Castello di San Marco Charming Hotel & Spa

Firstly this is a wedding venue and private customers are well at the bottom of the list. Weddings 4/7 days and they take over the gardens and pool area in the afternoon and evening. Noise until early hours of the morning. Bar service is slow, it took 25 mins on each occasion to get a drink. This was even if the bar was quiet. hey set tables, chatted and then forgot what drinks we had ordered! This also was the case in the evening in either bar. We stayed up chatting one night and he packed up and cleared away around us, and put the lights off. This while the wedding party was still going on in the gardens! The pool needed a good clean inside and all the rubbish sitting on the outside drain. The staff sat round chatting, smoking/vaping or on their phones, they didn't clean the pool, collect glasses or towels ( we observed the glasses still be there from 11am in the late afternoon). Fresh towels should have been laid out on the beds daily! The pool closed at 6pm even in the summer, what a waste of the lovely weather there. The pool toilets were not kept clean, very dissapointing. The hotel itself was stunning and decorated beautifully. Our room was modern and very comfy. Missing some small touches like handles on one door, and had to pay for water if you wanted that daily. The grounds were lovely and well kept, obv for the weddings. There was always a smell of gas at the side of the hotel by the path onto the marquee. We had breakfast and this was a buffet, for this standard of hotel I would have presumed there would be an a la carte menu. The main dinner was fine although very rich and limited for a vegetarian. Service was good but you would expect it at the prices charged. The beach area wasnt anything special just some poor quality sun lounges. The beach itself was ok but nothing special for Sicily. The spa was lovely and the staff really nice. We enjoyed a massage and it was priced in line with what the hotel rating should be.

From the website: a trendy Beach club, a poolside oasis, a courtyard romantic dinner, a sumptuous breakfast. Our reality: oh no the Beach club is not yet open (mid-June, 32C). Oh sorry, no swimming after 6pm as the pool needs a desinfectant shock. Oh no you can not stay on the poolside sunbed, we rented the place out for a wedding. Courtyard? No the dinner is inside in the cellar. Oh no, we don’t do fresh orange juice at breakfast. And no “how was your stay” at checkout or I would have shared my feedback. I am a fair reviewer but DO NOT understand the cavalier disdain for their own guests. We loved the other 4 hotels we stayed at .

It was perfect

We had a wonderful and unique stay at this renewed castle, converted to a boutique, high standard hotel. Beautiful and classy garden for breakfast included and luxurious dinner if booked. Amazing large pool overlooking the beach. An easy, 20 minute drive from Taormina. One point had to be taken off, sadly, due to the queen bed mattress which felt small and a bit squeeky and not perfect maintenance of bathroom. Other than that - truly a magical experience reflecting the vibe of romantic Sicily.

Our only regret was we couldn’t stay for longer…

Interesting property that may have been a destination for the locals, but seems to be not well-kept, with many areas seem to be a work area that is not well kept. The bar was very nice but the SPA did not look very appealing with a large white chair lef at the entrance for no obvious reason. The front desk staff were very friendly, and the restaurant staff we very nice, too.

Hotel and grounds are beautiful, service was wonderful. It’s far from Taormina - transport is very expensive and can be delayed in the busy summer. Lighting in the room lounge area was subdued, and little things like bathroom and tea supplies were not replenished. It should be possible to have a fresh towel at the beach and pool if needed. These are little details but prevented a 5 star rating for this 5 star hotel.