Costa Verde

"I'll just start by saying that, a week or so before arriving at this hotel I was shocked to see so many bad reviews on here about it. A group of 10 of us had booked 12 months in advance so on the run up to the holiday we were all feeling pretty nervous about what we about to get ourselves into based on the seemingly endless negative reviews. The short story is - we needn't have worried, we had an amazing week. The long story is.. The transfer from Catania airport to the hotel was a good three hours or so, but I managed to sleep through the majority of the journey so it wasn't too big a deal. Still, it's quite the journey when you've already gone through airports/flights etc. Check in was fine, quick enough, staff were helpful and polite. The rooms were fine - nothing spectacular but no less comfortable than any other resorts I've stayed at. The drinks both alcoholic and otherwise were great. We stayed on the all inclusive package and found the lager, soft drinks and cocktails to be superb, which are served from 9:30am till 11pm. They don't mess around with your cocktail measurements either, we definitely had a few blurry nights! Food - even as a vegetarian I didn't struggle to put decent meals together, there was always pasta dishes, salads, bread rolls, cheese's, desserts. The meat eaters in the group loved their options too. Nice little touch that you get a bottle of chilled water and red or white wine with each meal too. We stayed out of season (last week of Oct) so the other restaurants were closed so I can't comment on those. Also, you get allocated a table for your stay too so you're never scrambling around to all sit together - you're guaranteed your seat every mealtime. The pools were freezing cold but that may have been down to the time of year we went, but we still managed to get in them over the week and didn't struggle for sun loungers together. Maybe it's different in peak season but it was quiet for us so we had our own row of loungers everyday. The pool bar is no more than a 30 second walk away no matter where you're sitting. There are a lot of reviews mentioning issues with wasps. Yes, there was many a time where we were batting them away from our drinks but it wasn't overly concerning, I didn't feel like it was a constant thing but again, maybe it's worse when their are more guests and the weather is hotter in the peak season? The staff were all friendly and helpful, no complaints in that department. My only two issues and reasons for not giving it the full 5/5 is down to the snacks which are only available between 10-11am, and 4-5pm. Whenever I've gone all inclusive before the snacks are generally available all day everyday, and with a wider variety. Here you can have only a cheese toastie or a ham and cheese toastie. Nothing major but if you get peckish in between mealtimes you'll have to wait or stock up on snacks from a shop or something. My other issue, albeit through no fault of the hotel, is the location: there is literally nothing around. No shops or bars, you're quite out of the way alongside the equivalent of a motorway, or an A road. They put a minibus on at regular times which will take you into Cefalu town (4 euro per head for a return). Here you'll find a beautiful old town with plenty to see and do, and has a train station for those wanting to venture further afield. The beaches here are great too. We did this three times during our stay and it did start to feel old but we felt there was little else to do unless you just want to stay at the hotel all day. There is also a free bus from the hotel down to their own private beach where they have their own bar set up. All in all, I probably would return if it came down to it as it really was a great holiday, in fact we were gutted to be leaving on the last morning, but saying that I would likely be open to finding somewhere a bit closer to civilization, but that's just me."

"Hotel staff are beyond rude when asking a question we were shouted no at or shamed in the centre of the reception area. The all inclusive was far from all inclusive mijority of drinks had to be paid for even after paying for the all inclusive package. The food was vile all options contained fish the fresh salad was dirty and servers in the restaurant had the same attitude as reception staff. Upon arrival we were informed nothing about a “city tax payment” we discovered this upon checkout. Our passports were taken from us at check in for the first 24hours of our stay due to “data protection”. We came as 4 people my partner paid over £4,000 for this holiday that we were told included access to the waterpark, a hot run balcony with sea view and our 2 other friends had no booking for a balcony and paid half to what he did, to get to the room to find out we had exactly the same room and no hot tub for double the price, this was when we asked reception and shouted at and shamed in the reception. We were then informed the waterpark was closed and had been for most of the year! With no e-mail or information about this. I entered the ladies toilet located by the restaurant and the sinks were full of sick we informed reception and nothing was done about it at all. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone - A complete waste of money."

