NH Catania Parco Degli Aragonesi

"We spent 5 nights with the family in two double rooms. The reception late in the evening was nice. We then went to our rooms and were disappointed beyond measure, like never before. The walls dirty and old, the bathroom simply hideous. On the second night at 11:00 PM, someone had to come and stop the water in the toilet! The bed was clean and comfortable. The breakfast buffet was just Italian, it was limited and sufficient. On the first morning, I placed a water bottle on our table, but I was very, very rudely asked to put the bottle back, as that was not allowed. The salt shakers did not work at all. In the evening, we wanted to eat something in the hotel restaurant. We were immediately informed that not all menu items were available anymore and that we would have to wait up to an hour for the food to be served. We then wanted to leave and suddenly we were only supposed to wait 40 minutes. The next day a new attempt - but we were received so unkindly again that we left right away. We did not use the pool area because the main road was behind the lounge chairs - clearly audible, the beach area was already closed at this time of year. There were enough parking spaces. Since the NH Hotel is near the airport, you can hear the planes taking off. It should also be mentioned that it is a conference hotel as well. The price for these rooms is simply out of proportion to what is offered."

"Excellent facility Very clean and organized Right on the seafront Very kind staff Superb breakfast"

"Catfished by this hotel’s website and Jet 2 description. It’s right beside a busy 4 lane road with constant traffic all day and night as well as frequent aeroplanes flying overhead . You have to cross the 4 lane road to get to the “private beach” which is little more than a stretch of sand and rocks along a shoreline interspersed with abandoned graffitied buildings . To get to Catania town you need to follow the road - don’t believe anyone at the hotel who suggests it’s a short walk -it is not -and long parts of the walk have no pavements leaving you to negotiate busy traffic . The alternatives are a 20 euro taxi ride or a local unreliable bus service . You could eat at the hotel if you can get served by the awful staff who ignore anyone who isn’t Italian and talk about them in Italian - clearly assuming ( in my case incorrectly ) that they can’t be understood . Breakfast is hilarious. Doors to the dining room locked at 945am even though breakfast is served till 10. food on hot plates which are turned off is stone cold . Staff are rude and unhelpful. Pool bar is much the same with days when no staff are around and we couldn’t even get water let alone food . There are no shops nearby and the one or two restaurants nearby are truly awful. The hotel lobby is nicely decorated - clearly for the corporate events they prefer whereas the rooms are shabby and dirty. Have stayed in many Nh hotels before and never found one with any faults - let alone this awful. Stay in sketchy Catania town if you are coming here or better still go to a nice and safe resort like Siracusa or Toarmina ."