Hotel La Corte del Sole - Noto Marina, Noto

Hotel La Corte del Sole wasn't difficult to find and the surroundings were lovely--particularly the view. I think we were the only people staying there (as it was out of season at the end of November) and were offered a room with a shower for our two-night stay. I asked if we could have a room with a bath and they made the change, although this meant we had to have single beds. I was wondering why they couldn't have given us a better room (we were facing the parking lot, away from the view) when there were so many empty rooms. Having said that, the woman behind the desk later that day (who also served our meals) was absolutely charming and gave us lots of advice about the local Vendicari Nature Reserve and a walk from the hotel to the beach (which we did and enjoyed very much). The food was out of this world--we weren't offered a choice, but were served a five course dinner (for only 20 euros each--amazing value) that had been devised by their wonderful chef. The first night we had meat, the second fish; both meals were accompanied by their own local wine which was delicious. We couldn't have have been happier with the meals, and as the hotel isn't very close to Noto itself, we were delighted that we didn't have to drive anywhere and could enjoy such delicious food in the hotel. The rooms were chilly with tile floors (we guessed this would be a big advantage in the summer!), but heated up quickly when we turned on the heater. Our only real complaint was that the water didn't get very warm which meant a coolish bath and shower; also the water was quite black in colour when the tub was filled, which was a bit disconcerting (it didn't smell or anything, but was strange). Otherwise, it was a good location for exploring Noto and the Vendicari Nature Reserve, which was our main reason for staying here. We spent one day on the Reserve and saw flamingoes, spoonbills, herons, egrets, stilts, reed buntings, curlews and loads of other birds.