65 tourists. So it doesn't matter if you have a voucher or not. In general, we were shocked by such rudeness, we could not even imagine that SUCH was possible, given that we were resting in Italy for the fifth time. Sicily - it turns out to be something very special, a centuries-old layering of different cultures and mentalities, an infernal mixture. In their cultural development, they unfortunately did not go far, despite all the beauties of architecture, antiquity monuments and beautiful landscapes. The educational level of the population is not high, they do not seek higher education, they even consider it shameful, garbage is not removed on the streets of Mondello (a suburb of Palermo), it is dirty, it smells unpleasant. But this is a lyrical digression from a given topic. We paid a lot of money, and for this money we wanted to receive appropriate services, but we received only disappointment and negative emotions, even if only one person was to blame for all this (the owner of the hotel, the president of the host, who was in no hurry to deal with the situation or the two of them decided to make money on the Russians for a couple, and why not, because everything turns out to be permitted, with impunity, no one will protect the violated rights). The president of the host country, Eurialo viaggi, by the way, our compatriot, probably needs to think about his place in this campaign. If you don't know how to work, leave! Of course this could not happen to any other foreign tourists. There is no doubt about it! The Mondello Palace Hotel, as it turned out, is not intended for a beach holiday, sightseeing buses do not call there, all excursions take place from another hotel with your additional transfer of 40-50 euros. Do not trust the agencies that will tell you about excursions from this hotel! The only plus, as I already wrote, is the proximity to Palermo (20 minutes by bus), if you have any plans and routes for traveling around Sicily. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this hotel to anyone. This attitude towards Russians should be punished by not visiting this hotel in principle, which will lead to its ruin, it will not be long, given that half of the holidaymakers there are Russians who support the shaky economy of this Italian island with their wallets.
65 tourists. So it doesn't matter if you have a voucher or not. In general, we were shocked by such rudeness, we could not even imagine that SUCH was possible, given that we were resting in Italy for the fifth time. Sicily - it turns out to be something very special, a centuries-old layering of different cultures and mentalities, an infernal mixture. In their cultural development, they unfortunately did not go far, despite all the beauties of architecture, antiquity monuments and beautiful landscapes. The educational level of the population is not high, they do not seek higher education, they even consider it shameful, garbage is not removed on the streets of Mondello (a suburb of Palermo), it is dirty, it smells unpleasant. But this is a lyrical digression from a given topic. We paid a lot of money, and for this money we wanted to receive appropriate services, but we received only disappointment and negative emotions, even if only one person was to blame for all this (the owner of the hotel, the president of the host, who was in no hurry to deal with the situation or the two of them decided to make money on the Russians for a couple, and why not, because everything turns out to be permitted, with impunity, no one will protect the violated rights). The president of the host country, Eurialo viaggi, by the way, our compatriot, probably needs to think about his place in this campaign. If you don't know how to work, leave! Of course this could not happen to any other foreign tourists. There is no doubt about it! The Mondello Palace Hotel, as it turned out, is not intended for a beach holiday, sightseeing buses do not call there, all excursions take place from another hotel with your additional transfer of 40-50 euros. Do not trust the agencies that will tell you about excursions from this hotel! The only plus, as I already wrote, is the proximity to Palermo (20 minutes by bus), if you have any plans and routes for traveling around Sicily. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this hotel to anyone. This attitude towards Russians should be punished by not visiting this hotel in principle, which will lead to its ruin, it will not be long, given that half of the holidaymakers there are Russians who support the shaky economy of this Italian island with their wallets.
The village of Mondelo is located very close to Palermo (20 min by bus). The village is small, the promenade and eateries, restaurants along the sea. Nothing more.
Mondello Palace Hotel. Resting mainly Italians. Although we (Russians), in our first week, 9 people arrived, and the next week there were already 20 of us. The hotel is very small, only 88 rooms. The hotel area is actually not very big either. Half of the territory is occupied by a private mini-golf course. There is a pool on site, but no slide. Around the pool can hardly accommodate 20 sun loungers. Therefore, sometimes there were not enough places. Beach towels are issued at the reception or brought by a pool worker. Towels, sunbeds and umbrellas for free. The pool is clean, does not smell of bleach, the caretaker takes water samples every hour. There is a bar in the lobby and a restaurant, parking. The conference hall is probably of little interest to tourists. Green lizards run all over the hotel, very cute. I would not call the hotel "shabby". Every year they make cosmetic repairs. Not very high-quality plastered walls did not bother us at all. Everything is clean. Yes, the hotel is not new. But a decent view is maintained. The hotel staff speaks only Italian, but the reception can speak English. There is a safe at the reception and it is free.
