Grand Hotel Des Ètrangers

Our stay at Grand Hotel Des Étrangers in Ortigia was meant to celebrate a very meaningful milestone: the 30th anniversary of my partner and me as life partners. I selected this hotel more than a year in advance because of its reputation and setting. While the property itself is beautiful, our experience was overshadowed by a deeply disappointing and unsettling interaction with management.||From the morning of our arrival on October 3, I sent multiple emails and WhatsApp messages regarding our arrival time, check-in, and room readiness. These messages began while we were at the airport and continued throughout the day. As is clear from the WhatsApp timeline, message after message went unanswered. No meaningful response came until October 5 — by which point we had already been staying at the hotel for nearly two full days.||The clearest example of this breakdown occurred on October 5, when I received an email advising that we could enjoy the pool “upon check-in,” in response to messages sent on October 3. At that moment, we had already been guests since October 3. This single message made it unmistakably clear that management had no real awareness of who we were, when we arrived, or even that we were already on property.||When I raised this directly with the Reception Manager, his response was dismissive. He suggested that they had two WhatsApp numbers and I was sending messages to the wrong one, but I used that number for eight months through the planning process without and issue. And the messages to the second WhatsApp number remain unanswered as well. He also suggested they did not have the right email for me or there was a system issue but at that exact moment I received our final invoice by email. I pointed this out immediately. The contradiction spoke for itself.||The night before our departure, I sent a very detailed and thoughtful email explaining how this experience made us feel, particularly given the importance of the occasion we were celebrating. That email has still not been answered - almost 3 months later.||For context, I worked in the luxury travel industry for seven years, and my partner and I have travelled to 77 countries together. This is the first time we have ever felt unwelcome while travelling. While the manager denied any discriminatory intent, experience teaches you that hospitality is not just what is said — it is how someone makes you feel. And in this case, the feeling was unmistakable.||It is important to be fair: other members of the hotel team were pleasant and professional. The pool server was exceptional — warm, attentive, and genuinely welcoming — and the breakfast team in the restaurant was kind and courteous. |Throughout the rest of our journey, we were welcomed with open arms everywhere else, including the Four Seasons Taormina, Monaci delle Terre Nere, Villa Igiea in Palermo, and Harbour House Iniala in Malta. The contrast could not have been more striking.||This is a beautiful hotel in a remarkable location. However, hospitality is ultimately about how guests are made to feel. Based on our experience with the Reception Manager, I would not recommend this property for LGBTQ+ travellers — plain and simple.

Booked this hotel for our 30th wedding anniversary and it was the perfect present. Everyone and everything oozed quality. Staff were clearly well trained and didn’t just know their jobs, but enjoyed their work .|Anna Lisa and Davide in Reception and Eva in the breakfast restaurant couldn’t have been more helpful . They provided information on places of interest and also restaurants that they thought we would enjoy ( and did!)|Eva ensured that all my food was gluten free as I am coeliac. She provided gluten free croissants made in the hotel every morning and they tasted great.Gluten free toast was always available along with cooked food and cereal. So much that lunch wasn’t necessary. The whole hotel is also immaculately clean wherever you go. Lastly, the housekeeping staff do a great job, ensuring you always have clean towels ,fresh water and that both bathroom and bedroom are always spotless.|Staff are never obtrusive , always friendly and smile constantly, which is probably easier to do working in a beautiful place

The hotel was recently opened up for the summer season after it's winter refurb, so it was in immaculate condition. The staff were very helpful and took time to recommend experiences and events. Our room over looked the sea, was large, gracious and very well equipped. The location is excellent for exploring Ortiga, and places to eat, There are lots of comfortable communal areas to sit and relax. The roof terrace bar is delightful with super views over the area, and the restaurant food is amazing, beautifully presented and delicious, though understandably rather expensive. Breakfasts are buffet style with lots of interesting choices, though service could be a bit more prompt, but maybe that was a reflection of the time of year we were staying.|We enjoyed our stay. It was everything we expected. However, because the hotel is 3 buildings linked together it perhaps would not be so convenient for disabled guests or those with mobility problems.

Firstly the positives-|Friendly and efficient staff|Beautifully appointed suite.|Great location. Even though there is a square on the water opposite our room was very quiet.|The non-positives|Breakfast was very nice but the room has a lunch room vibe|The main restaurant was not up to the standard set in the rest of the hotel. Food was mediocre and service was was not up to standard we would have expected

The front desk/lobby staff, Carmine especially, were incredibly accommodating and helpful. My wife had a medical issue that staff was extremenly helpful in assisting us in getting to local hospital. You really never felt so alone when you're in a foreign and not speaking the language. Well- that is when the staff stepped up and called a taxi to take us to a local hospital - seen by medical staff- medical services rendered and then had a taxi come and pick us up and returned to the hotel where we followed medical advise and knowing now what was the issue. knowing is powerful. Cannot say enough about the hotel and want to extend a million thanks to Carmine and to her co workers- OUTSTANDING

Very disappointed we stayed here. We came from Australia to Sicily,five days here our longest stay . Our room,204 was beside an industrial plant with a metal walk way 1.5 meters from the window with workman going past. The bins were directly below and regularly the bottles would be emptied onto a skip. Huge noise. The staff smoking area also immediately there. You could not open the window. I should have taken our bags straight back to reception for another room but were both tired. The next day after a run and no one else at reception I asked for another room. The reception employee asked what was the problem and I showed the photos. The staff must know 204 because she immediately looked for a new room. She said she would find one. Unfortunately no text,call or email and we had the bottles,smoke workmen for the rest of our stay. I don't know how an Hotel advertised as 5 Star ⭐ and gives my wife and I a less than 1 star room and despite complaint says bad luck ,not even the courtesy of a reply. We have your money. Bad luck.Sicily depends on tourists, Francesca and Eva doing a great Job but whoever owns this place(Saudi, Russian) couldn't care less. I hope my Australian Agent never sends another Australian to this hotel.

We had a truly wonderful stay at Des Etrangers, and I’d summarize our experience as follows:||Location – Absolutely fantastic. The hotel is perfectly situated near excellent restaurants and the waterfront. I highly recommend booking a sea view room—it makes a world of difference.||Room Quality – Beautifully appointed, spotlessly clean, and thoughtfully designed. Plenty of charging outlets (a personal pet peeve when missing), which was much appreciated.||Guest Services – Outstanding! Special thanks to Annalisa and Luisa, who went above and beyond. Luisa, in particular, gave us excellent recommendations for both dining and shopping. I usually find concierge suggestions a bit “safe,” but hers were thoughtful, specific, and spot-on.||Parking – While there’s no on-site parking, the valet service was smooth and the hotel provided clear instructions, which made things easy. That said, allow more time than the advertised “30 minutes” when retrieving your car.||Restaurant/Pool - spectacular pool with special accommdations for the hot sun. We did not have dinner at the rooftop bar but the location is just awesome. Breakfast was adequate and varied - no issues here.||Room for Improvement – To keep this balanced:||Complimentary water: For a five-star property, two small bottles per day feels a bit limited.||Air Conditioning: The system cooled well, but the fan was a bit loud. Not a dealbreaker, but worth fine-tuning.||Overall, Des Etrangers exceeded our expectations and delivered a memorable experience. We would happily return and highly recommend it to others.

Air conditioning was like having Concorde in the room. No warning that music from bar wouldn’t stop until 1 am. The shower ran cold plus no grab rail to get in and out safely of the bath tub. Pool was lovely Breakfast good