Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Grand Hotel Ortigia, Siracusa, Sicily
Facts in brief
Official star rating 5
Location The hotel is 5-minutes' walk from the Temple of Apollo
Annual opening All year
Closest airport Catania Airport
Distance from airport The hotel is about 1-hour's drive from Catania airport
Hotel facilities and services
Panoramic Restaurant, Bar, Private Beach with transport service by boat from hotel (payable locally), Room Service, Lift, Parking, Wellness Centre, Small Museum.
Chargeable watersports
Water Sports at hotel's private beach.
Out and about nearby
Siracusa (outstanding Greek and Roman remains, archaeological museum, Catacombs, Fountain of Arethusa), the baroque town of Ragusa Ibla, with the beaches of Marina di Ragusa, Taormina (picturesque streets and Greek amphitheatre), Piazza Armerina (3rd century Roman villa with superb mosaics) and Agrigento (Valley of the Temples, birthplace of Luigi Pirandello).
Sports nearby
Riding, Golf, Tennis.
I just wanted to thank you for putting together our recent trip. We thoroughly enjoyed it, We were happy with all the hotels.Mr and Mrs S, June 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Double room for 5 nights
From about
£1,150
Holiday Code IE242
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Grand Hotel Ortigia, Siracusa, Sicily
The fine Grand Hotel Ortigia is marvellously situated right by the seafront in Ortigia, which is the historic centre of Siracusa, where some of the best examples of Sicilian baroque architecture can be found. The cool, spacious interiors of the Grand Hotel Ortigia are decorated in Liberty style and an atmosphere of calm elegance pervades. Floors are of pale marble and furnishings are in serene pastel shades. In the original cellar, where the bar is now situated, original Greek remains have been discovered and carefully preserved. The restaurant, which provides an excellent standard of regional and Mediterranean cuisine, is on the top floor of the Grand Hotel Ortigia and commands wonderful views of Ortigia's harbour and sea front (the 'parfait' is the speciality dessert of the house and well worth tasting). The attractive bedrooms, which have wooden floors and soft furnishings in fresh, crisp colours, have been equipped with the latest in modern comforts and some have views out to sea (available at a supplement). For guests wishing to relax between sightseeing visits, the Grand Hotel Ortigia also offers a boat service to and from its own private sandy beach nearby.
Room descriptions
Grand Hotel Ortigia has 58 rooms with bath and wc, air-conditioning, satellite television, radio, telephone, minibar and safe.
I just wanted to thank you for putting together our recent trip. We thoroughly enjoyed it, We were happy with all the hotels.Mr and Mrs S, June 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Double room for 5 nights
From about
£1,150
Holiday Code IE242
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Grand Hotel Ortigia, Siracusa, Sicily
The journey and how you get there
For a holiday to Grand Hotel Ortigia in Sicily, our clients usually fly to Palermo airport. From the airport, we recommend a private car transfer which we would include in our holiday price, or we recommend that you use a hire-car for the duration of your holiday, especially if you want to tour the region. If you are staying at this hotel as part of a tailor-made touring holiday, we would include a hire-car for the itinerary.
Additional information
Children: Children are welcome.
Special offers
Call to make your booking and save an extra £50 per adult Call us instead of emailing us when you are thinking of booking a holiday and save an extra £50 per adult (in addition to any special offers that might be available). We want to talk to you to discuss your requirements and a phone call is usually the best way for you to define what you want enabling us to respond more accurately. We want to talk to you and you save an extra £50 per adult.
