Just back from a 14 day stay and we are already missing the tranquility and warmth of this small family-run hotel. The owners and wonderful team are always attentive to details, and no request is ever felt a bother. Special call-outs to Evelyne, Paola and Elena who looked after us most of the time and are an absolute joy. The front is literally 10-15m from the sea, so sitting to enjoy a meal or cocktail or watching the sunrise is complemented by the relaxing sound of the waves. The rear though is even more stunning with a mini lake-style pool in beautiful garden surrounds and overlooked by the majesty of an ever-smoking Etna! The catering is excellent with a menu that offers just the right balance and choice. The Chef uses only premium local produce to present fine-dining standard dishes. Normally we would never simply stay in a hotel to eat, but after a couple of days eating out and being underwhelmed we decided to eat in - as choice and quality was perfect. To cap it off the owner is very proud of the selection of granite offered, which are all made on-site. On a couple of occasions he brought me over a new sample to taste. In my experience, the best granite are found on the coast line between Messina and Catania, and SAR certainly maintains the expectation of a super granita. We did walk to the adjoining towns but didnt find them particularly beautiful so we preferred to jump on a train and easily visit Catania or Taormina along the coast. The owners son Andrea happily drove/picked us up from the station which is too far to walk. If you want 7-10 days of peace and tranquility, without sight-seeing, I cannot recommend SAR highly enough. Alternatively if you are driving and want a base for a long weekend, then again the resort hits the spot. Bravo!
Çevir