Acacia Marina

WELL, to start with Thomas Cook collapsing while we were away, didn’t help. The atmosphere was tense to say the least especially with the Germans . The hotel is owned by Thomas Cook so it is not known if it will be still operating as people were leaving and only a few were coming in. Whether it was due to the collapse or not we found the food very repetitive, with meals being rehashed from meal to meal. Our room was large and clean,but the shower was so small you could not move in it.the water was left ad hoc. The staff were attentive especially the reception. Beware the the journey to and from the airport is long and uncomfortable with stops to drop off and pick up people (2.5 hours) Bearing this in mind the trips are about the same duration and expensive. The area is very Italian with very few people speaking or understanding English.

We booked through Thomas Cook. It's a long way from Catania airport. Two hours on a cramped coach. The hotel is ok. Not great, but ok. The swimming pool was good though and well looked after. Our room (205a) had an excellent view of the Mediterranean sea. I could sit for hours there watching the ships on the horizon. The hotel but of beach was excellent too and the water shallow but very warm. Some days the red flag was up as it can get choppy. Hotel food was good but not fantastic. The a la carte option was better but that menu didn't vary much. All inclusive was ok and the beers, wines etc good. Staff could be amazing and special thanks to Guiseppe in the restaurant and Florentin both of whom made my wife smile and me too. The regular grill bar guy was great too and Carla our regular cleaner. The spa area was good and we both tried a treatment. Lots of British stay here and excursions are run. But many are quite distant. Buses are hit and miss but the drivers friendly and we used these to visit nearby towns. The resort was excellent with loads of venues to eat and drink at. In fact it may be better to stay B&B and eat out? Lots of sandy and clean beach front and it felt safe. Nice to sit among the locals in the square at night. The market and local shops for food were all good with reasonable prices. A nice place to stay but be prepared for lengthy journeys to the sights of Sicily.

Just returned from a wonderful week stay at the Sentido , it’s a long transfer from the airport but we were picked up in a private mini bus which was air conditioned. .On arrival at the Sentido we were greeted with a welcome drink . The rooms are spacious and clean and the beds are extremely comfortable all air conditioned. The pool area is lovely with an added bonus that you do not have to fight for a sun bed as there are always beds available. The food in the hotel is ok although we did feel that it was quite repetitive and choice of veg and meat was the same most nights ,breakfast wasn’t to our liking with very small rashers served to you and the scrambled egg was very over cooked ,there was plenty of fruit,bread,cakes .The staff at the Sentido are some of the best we had ever had the pleasure to meet, they couldn’t do enough for you always happy and service with a smile I can not praise them enough. The beach is only 5 mins walk , there is not a lot to do in the area you can walk along the long promenade to the town square which is full of Italians with a nice atmosphere but there is not a lot to do and only a few bars and restaurants. Craig the Thomas Cook rep is wonderful very friendly and knowledgeable with the resort and surrounding areas.we hired a car via Thomas Cook which was not cheap 300 euros for three days and you DO have to be a confident driver as the Italian roads are not the easiest but well worth it if you want to explore the island.