Il Duomo Relais

Took a while to find through the winding streets but, from the moment we pulled up outside, Katia was so welcoming. She moved her car so we could have her space outside, carried our (very heavy) cases upstairs herself, talked us through the map of Ibla and the new town and pointed out what to visit and recommended some places to eat. The room was on the first floor and it was immaculate - so clean with lovely decor and a very comfortable bed - it had a little balcony with a view of the duomo dome. Situated a couple of minutes from the duomo, the location was ideal and we walked between the towns during our two day stay. Breakfast each morning was fabulous with so much to choose from, both sweet and savoury - breads, cakes, pastries, cheeses, cold meats, tomatoes, fruit, jams from Mount Etna, chopped chocolate from Modica and cannoli that Katia filled as you wanted them - we couldn't have wished for more. I can't recommend this place highly enough and if we are lucky enough to be able to return, we wouldn't look at staying anywhere else. Six stars from me!

We loved Ragusa, and loved Il Duomo Relais! It was my favorite of all the places we stayed in Sicily. I felt happy and at home as soon as we arrived. It is a bit tricky to find, you have to wind around up to the top of the hill on a narrow street, but Katia’s detailed directions helped, and parking was readily available along the street. There are only 4 rooms here, 3 upstairs with balconies and a view of the dome of the duomo and surrounding area. The one downstairs room is directly off the breakfast room and lacks the view, so I would recommend booking upstairs if you can. It is a lovely, peaceful place. The room and bed were great, complete with a welcome bottle of wine and almonds to enjoy on the balcony while savoring the view. There were plentiful pillows, and bedside tables with electrical outlets, lamps, and drawers. No dresser, but a wardrobe with a shelf and an ottoman in the corner which I used for my clothes. Katia was able to provide some extra hangers on request. There’s a refrigerator and a safe. The bathroom had good lighting and good water pressure in the shower, big fluffy bath towels and robes, a shelf for toiletries and two robe hooks. Could have used a hook or ring for the hand towel, otherwise everything was well laid out for a comfortable stay. Best of all was our wonderful hostess, Katia. She was very gracious, welcoming and helpful. Each morning she welcomed us to breakfast and outlined the day’s offerings, which varied somewhat – caprese one day, torta another, etc. There was always meat and cheese, breads, yogurt, cereal, fruit, juice, and assorted pastries, including little cannoli which she filled to order. There was a coffee/tea/hot cocoa machine available around the clock, as well as fresh fruit and candied almonds. The location is very central, close to the duomo, though you will get a workout climbing up the steps each day.

Our last 4 night stay was in Ragusa. Katia and her husband could not have been more welcome to my family! Upon arrival she gave us a breakdown of the city's layout and her restaurant recommendations as well as the price ranges! We were shown to our rooms by her husband and he was kind enough to show us all the features of each room and how to work the A/C. Every morning Katia welcomed us with a beautiful breakfast spread that always included fresh ricotta on toast with honey (the family favorite) as well as recommendations for any day trips we may be taking that morning. Unfortunately it rained for 2 days out of our stay but Katia provided multiple umbrellas for our use and having a cozy home base was lovely. Truly the best example of Sicilian hospitality! Our room had a small balcony overlooking the main Duomo where I spent many hours sketching and people watching. Don't be fooled as we were, there IS plenty of street parking if you go past the hotel and up to a large parking area. We were very concerned as we drove up the thin windy roads but fear not, we always had a parking spot!

On a recent one-week tour of Sicily, we made a point to stay in the very lovely city of Ragusa, at Il Duomo Relais. We simply cannot say enough positive things about our stay! We booked the Terra Room, with its balcony overlooking the Duomo di San Giorgio. The room was well-appointed and spotlessly clean. For breakfast, an absolutely delightful assortment of pastries, jams and local delicacies was presented by Katia, the wonderful owner of Il Duomo Relais. I was surprised and so pleased to be able to taste the world-famous chocolate from nearby Modica! Last, a lovely place to stay in a perfect location was made significantly better by Katia. She is a wonderful communicator, is helpful in every way, and when we arrived to town, she even insisted on picking us up at the train station. This type of service and commitment to clients is so rare, and we wish to give you a very special thank you, Katia. If we return to Ragusa, we will not hesitate to stay at Il Duomo Relais again!

This is a beautiful little place, with much care and attention placed in the design of the room in which we stayed, as well as the choices in breakfast quality, filling of the day for cannolis and overall aesthetic appeal. The location was very good, near the sights and restaurant we wanted to visit. However, we had a difficult time parking and a longer time driving up the winding streets than expected. Despite previous positive remarks about Katia, we had an extremely unfortunate experience with her. I have never written a negative review before, but I must mention the $20 late arrival fee and how poorly it was handled, as a warning to visitors to check the website carefully and as a comment on hospitality. I made 7 reservations for a 10 day period in Sicily. So remembering info from a website was difficult. However, Katia emailed to find out when we would arrive and spoke by telephone to my partner, who speaks fluent Italian. He was never told of a $20 fee if we arrived past 8:00, despite his letting her know on arrival day that we would arrive in the early evening. It is more difficult to remember a website warning of a $20 fee for arrivals after 8:00 than to have a kind reminder in an email or phone call when you’re discussing arrival times with the owner just hours before arrival. No mention was made. Furthermore, the young man who let us in when we arrived at 8:50 said “he had to take a pee” before he showed us to our room. We let this go, not wanting to create a problem for him. Maybe he really had to use the bathroom first! But when the $20 fee appeared and I brought it up with Katia by email, along with a request for a refund due to her not mentioning the fee given the opportunity to do so while speaking with Peter, she became extremely rude and offensive. Perhaps her English isn’t good and she mistook parts of my message, but her response showed extremely poor empathy and customer service. I don’t think the need for a late arrival fee is incorrect, but her message to me was terrible, and included, “Since you're creating this whole thing for just €20 and I think I'm right, I'm sticking to my line, I'm not required to compensate you for anything” and “Since you are judging your stay at the Duomo Relais, with all that you have benefited from, only for 20 euro dirty. Shame on you and admit you're wrong!” Perhaps this is all due to her misunderstanding of English, but she should have someone review her emails before sending them.