/10

Excellent

08 Jun 2014

zeckler

Pleasant Hotel a Bit Off the Beaten Path

We stumbled across this hotel as an alternative to staying directly in Siracusa. The hotel itself is well oriented on a quiet peninsula adjacent from Oritigia island. We enjoyed a number of the hotel amenities including breakfast, sandy beach and seaside hot tubs. Unfortunately we found the check-in / front desk attendants to be very unhelpful (although I'll admit that the bartender near the pool was quite good). I would probably stay here again b/c of the beautiful location, but the service could definitely be improved.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 May 2014

David

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

That's what I said to my wife as we were sunning ourselves by the pool. This is a luxury resort. The rooms are in cottages scattered around the site, a short walk from the pool, beach & five-star restaurant. Rich marble & wood interiors. Fabulous breakfast. And for no more than a B&B! Initially, we were disappointed that it is 15 minutes from town, but it was wonderful to be able to leave the crowded streets behind and retreat to the Minareto. It's not easy to find, so get directions on the web or use a GPS.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 May 2014

Verified traveler

Great Hotel

Very private, beautiful beach and pool. Strongly recommend it

6/10

Pleasant

28 Apr 2014

Noeleen boland

Out of the way,not much to see need a car.

The hotel has a nice view of the sea. The rooms are small, our room was very dark even though it had a sea view. The beds are so hard my back was hurting after three days, and they need to upgrade the pillows. The restaurant needs to look at their menu and cater more to families. The prices I thought were pricy. Needs to add more simple foods like pizza, more simple starters. Mostly fish menu and too complicated. The restaurants near to hotel are absolutely horrible, would not recommend any of them. Siracusa is the nearest town and if you drink I would not recommend to drive. If the hotel improves on menu I would stay put. Breakfast is ok, typically Italian.

10/10

Exceptional

27 Apr 2014

Sue

Lovely hotel with stunning view

The hotel is situated in a fantastic location, looking back across the bay towards Syracuse and, if you're lucky, with a view of Mount Etna over the town (sometimes it is too hazy to see). We had a sea view room right by the water looking out to Syracuse and its buildings of honey coloured stone. The grounds are beautiful - full of flowers, cacti and olive trees and very well tended. The pool was fresh (!) when we visited (April 2014) but we braved it each morning and it was very refreshing. Breakfast each day was delicious. The beach at the hotel was very picturesque and the water clear. All the staff we encountered were polite, helpful and accommodating e.g. the shuttle bus driver took us straight to the archaeological park in Syracuse on request. We enjoyed sitting on a headland by the bay, sharing a bottle of wine as the sun went down over Syracuse - very relaxing! The location of the hotel makes it easy to explore the local area as well as to dip into Syracuse for dinner if you have a car. It only took us about an hour and a half to get to Taormina on the autopista.
Highlights of our trip: Ortygia (the historic part of Syracuse); Taormina; Scicli; walking in the gorge D'Ispica (hard to find though); driving through orange and lemon groves; the archaeological park in Syracuse; the Greek theatre in Taormina; walking up a lava field on Etna; chilling on the hotel beach.

10/10

Exceptional

01 Apr 2014

Aleksandra

Great hotel in a quiet, lovely surrounding

Grand Hotel Minareto is located around 10 min drive from Syracuse. So the only thing which you hear in the morning are birds singing. Wonderful view to the sea! Delicious breakfast with the nicest staff I have ever met! Quiet, very well organised, surrounded with plants. I really hope to come back!

10/10

Exceptional

09 Oct 2013

Stunning beauty and amenities

A beautiful hotel - would highly recommend it. Perched a top of a small rock cliff overlooking Syracuse bay and the city, this hotel has everything - large clean pool, great rooms, excellent restaurants and bars - we had one of best Sicilian meals one evening and the breakfast is excellent, your own private swimming hole in the ocean, a small but private sandy beach, and most of all - excellent service. Bit of a hike to downtown Syracuse, so driving is a must, but we liked that about it. Great place!

Family

4/10

Poor

06 Oct 2013

Verified traveler

Russian style hotel

Would have been a great hotel in the 80s, currently it is unique due to the location and service, although the rooms are quiet expensive for the quality offered. Reception staff very friendly indeed.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Sep 2013

Vanessa

TOP HOTEL WOULD 100% recommand

We went here as part of our Honeymoon and we had a fantastic time. The staff were great, the facilities were always clean and just as expected beautiful. Can fault this place at all. We did have a hire which reallt helped as down is about 15 min drive away. But the Hotel does offer free transport there and back a few times a day.

