Nèroli Bio Relais

Very disappointed with what was promised in online photos and what the reality was. The view of Etna was great. The staff were very pleasant - especially Isabel...however outside of that, I was left uninspired. Food from the kitchen was basic, for dinner. I would not recommend it when Catania is a 20min drive away. As for breakfast, a sad buffet, with lukewarm frittata, fruit, granola and juices. (See pictures). Had the price point been minimal, I would have accepted, but for the cost of the stay I would have expected more. There was no easy availability of water - everything had to be bought from the hotel - which is fine, but then you end up purchasing +++ 750ml glass bottles, over the course of your stay. The towels - in the room were thin, and for the pool were the cheap ones bought from Decathlon. For the price we were paying I expected better towels. Overall, this place has potential, but considering the cost, is fundamentally an uninspiring and disappointing stay with many small factors resulting in a tarnished experience.

This is my 2nd stay and I was absolutely deleted to come back again. I travel extensively and generally stay at chain hotels just for the consistency. However, sometimes circumstance dictate otherwise. In this particular case it was a blessing. I honestly chose the Nèroli due to it proximity to my work. What a stroke of luck, it turned my business trip into a working vaction. Location is everything, Nèroli is located in the middle of a farm and I believe it was an old monistary. The first thing I will say about it is the Nèroli is it is quite. On both of my visits I was able to just open my balcony door and soak up the peace. The only noise I heard was cowbells of in the distance, very relaxing. They have done an incredible job updating the entire place. Everything is fresh an upto date but with a slight rustic feel. The rooms all have A/C and excellent wifi. The bathroom are nicely renovated and the beds are comfortable. Everything is always very clean and in showroom order. Then there us the restaurant. This is a small establishment and I suspect the guests are the only patrons. So it understandable the menu is not huge. But it is delicious. There or 4 or 5 appetizers, first course, main course and dessert. I've pretty much tried it all and have never been disappointed. From my understanding everything is either grown con the farm or purchased local. It is all very fresh. Oh, the wine list rocks. None of this would matter without the staff. They are the definition of hospitality. As I mentioned early, this is my 2nd visit. My travel plans absolutely fell apart when I was trying to get to Italy. I had to make several changes to my travel plans. They were extremely quick and accommodating. I didn't have to deal with automated phone system. I did most of it via email but the responses were very quick. I did make a few phone calls and was very pleased to talk to a couple people who spoke excellent English. On my 2nd trip I wanted to book my room via their web site. The automated booking said they didn't have availability for one night. I decided to send a quick text to see if they could help me out. Within a few minutes they had worked it out so I could stay the entire trip. They have been so accommodating. They don't start breakfast until 8:15 and I have to be to work at 7:00. During check in we discussed this. When I was having dinner I was asked what I wanted for breakfast. They would fix me a to go box that I could put in my fridge and take it with me in the morning. Then they put a coffee machine in my room. You will not find that kind of customer service in some hotel chain. Thank you.

We arrived about 1am after a long-delayed flight and the night porter greeted us with a very warm welcome (he doesn't speak a lot of English and we only speak a little Italian - but personality speaks volumes) and he man-handled both our cases to our room with a smile. Great start. The room ("Superior", Room 10 I think) was a decent size and the bed was very comfortable (though the pillows are a little on the hard side). Bathroom was large, clean and well equipped. Met the reception staff at breakfast and they were great - very helpful and welcoming. Breakfast was fairly basic but satisfying - home-made flans (delicious), eggs of your choice, yogurt, fruits, continental choices, breads, pastries, cakes etc - and their own, home-made jams that are superb (and available to buy). Ate dinner in their restaurant every night (3 in all) and the food was fantastic and reasonably priced. (Great jazz music played every night really adds to the ambience.) The whole site is surrounded by olive trees, citrus trees and vines - it's very quiet and peaceful. The 'road' immediately approaching the site is a bit of a track and I'm glad I was in a hire car and not testing the suspension of my own car - but I have to say it added to the feeling of a bit of remoteness that was part of the charm of the whole area. Staff were great ambassadors for the area and the whole ethos behind the hotel - one of local produce, sustainability, no pesticides, zero food miles and so on. The pool is a little basic - not very deep so well suited to younger children - but a welcome oasis in the heat of a Sicilian summer. We loved every minute of our tranquil stay there and wouldn't hesitate to return.

We spent our last night in Sicily at this delightful hotel. We had originally booked 3 nights in Taormina but were so disappointed in our hotel we checked out and were lucky to find the Neroli bio Relais.When we booked we asked whether we could check in early and Arianna was kind enough to ring us before we arrived the hotel contacted us to say our room was ready so we could check-in early . When we arrived Arianna was so welcoming giving us a welcome drink and delicious freshly baked biscuits. The whole hotel is spotlessly clean and beautifully decorated and furnished. Our room was lovely, again beautifully decorated with contemporary furnishings a gorgeous modern bathroom and super comfy bed . After a hectic week of exploring Sicily it was great to just chill round the pool. Because you are close to the airport (one of the reasons we chose this hotel in the first place) you do get planes flying over but it isn't really noisy and is still very relaxing ( we both fell a sleep on one of the cabanas !! ) We ate in the hotel's restaurant in the evening and had the most fantastic meal, the food was delicious cooked beautifully and service was incredible. Breakfast the next morning was also excellent great choice everything so fresh, yogurt and fruit preserves produced at the hotel, freshly baked croissants ,bread and cakes. We needed to be at the airport for 9 and so we weren't rushing Arianna started early so we she could serve us breakfast .Then as we checked out we were given jars of the preserves made by the hotel as a gift. From start to finish the whole experience at the Neroli Bio Relais was 10/10 everything was faultless we were made to feel so welcome and looked after by people with obvious passion and pride in their profession . There is plenty of parking and a really easy 20 min car journey to the airport so if anyone has a morning flight from Catarina ( or arrives on a late afternoon/evening flight) I cannot recommend this place highly enough. Thank-you so much for all your kindness Arianna x

We flew in to Catania & arrived quite late( 7:30pm) We got delayed at the hire car place as they were slow & short staffed. ( Perhaps that’s just normal for Sicily) We missed the turn off to the hotel as the road we needed appeared to have a road block in front of it. We spun around & attempted it a second time. This time hey presto ! We got on to the road . Erm well more of a dirt track & very bumpy in our little Fiat Panda . We drove on in the dark but couldn’t find the entrance. We found a parking entrance but the gate was locked . Eventually we went back & found what looked like someone’s house entrance . But we had arrived . Tired & frustrated, we were greeted by the friendly front of house . He accommodated us & showed us our room ( upstairs) . He asked about a meal & luckily the chef agreed to stay on & cooked us a delicious two course meal . We had a beer & glass of wine too. It was very good. The dining room is very nice & arty & rustic. Our room was fine , clean & quite simple . The bed ( metal) was very firm which I found uncomfortable. My husband however was so tired, he didn’t notice. The breakfast was again simple & not very varied . Parking is on site & free . The bathroom was adequate & clean but the shower head wouldn’t stay up so had a hand held one . There are animals on site ( giant tortoises & peacocks) I’m told the pool is great . It is handy for the airport & quiet at night. If the bed could be softer I would happily stay again a night or two .