Grand Hotel Des Etrangers- The Leading Hotels of the World

Location perfect Staff fabulous

Swimming pool area was closed

Super Zimmer, toller Blick aufs Wasser

Spa kostet 50Euro Eintritt pro Std.!!

L’accueil des clients, le portier par le français, très aimable, le petit déjeuner, Excellent, les chambres d’un confort absolu, le personnel du petit déjeuner au petit soins, lit très confortable et chambre silencieuse, les petites attentions l’après-midi, nous avions des petits gâteaux au chocolat portés dans la chambre

Rien à dire, tout était parfait, exceptionnel, le meilleur hôtel de Syracuse

Godt renhold, nydelig interiør og hyggelig personale, spesielt i poolbar og frokostsal.

Før avreise var det noen «ryggsekkturister som lå og sov i de nydelige sofaene i entreen. 😩 Slikt passer seg ikke i et fem stjerners hotell og da lurte vi om hva som svikter hos personalet!! Dette skal ikke fremstå som et vandrehjem!!

Our stay at Grand Hotel Des Étrangers in Ortigia was meant to celebrate a very meaningful milestone: the 30th anniversary of my partner and me as life partners. I selected this hotel more than a year in advance because of its reputation and setting. While the property itself is beautiful, our experience was overshadowed by a deeply disappointing and unsettling interaction with management. From the morning of our arrival on October 3, I sent multiple emails and WhatsApp messages regarding our arrival time, check-in, and room readiness. These messages began while we were at the airport and continued throughout the day. As is clear from the WhatsApp timeline, message after message went unanswered. No meaningful response came until October 5 — by which point we had already been staying at the hotel for nearly two full days. The clearest example of this breakdown occurred on October 5, when I received an email advising that we could enjoy the pool “upon check-in,” in response to messages sent on October 3. At that moment, we had already been guests since October 3. This single message made it unmistakably clear that management had no real awareness of who we were, when we arrived, or even that we were already on property. When I raised this directly with the Reception Manager, his response was dismissive. He suggested that they had two WhatsApp numbers and I was sending messages to the wrong one, but I used that number for eight months through the planning process without and issue. And the messages to the second WhatsApp number remain unanswered as well. He also suggested they did not have the right email for me or there was a system issue but at that exact moment I received our final invoice by email. I pointed this out immediately. The contradiction spoke for itself. The night before our departure, I sent a very detailed and thoughtful email explaining how this experience made us feel, particularly given the importance of the occasion we were celebrating. That email has still not been answered - almost 3 months later. For context, I worked in the luxury travel industry for seven years, and my partner and I have travelled to 77 countries together. This is the first time we have ever felt unwelcome while travelling. While the manager denied any discriminatory intent, experience teaches you that hospitality is not just what is said — it is how someone makes you feel. And in this case, the feeling was unmistakable. It is important to be fair: other members of the hotel team were pleasant and professional. The pool server was exceptional — warm, attentive, and genuinely welcoming — and the breakfast team in the restaurant was kind and courteous. Throughout the rest of our journey, we were welcomed with open arms everywhere else, including the Four Seasons Taormina, Monaci delle Terre Nere, Villa Igiea in Palermo, and Harbour House Iniala in Malta. The contrast could not have been more striking. This is a beautiful hotel in a remarkable location. However, hospitality is ultimately about how guests are made to feel. Based on our experience with the Reception Manager, I would not recommend this property for LGBTQ+ travellers — plain and simple.

Excellent location, recently refurbished to a very high standard. Helpful and friendly staff.

Nothing

The location was lovely. They upgraded our room on arrival. The room had lots of space and overlooked the Ionian Sea. The breakfast buffet was good and the outdoor pool area was nice. The reception staff were helpful. The birds singing outside our room at 5 pm was a highlight.

There was a little bit of inconsistency when it came to breakfast. We got charged one day for having avocado with our eggs but not another. One day the avocado was sliced and fresh. The next day it was avocado paste. We used the sauna one day - which was lovely - the next day we were told that we couldn’t use it as didn’t come with our room type. We were happy to pay but the lady made me feel so bad we said we wouldn’t bother. We had drinks outside near the pool - one day we got a bottle of coke and beer. The next day they were poured into a small glass - do you didn’t get the whole bottle.