10/10

Exceptional

13 Sep 2013

Ralph

Service with a smile

The management must be congratulated on the professionalism of their staff in which nothing was too much and always with a smile.

10/10

Exceptional

14 Aug 2013

Verified traveler

Great luxury holiday.

This is a wonderful hotel arranged as a series of low blocks along the top of a bay with about 4 rooms in each, all with terrace. Some are smaller than others which is presumably reflected in the price. The ones with sea view are best, but they are all pleasant. There is a fantastic private beach in a beautiful bay, big swimming pool and various other places where you can sit, swim or sunbathe. Views from some of the rooms and from the public terraces across the bay to Syracuse and Etna are fantastic.

The breakfast is generous and included a chocolate fountain as well as more healthy options! We ate dinner three times satisfactorily in the hotel restaurant.

We initially had a little problem with the allocation of our room, but it was eventually sorted out to our complete satisfaction.

Only thing to note is that you really need a car to get into beautiful nearby Syracuse and Ortigia.

Would definitely return.

10/10

Exceptional

14 Jun 2013

Laszlo

Great for visiting Syracusa or beach

Fantastic location and amenities. A stylish hotel with views across the harbour and a private beach, great for adults or children.

10/10

Exceptional

12 Jun 2013

Alexander

The hotel with a wonderful view

Located at short distance from Syracuse it has a wonderful view on it. The hotel has two beaches. The one you enter the water from rocks and swim immediately and the sand beach for a much smoother water enter. The second beach have some weed in water, but both them are really nice and are a pleasure to use. Personally I prefered the first one. The stay was just perfect.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

28 May 2013

Ladybird

Would not describe this as a 5* hotel

We stayed at the hotel for a week. At first it was rather disappointing as, for a supposedly 5* hotel the room was very cramped and there was only a shower and no bath, although as the week wore on the hotel grew on us as the views are spectacular.

We stayed out of season and it was very quiet, which was good for us. I suspect the experience would have been very different in high season, though.

We ate dinner in the restaurant every night because the hotel was rather isolated with nothing much else in walking distance. The menu remained the same for the whole week which meant that we ran out of things we wanted to try. The food was OK but nothing special.

8/10

Excellent

18 Apr 2013

Lewis

Good hotel, lacklustre location

Our stay at the Hotel Minareto was satisfactory overall. The hotel itself is clearly very new, with well planned albeit quite small rooms. We booked two rooms and were pleased to see that, though they were adjoining, they had differing decor which lent a unique feel. Less appealing however was a slight smell of damp in both rooms. The hotel, being across a channel from Syracuse centre, is not ideal for visitors without cars and the surrounding area is unappealing. We visited in April which may be out of season, but found that the pool bar was closed, meaning that the only option for a light lunch was their very pricey restaurant. Still, breakfast was excellent. I probably would not visit again, but mostly because my preference is for other areas of Sicily (such as Taormina) rather than Syracuse.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

10 Apr 2013

Verified traveler

We WILL be going back ....

Fantastic hotel. We stayed in the villas close to the minaret, across the road from the main reception. Clean, quiet, wonderful view of Mount Etna from the balcony, stunning location on the headland overlooking the bay. Swimming pool large, note it gets deep quickly. Plenty of sun loungers. If the beach is more your thing then the hotel has a small private beach set in a beautiful cove. We ate in one night and the a la carte food was excellent quality. Buffet breakfast, plenty of fruit, breads, pastries to choose from; even chocolate fountains !! Staff very attentive, charming, service with a smile.

Food recommendations. Fantastic sea food/pizza restaurant (La Fornace) on the Via la Maddalena. Good cheap food and great service, very popular with the locals and only a few km from the hotel, situated on the seafront. Avoid Ostrica Park. Very close to La Fornace but our experience was the complete opposite.

10/10

Exceptional

05 Apr 2013

Verified traveler

Perfect hotel

Enjoyed every bit of my stay at this great hotel, staff very helpful and friendly, they helped us getting around and the food at the restaurant is amazing and not expensive as it looks. Would definitely come back!