Rooms. We had a fairly spacious room with two beds. The small TV showed only Italian channels. Satellite TV is available on the upper floors. Air conditioning, central, worked well, without failures. Very spacious balcony with table and chairs. There is a clothes dryer. The furniture is generally not modern, 2 large wardrobes with hangers, a table, an easy chair. In the bathroom: a bathtub, a toilet bowl, a bed, a huge mirror over the sink, a complete set of towels, gels, hats, a hairdryer, etc. Bed linen and towels were changed every day. Yes, the faucets are not modern (we had such in Soviet times), but everything worked well and, again, we were not embarrassed. The room has a mini bar. It's a small refrigerator with a chain opener. The price tag, of course, bites. Beer and cola (0.33) for 3 euros per bottle (in the store 3 euros per pack).
Sea and beach. The sea is close, across the road. It is not dangerous to cross it. The Italians always concede, even if you cross not on the transition. The beach and sea are sandy. The sand is fine and pleasant. Entry into the sea is gradual. For children and those who can not swim expanse. The beach is quite narrow. Moreover, a large strip is occupied by private fenced areas. These are either sun loungers and umbrellas (8-10 euros), or booths-houses, which the owners rent to the residents of Palermo for changing rooms and storing beach accessories. And only a strip of the beach near the water (3 meters) remains in “free access”. On the weekend on the beach, indeed, there is nowhere for an apple to fall. You literally walk over your head. I have never met such a huge number of people even in Anapa. It seems that all the inhabitants of Palermo came here to sunbathe and swim. And, of course, dirt, debris, both on the sand and in the sea. Less on weekdays. Therefore, for the weekend we left Mondelo for excursions or to Palermo. The hotel declares its private beach with sunbeds and umbrellas. So this year they failed to rent or buy the beach. Therefore, they bought a limited number of sunbeds from someone and issue tickets in the morning for access to the beach. At 10 am (after breakfast) these tickets no longer exist. Therefore, we lay on the beach near the water on towels. Like this. Don't trust travel companies. There is no private beach! So the hotel is not for a beach holiday!
Restaurant. We had breakfast and dinner. European breakfast buffet. Of course, every day is the same: scrambled eggs, ham, cheese, pastries, three types of cereal, milk, jams, fruits (strawberries, apples, bananas, fruit salad), boiled eggs, water, juices, tea, coffee. But everything is very fresh and tasty. So nothing got boring. Dinners - customized menu. Menu in Italian and English. Consists of: 1. Starter (three courses) 2. Main course (three courses) and 3. Dessert (three courses to choose from). From each group you order one thing. Drinks for extra charge. Wine with a very high margin. A bottle of dry red wine Corde (0.37 l) costs 13 euros. In the store, the same wine, but 0.7 l, costs only 6 euros. Service at the highest level: waiters in tailcoats, serving - silver, serving dishes - a whole process. And everything is very, very beautiful and delicious.
Host and excursions. Don't trust travel companies! On excursions to the Mondello Palace Hotel, the bus does not stop !!!!!!!!!!!! ! All excursions only from the hotel "Citta del Mare"!!!!!!!!! ! And to him on his own by taxi. Caught on this themselves. I had to group with my own and take an individual excursion (Erice and Sigesta) or take a taxi to "Chitta" (60 euros for a taxi one way).
Etna and Taormina. The cost is 60 euros per person up to a height of 1900 m. To the summit and active craters (3000 m), if desired, by cable car and jeeps for another 51 euros. But it's worth it! Warm jackets and shoes can be rented for 2-3 euros. Not as scary and dirty as other reviews describe.
