Hotel Caesar Palace

THE HOTEL Upon arrival the hotel looked clean but very dated. We arrived with a coach load of other guests and the receptionist apologised for having to rush our check in. There was no concierge so we were left to struggle with our cases. The lifts are tiny. It says that the max capacity is 5 people. It’s snug with 3! There are 4 lifts and they were all in good working order. When we entered the room we actually laughed! Not sure what other reaction there was really. We were transported back to the 70’s. The room look dull and tired and the decor was revolting. There was a small TV but we didn’t use that. We paid extra for a balcony. Nice space but absolutely no privacy whatsoever from the balcony next door, which we felt would have been nice, especially for sunbathing. The bathroom was bright but also very very dated. The shower handle was covered in rust as were the taps. It was really clean though. The wardrobe doors were very difficult to open and were only fixed at the top so would swing out whenever they were opened. THE STAFF The restaurant staff (waiters) were delightful. Very helpful and service with a smile. The bar staff were quite miserable. One in particular (really tall chap) never once established eye contact with us and was really surly. He never smiled either. The ladies behind the bar were slightly better, but not great. There was one male receptionist who was extremely rude and snappy and we were only wanting a safe key!!!! THE FOOD OMG! Absolutely awful! The first time we went to the restaurant we thought we must have been a bit late which was why there wasn’t much choice and why it was cold. We were wrong. Every single day the food was cold/Luke warm at best. The reason for this is that they don’t have electric servers, they put hot water in the bottom to try to keep it warm. It doesn’t work. Every meal was recycled. I know hotels have to do this as it makes financial sense, but this was badly disguised! One day, they put sliced onions on top of sliced oranges ?!?! But the best had to be when they re-used the fried eggs from the morning. They scooped out the yellow, put mayo in the scooped out bit and served them - cold of course! Revolting. Every night it was the same routine. 3 different types of pasta, recycled cold veg, copious amounts of grated carrot and a meat dish, served with roasted potatoes that were left from the salad bar at lunchtime and a ‘gravy’ Desserts were pretty horrid too. Very plastic. Oh, and talking of plastic, if you care about the planet this is NOT the hotel for you. Plastic spoons, straws, cups, (coffee and soft drinks) plates, the list was endless. All disposable, not recyclable. Shocking. Every evening children were crying because there was nothing suitable for them to eat. Some went back to their tables with a plate full of grated carrot and a bread roll. The happened every night we were there. They don’t have child friendly meals as most of the pastas had some kind of fish in them (pilchards)!?!?! Revolting. THE POOL Big and plenty of sunbeds FREEZING cold. There is a kids pool which is nice, but unfortunately there are no facilities around it so parents have to come marching back around to the main pool area for a drink or snack (snacks were limited) ALL INCLUSIVE I’ve never stayed in an all inclusive hotel that was not all inclusive. Alcoholic drinks were restricted during the day. Beer and wine were available, but you had to wait until after 6pm for anything else or you were charged for it. They told us that if we took anything out of the fridge In The room That we would be charged for it, but it only contained soft drinks that were free from the bar anyway - strange! One night I decided to have a baileys - they charged me 5 euros for it!!!!! THE ENTERTAINMENT A man at a piano singing for 5 of the 7 nights we were there. Tedious! Personally I would not recommend this hotel to anyone, especially if you have children. Read all the reviews you need to, but I absolutely promise you, this one is the most accurate one you’ll read. The rest is up to you!

We had a great time, good food , drink and exceptional staff, too many to mention individualiy. Comfortable, spotless rooms with panoramic views. Shuttle bus to town and cheap transport from bus stop outside.Amazing beach within walking distance. Highly recommended in early or late season. Thankyou Sicily..

We really loved our TUI holiday in Sicily. -The outward TUI flight was at a really convenient time and we arrived at our hotel only 1 hour late. The plane was comfortable, clean and efficiently run. -Arriving after dark the hotel reception and check-in was welcoming, impressive and friendly. The hotel had kept the restaurant open for us and stored our luggage while we ate. -Our room was spacious and immaculately clean with a Juliet-balcony overlooking the pool, gardens and a magnificent view to nearby Toarmina. -We found the food offerings at every meal varied, interesting and satisfying. They could have offered more fresh fruit and green veg, especially when they are in the centre of an incredibly fertile region. (I completely fell in love with their fresh orange juice machine but it was only available at breakfast.) -The atmosphere of the hotel throughout was very relaxing and felt like an oasis with all the greenery and luscious gardens. The evening entertainment was low key and a little repetitious but relaxing after long days out. -Our 2 excursions (Enjoy Etna 4x4 safari and Villa Amerini & Agrigento) both seemed reasonable value for money and were well run and fascinating. I would say that the Villa Amerini & Agrigento day was 13 hours long but we were only at the 2 sites for 1.5 and 2 hours respectively. This therefore means a lot of driving then being rushed through fascinating sites. I would suggest that each location is easily worthy of being a trip in their own right. (I do object to having to pay entrance charges on top of the not insignificant excursion cost paid to TUI). -On our day of departure check-out was 10am but we were allowed to continue our all-inclusive until 3pm which was much appreciated as our departure wasn't until 6pm. My only negatives about the holiday relate to: -the "All Inclusive" board basis - there were numerous, complicated restrictions on times, products etc and some staff seemed quite resentful when serving. This was apparent right from the start and throughout. If you charge people for an all inclusive holiday then it must be ALL inclusive. -the other minor gripe was the lack of any English entertainment channels on the TV. There was English language news (if you don't mind American and Aljazeera.) but nothing else, not even good old BBC. We don't go on holiday to watch TV but on the day it rained all day it would have passed the time a little more easily. Anyway, as I said at the start, we loved this holiday and would definitely return with TUI, to Sicily and to this hotel.