Hotel Dei Pini

Disappointing Group Dining Experience - 2 Stars (3 stars for rooms | 1 star for service | 4 stars for location) The Service: Our group of 9 was part of a larger traveling group of 30, with a scheduled 7:30 PM dinner reservation. No one approached our table until 7:50, and only after I got up to ask if we could order. When the server finally came over, he took one person’s order and began to leave before we could stop him to order additional drinks - an interaction he seemed visibly put off by. Friendliness and cordiality were nowhere to be found. For a restaurant accustomed to handling large groups, this level of inattentiveness was surprising. The Food: The first course, Cavatelli di Grano Duro all’Agrigentina, was the highlight of the meal - genuinely good. Unfortunately, a server returned less than 5 minutes later to offer seconds before anyone had barely tasted it. The second course, Scaloppina di Carne Bianca al Limone, was a disappointment. The pork was tender enough, but the lemon sauce tasted as though it had been prepared from a powder - bland with no hint of freshness, which is particularly surprising in Sicily. The potato rounds were clearly frozen, processed cylinders with a breaded shell and were nearly inedible. The gelato dessert also fell short of what you would expect in Sicily, with the texture of ice cream rather than the silky smoothness of proper gelato.ii The Atmosphere: The dining room was overly bright and extremely loud, making conversation at our round table nearly impossible as more groups arrived around 8:00 PM. Overall: A planned group meal that should have been executed efficiently instead ran from 7:30 to 8:45 PM - more than an hour of slow, disorganized service in a very loud environment. With some preparation and attentiveness, this meal could have been completed comfortably in 45 minutes. As the leader of a school group traveling as part of a larger party of 30, arriving on time for a scheduled reservation only to receive this level of service was genuinely disappointing. I hope management takes note, as the location and rooms have real potential.

The hotel is clearly outdated and in need of significant renovation. During our stay, several essential facilities in our room were not functioning properly: the toilet did not work, there was no hot water despite expectations, and the television was also out of order. Although we reported these issues, no one came to address or repair them. The noise level was another major concern. The hotel appears to be used for events and parties. On the night of our stay, a celebration took place that lasted until 4 a.m., making it impossible for guests to get any rest. The breakfast was very disappointing. The selection was minimal, the butter had already expired, and the bread rolls were hard. It seemed as though leftovers from the previous night’s event were being served. Overall, this hotel cannot be recommended except as a last resort. The only positive aspect was the proximity to a nearby Lidl supermarket.

Service in the restaurant was great, good waiters, food was allright. The rooms were fine, neat. Breakfast was good, better than most hotels we have been to in sicily

For a hotel that advertises for tourists, it was not very tourist friendly. The pool was great with toys for the kids. But towels? Forget it. They don’t offer - you have to bring your own. BRING YOUR OWN! What international travelling tourist brings their own pool towel? Oh, just use your shower towel and ask housekeeping for more towels you say? There is a penalty for that. A PENALTY FOR USING YOUR ROOM TOWELS AS POOL TOWELS AND NO OPTION FOR ADDITIONAL TOWELS. This was the only hotel we stayed at in Sicily that functioned this way - every other one, from Cefalù to Mt Etna to Marsala offered an option to at least rent pool or beach towels. The hotel clearly used to allow smoking indoors as everything reeked of stale cigarettes. There were two elevators in our wing but only one worked and they were so tiny that only one person and one suitcase could fit at a time. Less than ideal but fine. Would not be good for anyone with accessibility issues if any kind. Not a chance a stroller would fit inside. The mattress was so thin that it felt like you were sleeping on the floor. When we arrived, there were stray hairs from someone else on the toilet lid and in the sink. The included breakfast was fine but we were there within an hour of opening. Juice was extremely watered down though. Would absolutely never stay there again without a complete interior overhaul. But the pool was nice.