8/10

Excellent

12 Nov 2012

GPeter

Great setting with super breakfast.

Beautiful setting. Access to local restaurants was good. Hotel location requires own car. Easy parking. Very attentive and helpful staff. English spoken. Superb range of breakfast food.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Nov 2012

Anne

Retires - Ireland

We arrived in torrential rain so were surprised having checked in to be told we would be driven to our room!! Then you realise the Reception area is only single- storied and the 'rooms' are motel- styled laid out around the Grounds along the clifftop and perfectly & comfortably appointed. Very helpful staff came to help sort out the computer in the bedroom for us. We enjoyed glorious lunch & dinner in their Restaurant NESOS that day, served by very pleasant staff. Next morning the glorious sunshine showed us the real beauty of the Hotel, including access to a private beach. The Reception staff were so helpful & friendly, we were sorry to leave and continue our journey but, we would certainly go back.

8/10

Excellent

16 Oct 2012

Verified traveler

Excellent hotel

We had a wonderful 3 night stay at Grand Hotel Minaret, our planned vacation in late October though I think the hotel has reduced the amount of staff so trying to get someone out to one of the main terraces to take a drink order provided challenging, they never showed up!! Breakfast was fantastic, I've never had a chocolate fountain in breakfast buffet before! We did order a late lunch by the pool one day and was under whelmed by the meals, expected more.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Sep 2012

Great hotel for everyone

It was a very pleasant experience… beautiful landscape and great services. It is a place where I definitely want to return one day.

10/10

Exceptional

06 Aug 2012

Francois B

Minaretto hotel

Well located, awesome private beach, great hotel device. Highly recommended.

Family

6/10

Pleasant

24 Jul 2012

Susanna

Beautiful hotel - great for families or couples.

The location of the hotel is beautiful and the staff are very welcoming and pleasant. However, the food in the restaurant is not up to scratch. We tried it for dinner on two separate occasions and it was not good. Because the hotel is some way from the centre of town ones options are limited as to eating dinner. But breakfast was fine.
One one night there was a wedding reception taking place, and some of it was opposite our room! Consequently it was noisy until about 1030 pm, when the wedding party moved to another part of the hotel. The staff said that usually such events take place earlier in the evening.

8/10

Excellent

17 Apr 2012

Nimrod

Very nice but incosistant

The view from the hotel is spactacular. The food in the restaurant is very good. The staff is very attentive and comply with every request but there is no consistancy or structure of standard regular service. The suites are smallish and not enough privasy for a couple and a child. We will come back but not in peak season.

8/10

Excellent

03 Jan 2012

george

Don't go out of season.

Excellent resort hotel.
Super luxury rooms and excellent food with a fantastic location but don't go out of season like we did.
We were the only guests for most of our stay. Don't go between October to March as you may be the only guests and most of the hotel will be closed down.

10/10

Exceptional

28 Sep 2025

Charlotte

Magisk. Fantastisk service

6/10

Pleasant

18 Sep 2025

Cathrine

Surprise upon leaving

This is a nice place with nice rooms and a great location. However, there was an unpleasant surprise upon leaving, when we were presented with a 764euro bill for a wine bottle we drank at the restaurant. The waiter did not inform us about the price of the bottle, which is unacceptable when the price is so high. We ended up refusing to pay the whole amount, but still we payed 300 euro, which was still too much in my opinion. I will not go back to this place.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

26 Jul 2025

Michael

Exceptional service. Make sure you book one of the renovated appartments

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

17 Jul 2024

Thomas

Skønneste sted

Virkelig dejligt ophold på Minareto. God værelser/huse og mange muligheder for både pool, jacuzzi, klippestrand, sandstrand. Top service og hurtig betjening ved både roomservice og på restaurant og bar. Søde og serviceorienterede medarbejdere. Rent og lækkert, smukt og roligt.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

11 Jul 2024

Verified traveler

Vou voltar com certeza.

Lugar sensacional e com um atendimento primoroso.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

26 Jun 2024

Marian

Personeel super behulpzaam en heel vriendelijk. Unieke locatie met verschillende mogelijkheden om te genieten van de zon, de zee en de rust. Veel privacy.
Aanbod glutenvrije broodjes kan uitgebreider. Wel heel behulpzaam om de broodjes veilig te toasten.