Erice and Sigesta. We had an individual tour for 9 people, they brought us directly from the Mondello hotel and to the hotel. It cost us 66 euros per person. (From "Chitta" 30 euros). Erice is an insanely beautiful city!
We went to Cefalu on our own by train from Palermo. Worth a trip for sure!!!!!
We traveled by bus in Montreal. This town is very close to Palermo. There is a regular shuttle bus. 3000 sq. m. in the cathedral struck very strongly!!!! ! Lovely small and cozy town.
A visit to the Aeolian Islands is also a must. From "Chita" excursion costs 72 euros. On the island of Lipari, you should definitely take an additional excursion around the island by bus. It costs 10 euros, but 1.5 hours of the beauties of the entire island are worth it.
SUMMARY is mine. The hotel is not for beach and sightseeing holidays. It is well suited for those who want to travel around the island on their own, sunbathe and swim in the places that they meet on their way and not be dependent on excursions.
The bed is very comfortable for any purpose ; -) Equipment of the room: the air conditioner is normal, the doors-windows are wooden, a bit shabby, the taps in the bathroom are fossil (with rubber gaskets), hot water obviously comes from autonomous boilers, and the switching is not very clear (periodically hot cools at the most inopportune moment), with all sorts of shampoos there - no problem. The drain in the toilet has a frankly idiotic design - a pipe with a lever sticking out of the wall from the side of the living room. When pressed, everything merges well, but in the room the sound effect is most convincing ; -) The bathroom has a hairdryer (working) and a socket for an electric shaver. There is a feature of electrical outlets - some kind of local fossil standard with thin Soviet-style plug pins and a grounding contact in the middle (there are such ones all over Mondello, if not all over Sicily, in Palermo they are exactly the same).
What we consider to be a euro socket is available in the amount of 1 piece on the desk next to the TV. There is Wi-Fi paid, from 5 euros per hour, if the packages are larger - cheaper. If you need an Internet, then you should use it. The room is caught rather weakly, sometimes it is worth crawling out into the corridor. Mosquitoes all over Mondello to hell, so the room has a fumigator with a couple of interchangeable plates. There are only half a dozen Italian channels on TV with average quality. The room has a minibar in a small fridge (the key is tied to the room key). They did not see anything interesting, they stocked up with local creations in a store nearby. The balcony has a very comfortable table and a couple of chairs. The hotel has a laundry service, but the laundry and ironing of each item adds up to the cost of the same shirt in a company store in Palermo, so it's not very economical.
I recommend self-service, if you wash your shirt in the morning before breakfast, by 10 hours it is already drying in the sun. All the necessary detergents can be obtained from the same store nearby. Now food. Breakfasts are deadly the same type, from what is presented on the "buffet" we can recommend scrambled eggs and brisket, vegetables are not dangerous for health, but not very tasty either, but you can poison anyone with sausages (soy, boiled and fried to impossibility), pastries usually good (croissants sprinkled with powdered sugar or cream, buns like our "Lux" and hot dogs in one bottle), fruits in bulk (and not bad ones), freshly squeezed juices are very good, coffee is good, only poison enemies with tea (they don’t understand it Italians, for the life of me), the mineral water is good, but it always runs out, you have to pay the attention of the waiter to this (its level is not visible due to the thermal container).
We never got to have lunch or dinner at the hotel, we wandered around in Palermo and Montreal, and also looked after absolutely amazing gastronomy nearby. This family business (the missus said that the name translates as "Brothers of the Green Heads", i. e. Fratelli Testaverde), works all days except Monday, from 7 am to 11 pm, payment only in cash. And it's DELICIOUS! ! ! Easy to pass. We stand with our backs to the main entrance to the hotel (at the gate with our backs to the sea) and stomp wherever our eyes look on the right side of the street. First, there should be an intercepting parking lot on the right, then the "Badalamenti" store next to the cafe (the store also has great gastronomy, pastries and drinks, you can also take a mineral water block on the way back, they accept bank cards for payment). Then we continue our way to the fork, stomp in accordance with the traffic rules (not under the "brick") on the right side and look to the left, looking for this very sign with the "brotherhood".
