Cefalù Sea Palace

Location is very good. Quiet at night, but not too far from beach and historic sights. It is a 10 minute walk to the edge of the historic centre. Other hotels on the beach road that we considered were nearer but when we walked past them we were glad we chose the Sea Palace. The others had much busier roads around them and less appealing outlooks. It is not far from the train station but the walk with large bags wasn't that pleasant with narrow pavements. (For the uphill return we got a taxi from reception). Our room was quiet and near the back. It was large, clean, with a comfortable bed. We also had a large terrace, which partial views of the sea and the town. The air con worked well. Breakfast was on the top floor with lovely views. There was a good range of food, including some nuts, and fresh coffee made by staff. Also some fruit. (Availability of nuts and fruit seemed to vary by the day). Its beach club almost opposite was good. We got beach towels from reception which was handy. We arrived before official check in but after a lunch at the beach club we were able to check in an hour and a half early.

The main downside for us was the emphasis on no food or drink in the room, including it would seem water (it was not clear). Other reviews have mentioned this, and the response has been that it is a common policy and for safety and hygiene, which seems odd. We go to many hotels in many places and have never had this. We like to use hotel bars but also like to have lots of bottled water to drink, and a drink of shop bought wine or beer on the terrace, perhaps with crisps or nuts. For those of us to like to do the right thing it leads to unnecessary stress. Not many places try now to force you to use a mini-fridge with high prices and stop you using it for storage of own bought items. We used the bar in the evening and it had a lovely night time view of the town and cliffs. But it still looked like the restaurant room, with a few tables on the edge for bar seating. Not sure what can be done to make it more of a draw but it is a pity there was no more standard bar area for the evening (there was an outside area which was being done up when we were there - perhaps that will be a place to go in the evening). It would be nice to have some events like wine tastings or acoustic music early evening or happy hours that might encourage use of the bars. The breakfast food was fine but not as good as some places, eg no fresh yoghurt or freshly cooked mushrooms. We are not big fans of the white table cloth and white chair cover look, which is quite old-fashioned. The beach club loungers weren't the most comfortable - not easy to adjust.

Heerlijk dicht bij het strand.

The good: Great, big breakfast buffét with a roof top view over the sea and town. 10/10. The cleaning/room keeping is very good and the over all condition of the hotel is nice and clean. It’s close to the beach, just across the road. And it’s in walking distance to the ”old town” and beach walk where you have restaurants, cafees, supermarkets (Deco Gourmet is the best, you can find everything you need there, 10 min walk from the hotel). and the pharmacy is close by on the corner street of the supermarket). The two guys working at the front desk are super helpful, the restaurant staff at the breakfast aswell.

The bad: the hotel hosts events, parties and weddings in the hotel garden right outside from the rooms/balcony. They blasted music to 1 pm in the night and when confronted just brushed it away. (Not so great if you want to sleep and relax during your vacation). The rooms are very … so when the breakfast staff starts to arrange the tables and chairs 06:30 you’ll wake up. We asked a few times and the staff pretended like nothing. Though the tall guy with brown hair and glasses actually talked with the breakfast staff and things improved. The beach is not private though that’s what being marketed when you book your stay. The lady in the frontdesk assured us that it was only for the hotel guests. They have sunbeds and umbrellas for the guests but there was a few people who sneaked in and just occupied sunbeds without being guests of the hotel and not paying. There are also sellers on the beach and some of them can get really pushy, insisting that you buy something. The manager, a lady with curly dark hair was very defensive and rude about this. ”We can do what we want” was the answer when confronted. She remained rude the whole stay, fake smiling as soon as she saw us. Be aware of her. I’ve traveled all over the world but she was one of the most arrogant I’ve ever met. Totalt forgot that her guests payed 3000 € for the stay and never tried to solve anything regarding blasting music at night, the beach or waking up at 6:30. Do not forget that the hotel will charge you 40 € when leaving, (TAX). So… If you can accept walking up during the night and early morning choose this hotel, but if you are looking for a quiet, relaxing hotel this is not for you.

Great location, warm and welcoming staff, very comfortable

Comodo, muy buena ubicación. Mucho mejor de lo esperado. Su terraza para desayunar y cenar es espectacular. El desayuno muy, muy completo. La cocina nos encantó

La disponibilidad de wifi fue pésima Tuve un disgusto al consumir datos sin darme cuenta y quedarme incomunicado.

Die Lage ist ausgezeichnet. Insgesamt ist das Frühstück sehr gut, bis auf die fehlenden Brötchen und das miese Brot. Die Aussicht aus dem Frühstücksraum ist super. Personal an der Rezeption sehr aufmerksam und freundlich.

Dass man kein eigenes Wasser oder einen Snack mit ins Zimmer nehmen darf, ist absolut inakzeptabel, insbesondre, wenn man aus gesundheitlichen Gründen sehr viel trinken muss. Es geht nur darum, noch ein paar Euro mehr aus dem Gast herauszuquetschen. WLAN gab es nur direkt an der Zimmertür. Am Schreibtisch oder im Bett kein Empfang möglich. Reklamation blieb folgenlos. Der Chlorgeruch vom Pool zog auch bei gesclossemen Fenster in den Raum. Deutlich zu wenige Hotelparkplatz. Freundlicherweise wurde unser Wagen vom Rezeptionisten geparkt. Wir haben während des gesamten Aufenthalts dort stehen lassen. Elektronische Lichtsteuerung im Zimmer nicht selbsterklärend. Keinerlei Anleitung vorhanden. Vorgänger hatten die Birnen losgeschraubt, um das Licht zu löschen.

Presque tout

L emplacement de la piscine avec toutes les chambres au dessus et un horaire de fermeture trop tôt

Holiday | Couple I will start with the positives. Great location for beach and town which is stunning.great breakfast plenty choice Quiet around the pool for the most.great view from the restaurant. Hotel rooms are just ok,this hotel is more like a 3 star definitely not 5 star. We had a view of over grown weeds and a car park. 2 turtles in a supposed pond in the hotel,it was filthy limited water and a few stones thrown in. While knowbody really watches tv on holiday I did look and it only had 1 English channel bbc news,no access 2 tv apps eg Netflix (which u would expect in 5 star). No fridge to use in room and taking in food is FORBIDDEN (ridiculous rule) Drinks in the hotel are very expensive 16 euro for a pre made cocktail. The beds are rock hard. Overall the hotel is more style over substance and tends to prioritise weddings and conferences over hotel guests. Rooms: 3/5 | Service: 3/5 | Location: 5/5