Hotel Il Parco degli Ulivi

Location is wonderful - Quiet and stunning view - Swimming pool overlooking the bay - Restaurant is run by some friends which like to make customers feel comfortable and offer nice and original dishes at affordable prices. Room was clean and comfortable.

We stayed here middle of September, though it felt more like end of November. We actually only stayed there to enjoy the pool with view. The water was pretty chilly when we came and incredibly dirty. Also the grass next to the pool wasn't taken care of. You have a nice infinity pool and then it gets ruined by high grass. Our room was on the bottom, no view. The corridors of the hotel were pretty dark and a little bit depressing. Due to the weather we couldn't enjoy the outsides very much. We decided to give the hot tub a try. At the reception we were informed that it was broken. We asked for other spa treatments but we were told that it was too late (3pm) they couldn't call anybody to come in for massages or other treatments. We would have to wait for the next morning. For dinner we decided to eat at their restaurant, we would have liked to eat outside but were told it wasn't possible. I guess tables and chairs are just decoration then. Food was okay. The suggested wine was very good.

Absolutely stunning experience and one of the highlights of our month in Italy. We initially started at town house Messina Hotel, the Enrico kindly arranged for our transfer to his other hotel in Villafranco on the coast. The hotel is large, spacious cool rooms with large beds, air conditioning, Tv etc but the outdoor pool area with large infinity pool overlooking the sea is something special!! The restaurant is run by a group of lovely Sicilian friends who provide a weekly menu of locally grown foods and dishes with a great wine selection, all at Very affordable prices in comparison to that in the larger cities of Italy. We chose the degustation menus each night and each time was spectacular food, while sitting on the restaurant lawn overlooking the sea through dusk and sunset til late. Andrea and Nino( lawyer and seismologist by day!) were our hosts and really looked after us each evening. Enrico was a lovely very helpful host, checking on us through the day/ evening to see if we had everything we needed, helping us arrange transport to the ferry fir day trips, and airport etc. A most memorable experience!!!

We (my firends and I) were booked into the 'Messina Town House Apartments' in Messina. While waiting for our rooms - we spotted a brochure for this fabulous looking resort up in the hills. When the Manager arrived (Enrico), and we questioned where the resort was....he happily replied it was his other Hotel. So...... we moved to this grand hotel, with brilliant views and perfect service. Enrico went far above and beyond any manager I have come arcoss in any Hotel. He arranged our transfer from Messina to Villa Franca. And back again. The rooms are big and spacious, the bathrooms are also large and super clean. His staff helped with all our tour bookings from Milazzo out to the Lipari and Vulcano Islands. (A super day out - that I woud say is a MUST if saying on that side of Sicily.) In the evenings Enrico was constantly checking up with us and ALL of the other guests. THE RESTURANT!!!! - if you are looking for superb food and wine, fantastic conversation and information about Sicily......This is the resturant for you. The menu is set with two choices for each course.......BUT fresh ingredients from the fish-markets everyday. We couldn't get enough of it. Each night there was something new and super delicious waiting for us. The Managers of the resturant are friendly and have great taste in wine choices. Plus they know just aboout everything that is local. (A good supply of local wine in stock - with excellent knowledge about it) I can not say how professional, dedicated, assisitng and extremely helpful Enrico was during our stay. A fantastic hotel, with fantastic polite staff, with brilliant views and devine food and wine!!!!!! Thank you to everyone at Il Parco Degli Ulivi.........We all had a grand time!!!! Unfortunately I didn't not use the spa, and our day tours took us out of the hotel before breakfast....so can't comment - but I am sure that those services are just as good as all the others.

While staying at this place we had no desire to go anywhere else, like explore nearby towns, go to the ocean etc. – it really calmed me down. It's was a quick drive from Messina, but once we were there it felt like in the middle of nowhere. You can see the nearby towns and the ocean, everything is close, but being on the hill does make it feel remote. The room was very clean and spacious, everything was in the right place, practical, convenient, cosy and put together with great taste. The bed had the same mattress as Town House in Messina – super comfortable (Town House and this hotel have the same owner) Infinity pool on the top of the hill is what it is :-) Restaurant served us great dinner and abundant breakfast – as much freshly made orange juice and cakes as you like :D What I liked the most is the staff being in a good mood and this sense of really being welcome. It's not common (I think) for staff to be very happy and tell about their boss that "he's very very nice" (!) I think that's very important.

Although the hotel was very good the restaurant was superb. The atmosphere, staff and food are the best so far, 6 weeks into a six months trip. Would recommend to anyone who who wants peace an quiet with superb surroundings, nice people and superb Sicilian food

Our visit was not the first time and will definetly be not the last. In fact we were given a discount. The location is superb but on windy days, the noise can be a bit irritating. Service from staff and room were impeccable. They even provided us a baby cot free of charge and on arrival we found our room warm and cozy. Room was very spacious with a view and a small terrace. Mattress was second to none, in fact we had the best rest in our entire holiday. The only thing that reduced the rating was the breakfast. We expected more from an italian hotel even though we were not in high season. Bread was not fresh and the choice was limited. Otherwise nothing to complain.

This was the first of three hotels we used in Sicily, and was the most expensive. The location is stunning, and it wasn't as hard to find as we had feared. You don't need to go through Calvaruso, you can get there from Villafranca. We did like it - good rooms, we had a good meal in the restaurant, but there were so many small irritations, which a good service manager should have worked on. Breakfast was filling, but the only coffee was a thermos of Americano (in Italy?) why on earth couldn't they invest in a multi choice machine like most Italian restaurant do? They might have made something if we had asked (and maybe there could have been some hot food , eggs etc if we had asked, but it was not offered. Also why not invest in a orange pressing machine, instead of a hand press. Juice dispenser instead of jugs which could (and occasionally did contain a fly. No glasses in the room or bathroom, and we had a mix up paying the bill down to sheer inefficency. Staff were generally herlpful and friendly. To sum up , it was good overall but a bit of care and attention would have resulted in a higher marking

A welcoming hotel with friendly and helpful staff. You need a car to access surrounding attractions. The pool area is delightful with amazing views. The wifi was disappointing given the quality of the rest of the stay and service. We wish we had booked for two nights, not just one

The view of the sea is lovely, the swimming pool very soothing, and the service of the staff was outstanding. Serena was especially caring and attentive.