Victoria Palace Cefalù

I think the best thing about this hotel is its situation right next to the sea but within walking distance of the old town which is where you definitely need to go. The room was OK but the place looks a bit tired. The pool area was unused and a bit messy. The breakfast room on the roof terrace was a very pleasant way to start the day.

What a fantastic stay we had in this hotel !! Perfect in every way.....from it's convenient position along the lungomare facing the sea and a few minutes walk into the historic centre of Cefalu to the wonderful staff and their warm and friendly welcome. Upon arrival we were greeted by the lovely Julia who informed us we had been chosen to receive a room upgrade to a stunning sea front suite where we delighted in watching the beautiful sunsets Cefalu gave us every evening !! The breakfasts on the top floor offered many and varied choices to set us up for the day. Julia was among the many lovely members of staff at both the Victoria Palace and it's sister hotel the Sea Palace. Anna was particularly warm and friendly and helped us with many suggestions for sight seeing, excursions, train times, taxis and much more....she was a credit to the hotel as was Martina (also on reception) and the afore mentioned Julia. At the Sea Palace Paolo the Maitre 'D' and Vincenzo the executive chef were both amazingly kind and accommodating and Vincenzo has amazing culinary skills !! The staff at the beach club were also great...... Carmelo, Fabio and Alessandra always happy and smiling. I cannot recommend the Victoria Palace and the stunning town of Cefalu enough. This is our 4th visit to the island of Sicily and Cefalu has been our favourite thus far.

The hotel is in a great location across the road from the beach and a short walk to the old town. When checking in, we were surprised by some of the rules, which we have never come across before! 1. You are given a pool towel but have to pay 5 euros to change it. 2. You get given one key per room and are charged 5 euros if you lose it. 3. You are not allowed to take any food or drink to your room and can only use what is offered in the mini bar, which was minimal. This wasn't too much of a problem except for when Housekeeping didn't replenish the fridge so I had no option but to bring refreshments from elsewhere. 4. You are not allowed to hang your wet towels on the balcony. I understand it doesn't look nice when towels are draped over the balcony but at least provide something to hang them on inside the balcony. The room was very basic, which I expect in Italy but it was clean. There was very minimal hanging space and the two drawers were so tiny, you could hardly fit anything in them. Bring your own hangers as there are only a few. There were also only two plug sockets, one being in the bathroom! On our first night, we were kept awake by loud music which seemed like it was coming from above. We had no warning of this and it didn't stop until very late. Breakfast was the worst I think we've ever encountered in a hotel. There were far too many sweet options, the sausages and bacon looked inedible and my husband even spotted mould on the strawberry's. The bar at the front of the hotel was quite nice and the staff were friendly except for one who was extremely rude to me but really friendly with my husband. The pool area is small but we never had a problem getting a sunbed. You can also use sunbeds on the beach for free in the hotel area, where they have a little restaurant/bar. The staff there were very friendly. We caught the train to Palermo, which was super easy. The station was about ten minutes walk from the hotel. Cefalu is a beautiful town with narrow, cobbled streets so it is definitely worth staying there if you're visiting Sicily.