I just wanted to thank you for putting together our recent trip. We thoroughly enjoyed it, We were happy with all the hotels.Mr and Mrs S, June 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Double room for 5 nights
From about
£1,150
Holiday Code IE242
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Grand Hotel Ortigia, Siracusa, Sicily
About Sicily
An Expressions tailor-made holiday in Sicily allows visitors to discover a unique and captivating island. The rich tapestry of Mediterranean history can be witnessed on the southerly island of Sicily, fascinating not only for its amazing blend of cultures including Greek, Arab, Byzantine and Norman and its architectural treasures which reflect these influences but also for its breath-taking scenery of coast, parched mountains and fertile groves of almonds, oranges, lemons and olives. The people are proud and independent, reserved but sincere and helpful. Traditions thrive to an extent that the atmosphere of Sicily is unrecognisable in the context of other parts of Italy further north. The towns and villages are contrasting with picture postcard scenes of mediaeval labyrinthine alleyways adorned by wrought-iron balconies and baskets of flowers or severe dilapidation punctuated by grand Baroque or austere Norman cathedrals and churches. Additionally, there are of course some of the most important sites of the ancient Greek world such as the temples at Agrigento, the theatre at Taormina and numerous relics at Siracusa, reputedly one of the most beautiful cities of the Greek world. High above the island looms Mount Etna, one of the largest volcanoes in the world and an awe-inspiring sight. Off the north coast of Sicily, the beautiful Aeolian Islands offer escape and remoteness, natural scenery and a startling light, a sleepy way of life and romantic isolation. A holiday in Sicily appeals for those who want typical rest and relaxation with cultural activities at hand, and for those who want to be more adventurous and experience more of this captivating island.
Highlights of Sicily
An ascent of Mount Etna, partly by car and then further on foot (guides available) through the luxuriant vegetation which includes oranges and lemons, bougainvillaea and poinsettias and then higher up the groves of walnuts, cherries, almonds, pistachios and vines. Palermo is known for its street markets, especially Vucciria and Ballaro, where traders and hawkers, pickpockets and shoppers converge amongst narrow streets and stalls of wares. See the traditional costumes and dialect of Piana degli Albanesi, where Albanians settled in the 15th Century. Revel in the splendid site of Taormina above the sea with views to Etna. Local crafts include cork, ceramics, honey, embroidery, raffia. Enjoy the calm and remoteness of the Aeolian Islands with their clear waters, beautiful scenery and peaceful way of life. Enjoy the gardens of the Villa Giulia in Palermo and the Public Gardens in Taormina.
Cultural highlights of Sicily
Palermo contains some of the greatest Arab-Norman buildings in existence - San Giovanni degli Eremiti, the Palazzo Reale with its striking Cappella Palatina and La Martorana. Monreale outside Palermo is the greatest work of Norman architecture in Sicily and contains beautiful 12th and 13th Century mosaics and cloisters. The Doric temples of the 5th Century BC in the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. Cefalu has the `Portrait of a Man` by Antonello da Messina, dating from 1465 in its Museo Mandralisca.
Festivals in Sicily
Many Sicilian local festivals are linked to Saints’ Days. A few of the most well-known festivals generally include Carnival celebrations in Taormina and Acireale. Easter is celebrated especially in Trapani, Marsala and Piana degli Albanesi. Messina celebrates Ferragosto on the 15th August with a firework display over the Straits. The Sagra del Mandorlo in Fiore takes place in Agrigento in the first and second weeks of February to celebrate the almond blossom. Taormina Arte is a summer festival of music, cinema, ballet and theatre, held in the Greek theatre. The Palio dei Normanni takes place in Piazza Armeria in August.
Gastronomy in Sicily
The gastronomy of Sicily, like much of the culture of the island, has been heavily influenced by its history. Cuscus is a Sicilian version of couscous, and marzipan features heavily in sweets. Local produce includes citrus fruits, almonds, capers, olives, peppers and fish. Local specialities include Maccheroni con le sarde (pasta with sardines, fennel, raisins, pine nuts and saffron), Pesce spada (grilled sword fish), 'alla Siciliana' with capers, red peppers and herbs. Cassata is a popular dessert made with ricotta, candied fruit and pistachios and Cannoli are almond biscuits stuffed with ricotta. Sicily produces a variety of red and white wines including Corvo di Salaparuta and Etna, Marsala and Malvasia.