Feeding is 2-3 times cheaper than at the hotel, I already spoke about the quality. There are also eateries on the waterfront, but they are biased towards serving tourists, therefore the quality is lower. Also on the waterfront there are sporting goods stores in 200-300 meters in any direction. Now transport. The hotel always sticks out 1-2 taxis, so there are no problems with getting there. Public transport - AMAT buses, stop of route 806 in the direction of Palermo in front of the hotel (to the left of the central gate or to the right of the side gates, cross the zebra). I recommend taking the bus to Politeama, where it will turn off Svoboda Street (near the theater) or get off at a stop earlier. We get to the border of the historical center. If you exit immediately after the turn, there will be a stall nearby with tickets for sightseeing bus tours of the city. These buses also have audio guides in Russian. On foot straight along Svoboda - to the center of the "Center", to the left - to the port.
I recommend immediately stomping to the port, from there to the right to the ruins of the fortress, from there, looking into the Church of Mary on chains, stomp through the sea gates through the entire old city to the new gates (towards Independence Square, snooping around in accordance with the guide (available at the reception in hotel). From Independence Square, you can return to Politeama by bus 108 (or 104, it also brings you quite close). Separately, be sure to go to Montreal (bus 389 from the same Independence). I don’t write anything, because it must be seen. Yes, Drivers should have AMAT bus tickets, but they usually don’t, so it’s better to buy in advance at a tobacconist (1.20 apiece, valid for an hour and a half after the mark in the validator, there are also more “long-playing ones”. It’s easy to buy - just tell the stall seller " AMAT" and the desired number of tickets (uno, due, tre, etc. ). Go back at the same bath on the embankment, because the roads are one-way.
The entrance to the hotel territory is only from the side of the main entrance, everything is closed from the embankment.
And finally, the beach. Bulk sand, there are shallow and deep places (the deep bottom is dark due to algae), so there are no problems with choosing a place. The sand is not perfectly clean, but within limits. In the first ten days of October, it was quite hot, the water was not very warm in the morning, but by noon it was just right, so they usually bathed twice a day. There were few locals there, it was a bit cold for them. In the high season, there is not the sea, but soup with meatballs. The bay is very comfortable on both sides covered by mountains, so there is no strong wind. And finally, you can walk from the hotel to the center of Palermo through the national park of Mount Pelegrino, it's about 10 km (if only to the hippodrome, then about 7), the beauty is awesome, the locals also go nuts from such a forced march "Russo Turisto" ; - )
In general, what should be a beach holiday turned out to be an interesting sightseeing trip.
At the hotel, they didn’t take a penny from us for prolonging the room until the evening (VIMs fly out at 10 pm local time), but I doubt that this option will work during the season. Taxi to the airport 50 euros (there is not very far in a straight line, the planes land in the visibility zone, but you have to go around a couple of hills).
Apparently, this is the most decent hotel for 5 miles in the area. various national and international conferences are regularly held there. In general, the impressions of the hotel are good, it can be recommended for holidays in any format, but the hotel is still inferior to the normal European four stars. I hope this review will help you make your choice.
