VOI Arenella Resort

Located in the middle of nowhere, can't leave resort by foot. Some positives: - nice food, albeit it repetitive a lot. - Beautiful rooms cleaned daily with fresh bedding and towels. Fridge in room is always a bonus. - Pools are enormous and very clean. - The resort is overall clean. - Train to take you to the beach is really handy. Free sunbeds. - Trip into local town only €5 euro each return. (Only runs in the day) Some negatives: - Resort is in the middle of nowhere, can't leave resort on foot. - Ridiculously strict lifeguards. Can't jump into pool, can't use any inflatables (yet they sell them in the on site shop!!), can't eat snacks around the pool, constantly watched by lifeguard, can't have balls in the pool and it's a pool to look at not use as it's ridiculously strict and ruins the experience!! - Food nice, but repetitive. - Same entertainment every evening. - Staff speak poor English. - plastic cups for all inclusive. Small and have to keep returning to bar. - Food times are limited. Evening meal not until 7:30pm!! Not good for people who need to dine earlier. Would not return.

I don’t usually write poor reviews but really feel let down by TUI here. All inclusive is limited and many things are an extra charge. Having had an early start we got there just before lunch but were told our all inclusive didn’t start til 4 so had to wait for dinner so be aware if flying early. 10 euro cash deposit for each beach towel and 2 euros to get a clean one. Limited bar facilities. Reception bar is open for an hour & half at lunchtime! Beyond that the only other inclusive bar during the day is some walk by the pools. The terrace bar by the main hotel is open in the evening with the same singer each night and the same shortage of chairs and tables as the restaurant so we gave up on a couple of nights as there were none available 30 euro cash deposit for a kettle in the room but no tea or coffee and nowhere in the resort or walking distance to buy it as the resort is very remote. There’s a private beach which is nice but you have to walk just beyond the pools, wait for the complementary hotel train to go there and there is nothing inclusive there so you need money for food/drink 2 small bottles of water supplied in the room at the start but no more and you are not allowed to refill them at dispensers. 5 euros each to get the hotel bus to Siracusa to shop if it’s not already fully booked. Limited dining hours and a scramble to get a table, then either one of you has to stay to protect it while the other gets food or take plenty of things to leave on the table to show it’s taken. Then sit uncomfortably as other hopeful guests wander round checking if you might be almost finished Fresh hot food is outside & often quite nice but regularly long queues so by the time you’ve got a second thing the first is cold. Inside the serving platters are often empty so more waiting and it’s a bit of a scrum anyway If you’re not there at the start of breakfast you’ll probably have to clear a table and make it up from cutlery etc left by other diners on other tables. Food is probably the least selection we’ve experienced anywhere. Our best day was hiring a car to get out, drive to Mt Etna and get a hassle free dinner on the way back. The organised trip to Mt Etna only goes on a Friday so although we got a welcome message from the rep recommending it we were then told we were out of luck as we arrived and left on a Friday hence the need to hire a car. On a positive note the room although basic was kept clean. Also the pools were nice. There at least we did manage to get seats. There is no soap, shampoo or shower gel etc in the room just a couple of weird crumbly dishwasher type tablets each day that serve no real purpose so take your own. We were really looking forward to it but having tried to adapt to the limitations experienced in the end found we were just really looking forward to coming home.

I read the reviews on the plane over and I was worried, but I've had no regrets at all, ok their isn't a lot to do during the day but you need to make the most of it,book the coach to Syracuse for 10euro per couple return, food is occasionally hit and miss but we've had no problems, seafood to die for, rooms are serviced everyday, no complaints. The Sicilians are family people, lots of well behaved children. Lovely place to visit.Entertainment every night. And some of the reviews sound like people weren't happy with their choose of hotel, if you didn't like what you booked don't slag off the hard working hotel and staff, they go out of their to help and we'd come back tomorrow