Guest reviews Verdura Resort, A Rocco Forte Hotel

by taspan66

Substandard

Starting with honest basics, this is not a 5* hotel. Realistically it is 4* but even then you’d be surprised. They have only one ‘restaurant’ for lunch: the pool bar where they expect you to queue - for salad or burgers. They have two restaurants in the evening but was told, for the first three days, they were full. When we finally got a table they weren’t full. It took three days before anyone said yes to anything. The pricing is 5* with local gin and tonic at €18 but the service isn’t, every evening having to wait for our table to be laid before being seated. Every breakfast there must have been a queue of ca. 8 groups just waiting to be seated, let alone served. The nearest local restaurant we were recommended cost €140 to get to so you’re left with little choice elsewhere. The tin chairs lack any style but maybe you’ll go for golf. You’d have to love golf at 9 holes for €145 but maybe the buggy was €100 of that. Who knows. The same staff are moved around the hotel throughout the day so must be exhausted but the furniture, service, presentation and willingness to say no to everything all make this a substandard 4* hotel charging 5* prices. Live music in the evening is good and the rooms are fine albeit the bed linen is better on a BA plane. It was a shame but next year hopefully more choices will be available.

by GSUKKENT London, United Kingdom

Excellent resort, stunning food

A top quality resort. Well equipped sea view room; it didn't have a particular Italian feel, though it was luxurious and tasteful. The swimming pools are massive. Good pool side service and plenty of space to relax and keep your distance. The spa is very well equipped; only gripe was the difficulty in getting slots, which seemed more a function of staff availability / shorter hours (presumably as a result of COVID). Good outside pools. For a resort, I was especially impressed with the food (breakfast to one side) as it was consistently outstanding; dinners were very enjoyable. We particularly enjoyed Amare for dinner, which is located by the beach and specialises in fish and pizza. Really exceeded expectations. And a cocktail before dinner at the bar is highly recommended; great waiter (offering recommendations on the hotel's house cocktails, which were excellent) and stunning sunset. Do not miss that experience! Breakfast however suffered a little bit as a result of COVID as they can no longer offer a buffet and everyone seemed to arrive at the same time, which meant that it was difficult to get service. A shame but it is something they will no doubt address as we all learn how to work around the virus. Overall the staff are excellent; from the concierge, reception, waiters, cleaning staff.... Personable, nothing is too much trouble... I have too many names of staff to commend. Make sure you visit local attractions; the Valley of the Temples (50 minutes away) is remarkable. I am not sure I would go back Verdura as I have now seen that part of Sicily and prefer to explore during the day (rather than spend time in a resort) but I would definitely recommend the resort. I would not hesitate to stay in another Rocco Forte Hotel based on this experience and can think of few resorts offering such stunning food. Thank you Verdura for a great stay

by DDinton Salisbury, United Kingdom

Fabulous Resort

We spent 5 days at the Verdura Resort in August. The service was excellent - staff couldn't do enough for us. We were very impressed how they made guests feel well looked after. Rooms very spacious with great views. Fantastic pool area. The Spa also fantastic and the therapy pools a must. Did a Pilates class with Julia (I think) and thoroughly enjoyed it - great teacher. Despite COVID-19 we had a great holiday.

by OliviadPB

Fabulous first visit

Fabulous first visit to Verdura 13-18 September. Beautiful location and particularly impressive at making all guests feel well looked after and secure while maintaining the atmosphere of a proper holiday during Covid 19. The resort is so spacious that social distancing was easy, rooms are spacious and most accessed from external staircases. The Pool is vast. The food is very good although like most top hotels you need to suspend all normal attitudes to value, prices for drinks and food are top end. The spa is very good, book time in the Thalassotherapy pools surrounded by flower gardens, the treatments (Sicilian earth and Sea & Sicilian aroma massage) were first class. Beautiful sunsets and delicious cocktails with canapés were the perfect end to the day either by the sea at Amare or in the Granita bar. I travelled with my adult daughter and we returned relaxed and rejuvenated.

by tuzzerturrell West Byfleet, United Kingdom

Stunning Visit

Just like to say we had a wonderful visit to The Rocco Forte Verdura Resort in Sicily last week. The service from Giacomo, Flavia, Kris and Maurizio, the Spa team and everyone was fantastic and made us feel very welcome. The food was delicious and we had some stunning fish dishes. The measures in place during these difficult time’s and the attention to detail was excellent. The facilities at Verdura are wonderful and for golfers, it’s a must visit. Our accommodation was spacious and had stunning views of the ocean. We will definitely be revisiting Verdura again soon. Thank you for a lovely holiday. Mark and Lesley Turrell