The bed is very comfortable for any purpose ; -) Equipment of the room: the air conditioner is normal, the doors-windows are wooden, a bit shabby, the taps in the bathroom are fossil (with rubber gaskets), hot water obviously comes from autonomous boilers, and the switching is not very clear (periodically hot cools at the most inopportune moment), with all sorts of shampoos there - no problem. The drain in the toilet has a frankly idiotic design - a pipe with a lever sticking out of the wall from the side of the living room. When pressed, everything merges well, but in the room the sound effect is most convincing ; -) The bathroom has a hairdryer (working) and a socket for an electric shaver. There is a feature of electrical outlets - some kind of local fossil standard with thin Soviet-style plug pins and a grounding contact in the middle (there are such ones all over Mondello, if not all over Sicily, in Palermo they are exactly the same). That,
what we consider to be a euro socket is available in the amount of 1 piece on the desk next to the TV. There is Wi-Fi paid, from 5 euros per hour, if the packages are larger - cheaper. If you need an Internet, then you should use it. The room is caught rather weakly, sometimes it is worth crawling out into the corridor. Mosquitoes all over Mondello to hell, so the room has a fumigator with a couple of interchangeable plates. There are only half a dozen Italian channels on TV with average quality. The room has a minibar in a small fridge (the key is tied to the room key). They did not see anything interesting, they stocked up with local creations in a store nearby. The balcony has a very comfortable table and a couple of chairs. The hotel has a laundry service, but the laundry and ironing of each item adds up to the cost of the same shirt in a company store in Palermo, so it's not very economical. Recommend self service
if you wash your shirt in the morning before breakfast, by 10 o'clock it is already drying in the sun. All the necessary detergents can be obtained from the same store nearby. Now food. Breakfasts are deadly the same type, from what is presented on the "buffet" we can recommend scrambled eggs and brisket, vegetables are not dangerous for health, but not very tasty either, but you can poison anyone with sausages (soy, boiled and fried to impossibility), pastries usually good (croissants sprinkled with powdered sugar or cream, buns like our "Lux" and hot dogs in one bottle), fruits in bulk (and not bad ones), freshly squeezed juices are very good, coffee is good, only poison enemies with tea (they don’t understand it Italians, for the life of me), the mineral water is good, but it always runs out, you have to pay the attention of the waiter to this (its level is not visible due to the thermal container). Lunch or dinner at the hotel was not honored even once,
wandered around in Palermo and Montreal, and also looked after an absolutely amazing gastronomy nearby. This is a family business (the missus said that the name translates as "Greenhead Brothers", i. e. Fratelli something else), work all days except Monday, from 7 am to 11 pm, payment only in cash. And it's DELICIOUS!! ! Easy to pass. We stand with our backs to the main entrance to the hotel (at the gate with our backs to the sea) and stomp wherever our eyes look on the right side of the street. First, there should be an intercepting parking lot on the right, then a shop with a cafe (the shop also has great gastronomy, pastries and booze, it’s also worth taking a block of mineral water on the way back, they accept bank cards for payment). Then we continue our way to the fork, stomp in accordance with the traffic rules (not under the "brick") on the right side and look to the left, looking for this very sign with the "brotherhood". Feeding is 2-3 times cheaper than at the hotel, I already spoke about the quality.
There are also eateries on the waterfront, but they are biased towards serving tourists, therefore the quality is lower. Also on the waterfront there are sporting goods stores in 200-300 meters in any direction. Now transport. The hotel always sticks out 1-2 taxis, so there are no problems with getting there. Public transport - buses, stop in the direction of Palermo in front of the hotel (to the left of the central gate or to the right of the side gates, cross the zebra). I recommend taking the bus to Politeama, where it will turn off Svoboda Street (near the theater) or get off at a stop earlier. We get to the border of the historical center. If you exit immediately after the turn, there will be a stall nearby with tickets for sightseeing bus tours of the city. These buses also have audio guides in Russian. On foot straight along Svoboda - to the center of the "Center", to the left - to the port. I recommend immediately stomp to the port, from there to the right to the ruins of the fortress, from there, looking into the Church of Mary on chains,
there are shallow and deep places (the deep bottom is dark due to algae), so there are no problems with choosing a place. The sand is not perfectly clean, but within limits. In the first ten days of October, it was quite hot, the water was not very warm in the morning, but by noon it was just right, so they usually bathed twice a day. There were few locals there, it was a bit cold for them. In the high season, there is not the sea, but soup with meatballs. The bay is very comfortable on both sides covered by mountains, so there is no strong wind. And finally, you can walk from the hotel to the center of Palermo through the national park of Mount Pelegrino, it's about 10 km (if only to the hippodrome, then about 7), the beauty is awesome, the locals also go nuts from such a forced march "Russo Turisto" ; - )
In general, what should be a beach holiday turned out to be an interesting sightseeing trip. At the hotel with us for prolonging the room until the evening (VIMs depart at 10 pm local time), but I doubt
that such an option will run through the season. Taxi to the airport 50 euros (there is not very far in a straight line, the planes land in the visibility zone, but you have to go around a couple of hills).
Apparently, this is the most decent hotel for 5 miles in the area. various national and international conferences are regularly held there. In general, the impressions of the hotel are good, it can be recommended for holidays in any format, but the hotel is still inferior to the normal European four stars. I hope this review will help you make your choice.