Castello di San Marco Charming Hotel & Spa

This place has great potential. The property is quite nice. The old castello is charming. However, they are charging $800/night, and coming nowhere close to that level of service, facilities, cuisine, amenities. The initial impression is "wow, cool old castello, why is everything so run down?" The next impression was provided by the lady at the reception. Robotic might be the best way to describe her less than welcoming persona. Our room? A mildly renovated old room, with musty smell and very little charm. Stark, minimally appointed, and bathroom sink that wouldn't drain. "Do you smell that," I asked my wife. A faint but distinct smell of sewage. We let the reception know, and they moved us to another room. This one was brand new, super clean, and absolutely massive. The shower had enough room for a family of 8. I'm not kidding. That said, there were many bugs, both living and technological. Wasps all over the outside of our room, so no way to sit out on our patio. No screens, so no fresh air inside. Hmmm, what's up with the A/C? Doesn't seem to shut off, even when it says "off." Our technician, "it seems that these 4 rooms are all wired to a single room, so whatever that room is set to, all of the rooms are set to. Shrugs his shoulders and mumbles something in Italian. Poolside we experience comfortable but weathered facilities. Everything is just worn out and dirty. The pool isn't heated, so prepare for a cold plunge. No one stays in more than 3 minutes. No poolside food or drink service, despite ample staff who prefer to stand around looking at their phones. Overpriced drinks. The swordfish involtini was delicious. Skip their pasta alla'norma. All in all, I cannot recommend this place. They must think that they can milk the Tauramina White Lotus effect. That's a mistake. Try offering good value for money with current facilities, or get out the checkbook and drop $10M+ on renovations.

We chose the Castello di San Marco because we wanted a special place to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. What a splendid oasis of tranquillity and calm it is. We were warmly welcomed and taken care of by the wonderful Flavia. We had a gorgeous and comfortable suite that came with a view of Mt Etna from its outside deck area. How lovely it was that on the day of our anniversary we came back to our room to find a celebratory bottle of Etna Spumante in our room. We ate some delicious dinners in the restaurant accompanied with some fabulous wines. The wine list is quite extensive and must weigh at least a kilogram but Marco was at hand to help with selection every time. We also utilised Marco’s extensive knowledge for a wine tasting that Davide helped book for us at Barone di Villagrande, a well-established winery on the south east slope of Mt Etna and reputedly the oldest vineyard in Sicily. It seems he even arranged that Mt Etna put on a special show for us that morning! We relaxed in the spa, enjoyed the splendid gardens that surround the castello, ate relaxed lunches at the swimming pool restaurant and leisurely strolled down to the hotel’s beach. It was all such an incredibly idyllic break.