"As soon as you walk into the hotel, you’re met with an atmosphere of class and luxury. The reception area and communal facilities are beautiful, and the reception and information staff were incredibly helpful and attentive. At first glance, the hotel seems amazing. However, the longer you stay, the more inconsistencies you begin to notice and unfortunately, some of which can negatively affect your overall experience. Check In The first red flag appeared at check-in, although we didn’t pay much attention to it at the time. When you check in, the hotel staff ask for your passport to record your details as a guest while you complete some paperwork such as GDPR and data protection consent forms, which is perfectly normal. However, either of us have never stayed in a hotel that kept my passport overnight, only returning it the following morning once I had handed in the signed consent form. It felt unusual and unnecessary, and in hindsight, a little concerning. The Room A week before our flight, my partner and I looked up more photos of the hotel and were surprised and a little worried to find pictures of rooms that looked like they hadn’t been renovated since 2005. We noticed these photos were from 2013, so we assumed the hotel must have been updated since then. We had originally booked a mountain-view room but were upgraded at check-in to a sea-view room, which was beautiful, modern, and offered a breathtaking view. However, during our stay we realised that the old rooms from those 2013 photos still existed those were the mountain-view rooms. We caught glimpses of them while walking past, and to be honest, we were horrified by their condition - if the sea view rooms (or the lucury suites) are taken, we believe there is no point in even considering booking. Our own room, while lovely, was missing some basic amenities. The biggest disappointment was the lack of a kettle, cups, or instant coffee. If you wanted a morning coffee, you had to get dressed and go to the food court. So, if you’re hoping to enjoy a quiet coffee on your balcony while watching the sunrise you can forget about it. The bed was moderately comfortable, but we were surprised to find no proper duvet. Instead, there was a thin sheet-like fabric and a stiff bed cover. It wasn’t very cozy, though this may be a cultural difference. The Food While the food was acceptable, the selection was heavily focused on fish. Meat options were very limited, and when available, they were often fatty and full of bones, making it difficult to find enjoyable. if you are into fitness, you are not going to find many options for protein. On a positive note, the desserts and pastries were incredible. There is a pizza restaurant they offer (which you book separately) whcih offers fresh, delicious Italian-style pizza. All-Inclusive Experience We booked an all-inclusive package, but it didn’t really feel that way. There were no drinks in the mini-fridge not even bottled water. If you wanted water, you were given a small plastic cup at a time, or you had to buy bottles from the bar. “All-inclusive drinks” only applied to the lounge bar. If you wanted a soft drink or beer with your dinner from the food court bar, you had to pay extra. The only complimentary drinks served at dinner were water or wine. Facilities and Service Visually, the hotel facilities were modern, clean, and well-maintained but again, inconsistencies showed through during our stay. One major issue was the Wi-Fi and mobile service. While the connection worked perfectly throughout the hotel, there was no service at all in our room not even mobile data. The moment we stepped into the hallway, we had full signal. This made it impossible to work from the room, which is inconvenient for anyone who relies on internet access. Another big downside was the sheer number of wasps around the pool area. I would understand seeing a few here and there, but this was constant. If you’re afraid of wasps or bees, you won’t get more than a few minutes of peace. I found it so stressful that after 30 minutes, we gave up trying to sunbathe and went back inside. The pool itself was also freezing cold. There wasn’t a heated option available, though the infinity pool did have a stunning location and was perfect for photos just be prepared to look a little blue in them! To be fair, this might have been due to us visiting slightly out of season. There was also a strange rule in the food court: each guest is assigned a table for the duration of their stay for lunch and dinner but not for breakfast. While not a huge issue, it caused unnecessary confusion and awkwardness in the mornings. The rule should be either all 3 meals you must stick to your table, or all 3 meals are free for alls, mixing the two make 0 sense. Perhaps the most shocking moment came on our last night. During dinner, we found an empty blue envelope with grease stains on our table. A waiter later explained that it was for tips. While I’m more than happy to tip staff who provide good service and I always do. It felt inappropriate in an all-inclusive, buffet-style setting where guests serve themselves. Throughout the week, staff interaction was minimal, and we often had to ask just to get water or wine at our table. It was disappointing to feel unwelcome and then be prompted for a tip at the end. The one real highlight was the gym, which was excellent. It had a wide range of equipment suitable for both casual exercisers and regular gym-goers (however, had a relatively strange time table so you can't just work out whenever you wanted to, within reason of course) Conclusion Overall, our stay at the hotel was mostly negative. None of the issues were catastrophic on their own, but together they created a disappointing experience. We still managed to enjoy our holiday by making the best of it, but for anyone with high expectations, this hotel may not meet them. On the surface, it looks impressive but the longer you stay, the more flaws you notice."