Hotel Masseria degli Ulivi - Noto

Wonderful place to be! Between the olive-trees, birds and good weather! Near the beautiful town Noto with historic buildings and fine restaurants. Also near Siracusa, also beautiful. And not to forget the beaches.

The hotel is quite remote and set amid beautiful grounds (although first impressions from the car park are not good). The rooms are large, clean, fresh and well furnished with a large en-suite shower room. However the shower cubicles are quite tiny (about 2 feet square) with rigid sides. It was difficult for me (as a large chap) to shower in it. Water pressure also reduced considerably before breakfast. The restaurant was again clean simple and attractive with generously spaced tables. The food, whilst beautifully presented, was about twice the price of similar dishes in the nearest town (Noto) and, frankly, not as good. However Noto is 6 miles away on twisting mountain roads. All in all a really good stay just let down by the above 'gripes'. I should add that the bed was firm and exceptionally comfortable.

Noto Antica is nearby and the old town of Noto is about 9 kms from the hotel, the hotel is located in olive grooves on top of a high plateau.

Overall we liked this place the best of our seven hotels during this trip to Sicily. The Masseria has been very stylishly developed to provide tourist accommodation. The dinners were particularly good. Breakfast was also good. People who stayed around the Masseria during the day complained of the impossibility of buying a snack (a problem, given the lack of alternative options). In general, the level of service could be tightened up, perhaps by employing additional staff.