VR CLUB YES!!! VR CLUB YES!!!

We had an amazing vacation in the summer of 2010 in Sicily. The trip was organized by ourselves, without any travel agencies. The visa was issued through the Italian visa center based on the hotel reservation made through booking. com, and the reservation of air tickets for the Alitalia flight, made at the air ticket office and then safely canceled, because travel times have changed a bit. The hotel was chosen for a long time and carefully - they spent a lot of time, but then they did not regret the choice for a second. Hotel - VR CLUB, on the north coast, near the town of Gioiosa Marea. The place is quiet, secluded and very picturesque. Ideal for those traveling by car or planning to rent one. There are no shops or restaurants within walking distance of the hotel, but by car 5 minutes to the village of St. Georgio, where there are various shops and a supermarket, 10 min. to the towns of Patti and Gioiosa Marea.
The convenience of the territorial location is that in one day you can visit any point of the island, if traveling by car 250 km one way does not seem too tiring for you. We visited different parts of the island: Palermo, Cefalu, Syracuse, Noto, Agrigento, Taormina, Castelmola, Castelomare del Golfo, Messina, Milazzo, Corleone... In short, we traveled, watched, walked, swam in all the seas washing Sicily. Fairy tale! However, I will not describe everything and will return to the VR CLUB hotel.
The territory, by the standards of Sicilian hotels, is quite large, green and picturesque. Our room was small, but very nice and comfortable. Minus - poor soundproofing, but this is generally the problem of most Italian hotels. The bathroom is typical for Italy: with a small shower, toilet, bidet and sink. Individual boiler for 50 liters, so there were no problems with hot water. The room itself consisted of a bedroom and a kitchen-living room with a balcony and frontal sea views. The kitchen is equipped with a full refrigerator, stove, sink and all necessary utensils. There is also a folding ottoman here, so that, if necessary, put a couple of children, a table, a small TV and a wardrobe. On the balcony there is a plastic table and 4 chairs, where you can have a great evening with dinner to your own taste. The bedroom has a bed and two wardrobes. There is no air conditioning in the room, and this circumstance initially confused us the most, because. the trip took place at the end of June - beginning of July, and it was hard to believe in the stories of the hotel management that "the fresh breeze from the Aeolian Islands always provides comfort and coolness to our guests"  . However, surprisingly, in fact, this is exactly what happened! Not once in 16 rather hot days (+28-33) did we regret the lack of air conditioning. The ceiling fan in the bedroom on minimum power and the window open at night really kept the temperature comfortable. We lived on the 3rd floor of a three-level building, in the upper part of the hotel (room 414).

In general, the hotel is built on a mountainside, so you have to walk up and down, but you can go down and up not stairs, but along gentle paths. In general, it is not at all difficult and not tedious. By the way, you can drive into the hotel territory by your own car, each room has its own parking space. Also on the hotel's own beach you will have your own fixed, free umbrella and two sunbeds, which are assigned to you for the duration of your stay. So there is no need to borrow sunbeds before breakfast, as our compatriots like to do on the beaches of Egypt and Turkey)).
Beach! This is probably the main advantage of VR CLUB. When choosing a hotel, we paid special attention to this: we wanted to have a guaranteed good sea right “in the hotel” in case there was no desire to go somewhere, but just wanted to lie around all day. The beach is pebbly, large and small pebbles. I always preferred sandy beaches before. . . White cool sand of the Maldives, sandy beaches of Cyprus, Egypt, Corfu, continental Italy, Thailand. . . Yes, but pebble beaches have their own buzz! Again, I was convinced of this right here. Of course, for those who are especially picky, it is better to bring aqua shoes, but we did without them.
And - just a stunning sea, rare purity and transparency! The Tyrrhenian Sea is the warmest of all washing Sicily, and the least salty. Affectionate, hugs like silk. How do you want to go back!!!!!!
When looking at the hotel through Google satellites, there were doubts about the road separating the beach from the hotel, and about the railway track going into the tunnel under the hotel. Everything is bullshit! The road does not interfere and under it a convenient underground passage is made to the beach - clean and pleasant. The road itself is mountainous and trucks and large buses do not drive on it. The railway is not visible at all, because. she is in the tunnel and the noise of the trains is not heard either. By the way, you should not be afraid of the railway at all - even where it goes very close to the hotel (and there are such hotels on the island): freight trains of 50 wagons do not rumble here, but occasionally and only during the day 3-5 wagon electric trains pass , which are hard to notice, and they have some special wheels - they don’t knock)).

A stone's throw from the beach - a swimming pool with sea water. It’s also great, especially since it does not contain bleach at all (I write with knowledge of the matter, as an experienced allergy sufferer). There is a cafe-restaurant on the beach where you can dine for 30 euros for two with a bottle of wine or just buy yourself a large pannini for 3 euros and something to drink for 3 more. servants. This also applies to the waiters in the restaurant. They speak English very well at the reception, there is even one girl, Maria from Bulgaria, who tries very hard to speak Russian, but the Sicilians are not very fluent in foreign languages ​ ​ (the exception is Taormina). This must be taken into account when planning a holiday on the island.
In conclusion, a few words about the hotel staff. Class!! ! From the first day we felt a special atmosphere where everyone knows you by sight, they greet you off duty, they try to communicate without obtrusiveness, but sincerely and affably. Everyone, from the director to the gardener in one team, works to create this atmosphere and is very successful. Problems are solved right away. With difficulty, he remembered only one: two bars of the orthopedic lattice were broken by the bed. (Repaired 15 minutes after contacting). Vacation was a complete success! VR CLUB definitely YES! !