Firriato Hospitality - Baglio Soria

wonderful property. Excellent restaurant and service Wine tasting most enjoyable with a chance to learn more about wines of Sicily. A most memorable experience and stay at the resort.

The staff (especially Martina) were extremely helpful in assisting us after a car breakdown and service thereafter, including at dinner, was knowledgeable, professional and very pleasant. Our room was large, clean and well-equipped, with a great bathroom. At dinner my wife enjoyed pasta with rabbit and I had a fish soup with couscous - a local speciality. As a winery, it offers a wide range of its own products - we had an excellent white wine (Quater Vitis) made from four Sicilian grape types. Its olive oil was distinctive and delicious. As we arrived late we had no opportunity to explore its outdoor amenities. Guests have to walk up a couple of hundred metres from the carpark, and there is no lift (the staff were very helpful with our heavy luggage). Overall, you might be reminded of a high-end US countryside resort - high modern standards are maintained in a traditional Italian setting.

PROs: - Pleasant country surroundings - Large rooms CONs: - Reception is hit and miss: the first two gals were pleasant, even if completely inefficient – they never got the phone in the room to work, thus every time you needed something from the reception,bar, or room service, you had to walk to the desk to ask for it. The replacement was worse: rude and completely not interested in the problems of the customers. - Overwhelming stink of cheap after-shave accompanies you everywhere: reception, restaurant, bar, your room. I cannot help it but think that this is their way of covering some ugly aromas around... If at least the bugs were to run away from it, but they don’t: flying bugs, hopping bugs, crawling bugs, all kind of bugs - Pathetical bathroom and shower, fit for a motel, not for a four star hotel. - It’s in the middle of nowhere, so you are a captive audience. As such, you are charged ridiculous prices: €24 for a Johnny Walker black, NYC price, €3.50 for a miniature bag of chips - Pool is not heated - Towels on the grayish side and fading fast - The Prix fix dinner is ridiculous: a starter of eggplants, cheese & tomatoes and some pasta afterwards, accompanied by four glasses of wine, one smelling and tasting like gasoline ( to their credit, they replaced it when we complained). - Barking dog all night long - Noise from the near-by highway, nonstop. Avoid if you can.

The place was beautiful and the wine is delicious. I would recommend staying here even if only a few nights.