Del Santuario

I've stayed in C-class hotels before, but what led me to choose this one is: proximity to the Museum (I'm an archaeologist), available parking (parking can sometimes be difficult on the Italian islands), and free wi-fi. In many ways the dorm room appearance belies that this is a hidden gem. The room was spare (more like a dorm room), but it had things than many more expensive hotels I've stayed in, in Italy (and even in Australia at astronomical rates) didn't. an elevator (I'm doing a triathlon in Sardinia, so I have equipment); 2 electrical outlets on each side of my bed: I must sleep with a CPAP machine, and I was able to plug in the machine, my phone & computer for work, & I didn't have to unplug the bed lamp or ask for an extension cord just to live normally. The staff are friendly & the room is well maintained. So, if function is more important than fashion, this is great value for money.

We found the room to be a good size and it had air condition. There is no fridge in the room and if we needed to call the front desk the phone was broken. There is no wifi in the room also, you have to stay downstairs in the lobby for wifi. Breakfast was 7:30-10 am, one morning we came down at 9:15 and they had run out of food, all they had left was croissants and jams. The floors were dirty and unwashed. The bathroom: toilet didn't stop flushing and when asked to have it fixed they sent a repair man, told us he fixed it but the problem continued. The shower head was broken which they actually replaced and the sink was partially clogged. I had to ask for toilet paper and towels and they only left a few bars of soap. Overall not a great hotel experience. On a good note the location was great, walking distance to Ortigia and the archaelogical sites.

I didn't know the best way to description the atmosphere to this hotel, as we walked in it was a ghost town and felt that we were the only 2 people staying there (there was actually 12 people). It wasn't your usual bustling and vibrant place. It was weird having an evening meal in a large dining room with only us 2 in it, same again at breakfast, but in the afternoon the following day a coach full of people had arrived and the place was packed. Easy to book through booking site. We arrived by car and chose this hotel as it had a carpark on site. You have to pay up front - which I don't have a problem with. Check in/out was ok. Staff seemed friendly and helpful. Lift to all floors. Room was very basic but clean and tidy. Quite a large bathroom with disable toilet and chair. A good shower with plenty of hot water. Windows opened onto balcony with sea view in the distance. Moderate amount of noise when full of guests. Breakfast was very very basic. No tea/coffee, fridge in room, did have small tv aircon, hair dryer. free wifi - but couldn't get the password to work. Close to archaeological sites (walking distant). We also walked into to town centre and all the way to the castle. There is a hop on/hop off bus tour top across the road for 5 euros, which is quite handy. The hotel is opposite to the weeping Madonna church, which chimes at 8am in the morning and is actually quite a relaxing chime. We had room with breakfast and evening meal included. Wasn't a huge selection on evening meal menu but the food was descent. I thought it was value for money and would stay here again, but because I'm a picky eater next time I would eat out due to lack of choice for me.