Tenuta del Gelso

Booked this place as it was close to Catania airport for our last night in Sicily. It’s difficult to describe as it is a bit of a mishmash mash of a place. We found the place difficult to access as we noticed that the gates were locked as we were driving past. We had to call to ask how to get in & was told that we were early & the gates weren’t open. I asked if we could come onto the property to use the gardens if we weren’t able to check in (this was 1.30pm). The gates were opened for us as we sat in the petrol station forecourt opposite. We drove in & were given a lovely welcome by the lady on reception. She was delightful throughout our stay. There are no signs to advise where reception is, where to park or where to buy wine which makes it harder than necessary. The couple we met whilst staying there said that they’d been sent arrival instructions earlier in the morning which we sadly hadn’t received. Our room was ready so we were, after all, able to check in. We were taken round to a separate entrance to access the Peppino room. Access was up rather steep stairs so not great if you have mobility problems. The room was spacious & sp****ly decorated but with a decent sized shower & good air con. I’d booked this room as it stated there was a terrace, we do love to sit out. There was a very spacious terrace but the (sp****) furniture on it was filthy & broken (photos attached). This was very disappointing as it could be a wonderful area for relaxing which we couldn’t do. We did sit out by the pool with a bottle of wine which was nice. The pool is unheated & most of the poolside furniture didn’t have cushions so it would have been hard to sit on. Fortunately we got the only 2 loungers with cushions. We were advised to book dinner & were surprised to be only 2 of 5 diners in the huge old winery area. There was no a**osphere at all & it was quite uncomfortable. Fortunately 2 of the other diners were from our home city & we had a great chat with them. The food was decent & reasonably priced although the menu rather heavily featured courgette & aubergine. They did cater for my fussy husband’s simple food request though which was good of them. We enjoyed the white wine from the Tenuta along with the tasty Parmigiana, pasta pomodoro & sweet & sour meat balls. The tiramisu we finished with was disappointing as it tasted as though it had just been put together as the sponge wasn’t soggy or infused with liquor. Breakfast selection was minimal but they did serve decent bread. It was the poorest breakfast that we’d eaten in 11 days. Check out once again was friendly. Not a place I’d return to but if you want somewhere different to stay the night before a flight, this might just be for you.

This was a very cool property with tons of charm. We loved the facility and grounds and it was so close to the airport, yet had beautiful views making it feel in the countryside. The only downside was probably our dinner experience. We were there during off season so there was only one other diner for dinner in the large dining area with semi private, really cool romantic areas for tables, yet we were seated right next to the other diner and about half way through dinner the music stopped, making it so quiet that any slight noise echoed. We felt we couldn’t even have a conversation because it was so awkwardly quiet. The service was also just not there and it didn’t feel right asking for things, like to have a more private table, have music, a little heat... But with that said, the food was very good, the staff (including our server) was very nice and the overall experience was excellent. Breakfast was also a nice bonus.

Went to Catania for a 2 day stay. We stayed at Tenuta del Gelso as it was only a couple of minutes away from Mercati Generali. The place is beautiful and the people working there are very helpful. Food was delicious and room was clean. Will visit again for sure.

Very private, charming place. The staff was super kind, we liked the breakfast, even thou it was kind of modest. Unfortunatelly, I did not really enjoy the wine, expect the sparkling, but my husband did like all of them. Next to the winery, there is a cultural centre-should we known that before, we would have definitelly attended the event which wake us up in the night😁

Nice retreat stay with wine tasting

The staff were very friendly. The room was a bit small and cramped but clean and quiet. We had an evening meal which was a bit pricy for what we got but the food was good. Breakfast was included and it was good. Overall, it was good value for money.

Excellent property, stunning grounds. Perfect boutique hotel with friendly accommodating staff nothing was too much trouble. Offered a complimentary drink on arrival and upgraded room. Will absolutely go back. Would really recommend the wine tasting, very fun and good value. Good location from the main town and airport.

Perfect experience! Very nice room, splendid dinner and friendly staff. High recommendation!