Nice grand old hotel, but up to date with friendly staff

We loved our 2-night stay at the Grand Hotel Villa Politi in Syracuse! The property is very historic, having been established in 1862, and it is literally built adjacent to one of the archeological sites that Syracuse is known for. The staff was so welcoming and helpful, the Winston Churchill Bar was charming (and they have a daily happy hour with complimentary appetizers), and the breakfast buffet offered a nice variety of choices. There's a large, very well-maintained outdoor pool and deck area, which was a highlight of my visit. The room was very comfortable and well appointed in terms of linens, a refrigerator/mini bar, plenty of electrical outlets, and a functional window. I wish there had been conditioner in the shower, along with shampoo and body wash, but other than that, our stay was excellent.

We loved our 2-night stay at the Grand Hotel Villa Politi in Syracuse! The property is very historic, having been established in 1862, and it is literally built adjacent to one of the archeological sites that Syracuse is known for. The staff was so welcoming and helpful, the Winston Churchill Bar was charming (and they have a daily happy hour with complimentary appetizers), and the breakfast buffet offered a nice variety of choices. There's a large, very well-maintained outdoor pool and deck area, which was a highlight of my visit. The room was very comfortable and well appointed in terms of linens, a refrigerator/mini bar, plenty of electrical outlets, and a functional window. I wish there had been conditioner in the shower, along with shampoo and body wash, but other than that, our stay was excellent.

A big, venerable classic hotel, this. The reception area oozes class, with a red carpet in the main staircase to first floor. The rooms show signs of age, though. Some mechanical parts are rather worn, and the shower head had no holder. Also, the wifi was rather temperamental; it was much better near the reception, so that’s where I went to do some work. The cleanliness was great, though, and there was a massive balcony to enjoy. The breakfast was good also, it took place in a massive hall on the ground floor, and the pool area was great. Half an hour’s walk to Ortigia island, but I became an ardent user of the widely available Elerent electrical scooters, so no big problem. Would come back in a heartbeat.

A big, venerable classic hotel, this. The reception area oozes class, with a red carpet in the main staircase to first floor. The rooms show signs of age, though. Some mechanical parts are rather worn, and the shower head had no holder. Also, the wifi was rather temperamental; it was much better near the reception, so that’s where I went to do some work. The cleanliness was great, though, and there was a massive balcony to enjoy. The breakfast was good also, it took place in a massive hall on the ground floor, and the pool area was great. Half an hour’s walk to Ortigia island, but I became an ardent user of the widely available Elerent electrical scooters, so no big problem. Would come back in a heartbeat.

Excellent stay

Excellent stay

We did have a very big room but the air conditioning made us quite sick each night. We ended up having to open the windows, which in August is quite hot. The pool was large and plenty of room and the included breakfast was very good. The location is about 2km from the island of Otigia, which isn’t a difficult walk down but a very sweaty one coming back.