To start with the plus points: the staff were lovely, very helpful in looking up bus and train times, lending umbrellas, called the puppet theatre for us etc. The breakfast buffet was great with something to suit all tastes - we loved the scrambled egg and bacon, the cakes and tarts were delicious if unfamiliar as breakfast food. The room was spotless and comfortable, The location was brilliant for the archaeological park and the Paolo Orsi Museum. The free WiFi was excellent. If you are looking for bottled water, snacks etc try the supermarket under the petrol station next door (down the ramp behind the carwash).
On the downside, you are at least 25 minutes from Ortigia and the main restaurant area and the buses don't run after 8.30 pm so you are faced with 25 minutes uphill or EUR12 for a rip off taxi. Although there is a restaurant in the hotel offering evening meals this consists of a very limited choice: for example, one evening the mains on offer consisted of 2 fish dishes only and typically there would be 2 pasta and 2 other dishes. The prices are significantly higher than we paid elsewhere and the portions smaller. The restaurant was also closed one evening for a tour party forcing the rest of the guests into an otherwise unused area in reception. We found 2 other options within 15 mintues walk, Locanda Colibri and the Koala Pub both of which were excellent - see separate reviews. The hotel is also very near the hospital and some nights the sound of yodelling ambulances was pretty much non-stop - glad our rooms were at the back.
