Hotel Mediterraneo***

This hotel is very small, really godd price, clean and is near two supermarkets, restaurantes and cafes. Walking distance to Ortygia. An one block from a main avenue full of shops. The hotel has breakfast and lots of stairs. This is to be accounted for. It also has a small elevator. Room was clean, at the front, and the staff was really kind. A great bargain for us. No frills at hotel. We parked for free around the corner near the Police Station. There is also a pay parking lot half block away.

I have mixed views about this hotel. It's in a good position for Ortega, reasonable cost and there's even free parking on a street behind the hotel. Don't expect luxury, a warm welcome or any frills, just treat it as a place to sleep that's quiet and with a comfortable bed. We had room 23. It was a good size, simply furnished, had air conditioning, a fridge, safe and tv. There was even a very small balcony, but the "sea view" was glimpse of water beyond an office building. The shower in the en-suite was very weak. The bedroom was up 2 flights of steep stairs, there is a strange lift that will transport your luggage, but not you. The staff was rather sullen on the whole, there was one reasonably helpful young lady. Breakfast was pretty poor, but provided a few calories to get you through the morning's sight seeing in Syracuse. But having said all this, Mediterraneo is a good base for exploring Syracuse. Ortega is an easy walk. The Hoppa Bus stops just down the road and this will take you to the more distant sights. There are many restaurants and bars close by.

Booked a triple room with balcony online, but got a "double" and "without balcony." When pressed and pressured, another room was finally and reluctantly shown - the proper triple with a balcony - but the toilet in that room did not flush and the fridge was dirty. Besides, the hot water was going to take more than 1 hour to get heated for the new room, so I capitulated (after a 40-hour airplane hopping) and stayed in the double room. Wifi was sporadic at best. And, of course, they tried to refuse credit card payment. The worst, however, was the TOTAL LACK OF ENGLISH and CARE. Mr. Morelli, who was in charge of manning the front desk, did not even understand "check out." Don't bother ask him anything because all he could say was "Io non lo so (I don't know)." He would not help you planning your trip because even with the aide of Google translate, he would still only repeat "Io non lo so" to everything. However, the only time Mr. Morelli was active and even aggressive in communication was when he wanted to know when you would leave and when you would return because he would have to be at the hotel to open the door and get the keys. Excuse me, so I cannot come and go as I please? But I am a tourist, how do I know when I will come back or leave? So, if you want to ENJOY and HAVE A VACATION, stay away from this place.

Hotel short walk from bus station . Good location as also short walk from ortigia. Friendly helpful staff . Good room and nice breakfast with huge range of pastries and sweet stuff if that's what takes your fancy. Able to print flight tickets with the help of reception staff. Quiet hotel , nice courtyard area to sit outside. Our room had a problem with the air conditioning and so left window open and mosquitos had a great supper. On walk into ortigia found great cafe on corner called cafe Apollo - highly recommend it for the free food you get with the drinks - like a full meal. Ortigia is amazing promenade along the sea front and then the maze of little streets full of character. Lots of great places to eat and also great shops for local products. All in all very good quality for a 3 star hotel.

Allowing for the fact that Hotel Mediterraneo was 30-40% more expensive and offers lower standards than the same 3 star hotels in Catania and Palermo, in this respect it appears to be a disappointment. A few examples: the elevator would work (at a snail's pace!!!!) if the button was pressed all the time, then the fridge which barely cooled or wifi which did not work upon arrival and would shut down later in the evening. However, on the merrier note, the courtesy and friendliness of the front desk staff is superb (e.g. they went to great lengths to make wifi work again). The kettle with the kit for in-room preparation of tea/coffee is another merit. The room was specious and clean.