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jun 2024

JOAO C M

Bastante agradável

Muito boa

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Jun 2022

Daniel

Einzigartige Lage, hoher Komfort, äusserst freundliches Personal

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 May 2022

Thomas

Sehr freundliches Personal, ruhige Lage, tolle Aussicht aufs Meer (hat natürlich aber seinen Preis), klasse Service

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

20 Sep 2021

Valentina

Phantastische Lage!!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Aug 2021

Levent

Sehr gut, super Familienurlaub. Eigener Strand.

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

29 Sep 2019

Verified traveler

Un site exceptionnel, une vue à couper le souffle

L’hôtel occupe un emplacement exceptionnel sur un promontoire dans la réserve naturelle du Plemmirio et juste en face de Ortigia, bijoux baroque du sud est sicilien.
Et c’est bien la principale raison qui nous motive à y retourner ... nous en sommes à notre troisième séjour.
En effet l’hôtel ne mérite pas les 5 étoiles qui lui sont attribuées; l’architecture est un hymne au mauvais goût et aucun détail ne sauve la mise ; la mitoyenneté avec des villas particulières casse en deux le resort et le privé de charme; le petit déjeuner est servi dans une salle impersonnelle et si on veut le prendre dans la terrasse donnant sur la plage l’on est obligé à faire soi-même à l’aide d’un plateau digne d’une station de service.... Un mot sur la magnifique plage sur les eaux cristallines du Plemmirio : qui a pu concevoir voir cette rampe immonde (digne d’un garage) pour y accéder ? Cela enlève tout le charme du site.
Un mot sur le côté opposé et rocheux en face d’Ortigia : ne peut-on faciliter l’accès à la mer ?
A part cela on y retourne parce ce que le site est vraiment exceptionnel, la mer très belle et pour partie le personnel très professionnel et sympathique.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

20 Aug 2019

jean-yves

Sublime plage rocheuse en face d'Ortigia !

Magnifique une plage rocheuse digne des Maldives pour les poissons. coucher de soleil à tomber. Belle chambre avec terrasse et vue mer et sur Ortigia. Points morts : Petit déjeuner très mauvais en quantité et qualité, boite de nuit bruyante dans les environs. difficulté d'aller en voiture à Syracuse le soir, la navette en bateau est parfaite mais trop chère, un petit racket ...

Partner

4/10

Poor

01 Aug 2019

Tatiana

Больше мы сюда не вернёмся

Этель не тянет на 5 звезд по обслуживанию. Было такое количество недочётов, что на ресепшн приходилась звонить регулярно. Заказы вечно забывают принести или приносили не полностью. Забывали приносить полотенца, тапочки, халаты. Забывали убраться возле бассейна или вынести посуду. Расположение потрясающее, раньше этот отель может и был хорош, ни сейчас явно все стало хуже.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Jul 2019

Carlo

La opción en Siracusa para mar y cultura

Excelente hotel sobre la playa y rocas con transporte a Ortigia vía barco.

Family

4/10

Poor

17 May 2019

Verified traveler

L’endroit est magnifique avec une superbe vue sur « l’isle » de Syracuse... Mais il faudrait préciser que l’on est loin de Syracuse, que le plus rapide pour y aller à partir de l’hotel c’est le bateau payant à 15 € par personne !!!
A 450 € la chambre vue mer, sans même une bouteille d’eau gratuite, c’est un peu exagéré !!!
Surtout que le dernier bateau est à 19h30 et que le restaurant de l’hotel est triste à mourir, pas bon et très très cher !!!
L’hotel « Bling, bling » des années 70’s est de mauvais goût, la salle de restaurant ne donne même pas sur la mer... et les chambre sont petites avec une décoration ringarde des années 70’s avec un coffre fort dans un placard au raz du sol où il faut se mettre à plat ventre sur le carrelage pour faire son code... du délire !!!
La salle de douche, pas mieux, un couloir de 3 M2 avec en ligne : lavabo, WC, et bidet...
Pour un 5 * pas de baignoire, WC dans la Sdb et une douche cabine d’angle digne de Bricorama !
Heureusement les réceptionnistes sont adorable dont tout particulièrement une qui parle parfaitement le français.
En résumé un grand gâchis pour ce magnifique site naturel qui mériterai autre chose que cet Hotel « bling, bling » vieillissant de très mauvais goût 70’s

Leisure Friends