Last Updated on April 18, 2024 by
Surrounded by luscious sub-tropical gardens and colourful citrus trees, Donna Carmela Resort & Lodges offers its visitors the right balance between a luxury stay and a peaceful countryside retreat at the feet of Mount Etna. Its lovely curated ambiance, elegant food scene and proximity to Mount Etna and Taormina, make it an ideal setting to explore the Eastern Sicilian Coast.
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Why Donna Carmela?
My decision to stay at Donna Carmela Resort was a bit last minute. Indeed, we planned to stay with our families in Sicily for Christmas. However, me and my husband wanted to spend also some time together away from the kids. I wanted a location that was not too far from Catania (in case someone suddenly needed us for the kids) but at the same time that gave us the opportunity to (re)visit some of our favourite places. Here I found Donna Carmela Resort & Lodges. I was immediately intrigued by the hotel rooms design. The lovely setting away from the city convinced me to give it a try. It took me literally two minutes to book for the weekend.
Arriving at Donna Carmela Resort
Location
Donna Carmela Resort is located in the outskirts of a small town called Riposto. I am quite familiar with Riposto. Indeed, I used to nearby there to swim with my parents when I was little. However, for those of you who never heard about this place before, it’s a small town located in a strategic location in between Catania, Taormina and Mount Etna. Yes, you read it right. Indeed, despite its proximity to the sea, Riposto has one of the fastest routes’ access to Mt. Etna in that area. So close that one of my childhood memories is exactly my family’s traditional “scampagnata“. This included a morning at the beach near Riposto and going up to Mt. Etna for lunch.
For this reason, I found that, despite being a little isolated from major towns, Donna Carmela Resort offers anyway the great advantage of being close to most popular places in Eastern Sicily. To give you more technical measurements, the hotel is at 32 mins drive from Taormina, 32 mins drive from Catania and 45 mins from Mount Etna (Rifugio Sapienza). The only downside is that you must have a car with you as it’s not currently possible to reach it public transport. Of course, you can always ask them to pick you up at the airport.
Rooms
Donna Carmela Resort has 26 rooms and 8 lodges divided into 6 different categories. We stayed in a Superior Double Room, which was perfectly fine for our weekend. The room was located on the ground floor on a separate building with its own private access. The bedroom was large, with a framed king bed, minibar and a nice garden view.
To my great surprise the bathroom was huge, almost big as the room itself. This included a Chromotherapy shower that gave us a pleasant spa feeling in our own room. I also appreciated the toiletries coming from RADICEPURA, a horticultural botanical park promoting biodiversity in Sicily.
As we visited in December, our room was more than appropriated to the scope of our visit. Nevertheless, my desire was to stay in one of their Bali-style lodges with swimming pools overlooking the tropical garden. Of course, the Sicilian good weather of December wasn’t enough to make us splurge on one of those lodges. However, in late spring-summer I am pretty sure they would be a fantastic option.
An improvement suggestion would probably be the in-room facilities. Indeed, we’ve been welcomed by a lovely plate of complimentary sweet treats, but I would greatly appreciate more to have free coffee pods instead of seeing them as an “extra” to the expense of the room.
Donna Carmela room rates start at £245 per night for a Double Room in low season and £450 per night for a Lodge in low season. Rates include breakfast.
Facilities
Due to my main profession, I tend to be a little hypercritical when I visit hotels. I sometimes forget I am not there to work but for leisure and I still tend to notice even the most insignificant details. For example, I was a little annoyed to not see any available towel to use on the sun chairs. I wanted to take a little winter sunshine but I couldn’t find them anywhere near the swimming pool and didn’t want to get back to the reception. So I just gave up on my morning plan. I hope they have it in the summer!
Anyway, Donna Carmela Resort proud itself of different facilities. The most obvious are, of course, the outdoor swimming pool, a 24h reception and a large free parking. Nevertheless, free bikes, an available concierge desk, laundry service and spa on-demand were also part of the hotel services.
Moreover, if you don’t have a car, the concierge offers numerous excursions in the surrounding area. This includes day trips to Mount Etna, wine tasting etc.
Restaurants
The resort has two different restaurants. “La Cucina di Donna Carmela” that is their gourmet restaurant leaded by chef Piergiorgio Alecci and “Sintesi”, a more informal restaurant proposing traditional Sicilian dishes. Unfortunately, because we had other plans with friends those days, we couldn’t try any of their restaurants. Nevertheless, I heard very good things about La Cucina di Donna Carmela and I am thinking to try it next time I visit my parents in Sicily.
Instead, I can definitely say that breakfast was quite impressing. As soon as we seated, the waiter arrived with a big tray full of food. Indeed, in addition to the personalised breakfast menu that you can choose, they bring you also the freshest Sicilian specialities they have for the morning. These are both sweet and savoury. We had a great selection of pastries, traditional cakes, local jams, fresh fruits and toasties. On top of that, we ordered also a chocolate granita with brioche. However, there were also English Breakfast options as eggs, bacon and sausages.
For a breakfast lover like me, it was surely the best start of the morning. It was very filling and 100% recommended!
Our Experience at Donna Carmela Resort
Arrival and check-in
I have to admit that our arrival at the hotel wasn’t the most idyllic one. Indeed, after a day spent in Taormina among historical ruins and chocolate granita, we headed to the resort at dusk. Almost in the darkness, we’ve been greeted by a big closed gate and two confusing alpha-numeric boards. Confused on what button to push, we decided to call the reception before panicking pushing all the numbers. For your information, it looks like there is a bell hidden in between a big bush and a security camera, which unfortunately we never discovered even after been told about it.
With great relief, Carmen, the all-smiles night receptionist of Donna Carmela, saved us from our embarrassing entry. She welcome us with a very warm approach and some lovely complimentary drinks while waiting for our room to be ready. After a few minutes she gave us a little tour of the resort and of our room.
Overall
Our stay was quiet and peaceful. Exactly what we were searching after being constantly behind our crying twins toddlers. The hotel is certainly a nice solution for those people who have a car and want to stay in a place at an easy reach from multiple destinations. However, it’s not recommended if your intention is just touring big cities like Catania or Syracuse as it’s located at a lengthy distance from those places.
In general, I have the feeling the word “resort” is a little abused here. Indeed, to my opinion is a more a nice boutique hotel than a proper resort. This might confuse guests at the moment of booking as they might expect much more than the current offer. Rooms are nice, possibly a little overpriced in low season due to the location. Nevertheless, service is excellent and despite a few notes of improvement (i.e. room amenities), I think this place is perfect for a 2-3 days retreat away from the bustling Sicilian cities.
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Disclaimer: this stay has not been sponsored by Donna Carmela Resort in any way. All opinions are my own
