Grand Hotel Des Etrangers- The Leading Hotels of the World

L’accueil des clients, le portier par le français, très aimable, le petit déjeuner, Excellent, les chambres d’un confort absolu, le personnel du petit déjeuner au petit soins, lit très confortable et chambre silencieuse, les petites attentions l’après-midi, nous avions des petits gâteaux au chocolat portés dans la chambre

Godt renhold, nydelig interiør og hyggelig personale, spesielt i poolbar og frokostsal.

Our stay at Grand Hotel Des Étrangers in Ortigia was meant to celebrate a very meaningful milestone: the 30th anniversary of my partner and me as life partners. I selected this hotel more than a year in advance because of its reputation and setting. While the property itself is beautiful, our experience was overshadowed by a deeply disappointing and unsettling interaction with management.

From the morning of our arrival on October 3, I sent multiple emails and WhatsApp messages regarding our arrival time, check-in, and room readiness. These messages began while we were at the airport and continued throughout the day. As is clear from the WhatsApp timeline, message after message went unanswered. No meaningful response came until October 5 — by which point we had already been staying at the hotel for nearly two full days.

The clearest example of this breakdown occurred on October 5, when I received an email advising that we could enjoy the pool “upon check-in,” in response to messages sent on October 3. At that moment, we had already been guests since October 3. This single message made it unmistakably clear that management had no real awareness of who we were, when we arrived, or even that we were already on property.

When I raised this directly with the Reception Manager, his response was dismissive. He suggested that they had two WhatsApp numbers and I was sending messages to the wrong one, but I used that number for eight months through the planning process without and issue. And the messages to the second WhatsApp number remain unanswered as well. He also suggested they did not have the right email for me or there was a system issue but at that exact moment I received our final invoice by email. I pointed this out immediately. The contradiction spoke for itself.

The night before our departure, I sent a very detailed and thoughtful email explaining how this experience made us feel, particularly given the importance of the occasion we were celebrating. That email has still not been answered - almost 3 months later.

For context, I worked in the luxury travel industry for seven years, and my partner and I have travelled to 77 countries together. This is the first time we have ever felt unwelcome while travelling. While the manager denied any discriminatory intent, experience teaches you that hospitality is not just what is said — it is how someone makes you feel. And in this case, the feeling was unmistakable.

It is important to be fair: other members of the hotel team were pleasant and professional. The pool server was exceptional — warm, attentive, and genuinely welcoming — and the breakfast team in the restaurant was kind and courteous.
Throughout the rest of our journey, we were welcomed with open arms everywhere else, including the Four Seasons Taormina, Monaci delle Terre Nere, Villa Igiea in Palermo, and Harbour House Iniala in Malta. The contrast could not have been more striking.

This is a beautiful hotel in a remarkable location. However, hospitality is ultimately about how guests are made to feel. Based on our experience with the Reception Manager, I would not recommend this property for LGBTQ+ travellers — plain and simple.

Excellent location, recently refurbished to a very high standard. Helpful and friendly staff.

Ligging, mooie kamer

The location was lovely. They upgraded our room on arrival. The room had lots of space and overlooked the Ionian Sea. The breakfast buffet was good and the outdoor pool area was nice. The reception staff were helpful. The birds singing outside our room at 5 pm was a highlight.

Locatie heel goed in Ortigia.
Verder heel behulpzaam personeel bij de receptie.
Verwarmd zwembad.

Outstanding hotel in a great location. Room (great view) and entire hotel staff were excellent. Rooftop restaurant and bar were also excellent. Highly recommend!

Excellent staff, excellent service and excellent location

Firstly the positives-
Friendly and efficient staff
Beautifully appointed suite.
Great location. Even though there is a square on the water opposite our room was very quiet.
The non-positives
Breakfast was very nice but the room has a lunch room vibe
The main restaurant was not up to the standard set in the rest of the hotel. Food was mediocre and service was was not up to standard we would have expected

Beautiful hotel in a great location, the staff were amazing and the swimming pool lovely.

Booked this hotel for our 30th wedding anniversary and it was the perfect present. Everyone and everything oozed quality. Staff were clearly well trained and didn’t just know their jobs, but enjoyed their work .
Anna Lisa and Davide in Reception and Eva in the breakfast restaurant couldn’t have been more helpful . They provided information on places of interest and also restaurants that they thought we would enjoy ( and did!)
Eva ensured that all my food was gluten free as I am coeliac. She provided gluten free croissants made in the hotel every morning and they tasted great.Gluten free toast was always available along with cooked food and cereal. So much that lunch wasn’t necessary. The whole hotel is also immaculately clean wherever you go. Lastly, the housekeeping staff do a great job, ensuring you always have clean towels ,fresh water and that both bathroom and bedroom are always spotless.
Staff are never obtrusive , always friendly and smile constantly, which is probably easier to do working in a beautiful place

The front desk/lobby staff, Carmine especially, were incredibly accommodating and helpful. My wife had a medical issue that staff was extremenly helpful in assisting us in getting to local hospital. You really never felt so alone when you're in a foreign and not speaking the language. Well- that is when the staff stepped up and called a taxi to take us to a local hospital - seen by medical staff- medical services rendered and then had a taxi come and pick us up and returned to the hotel where we followed medical advise and knowing now what was the issue. knowing is powerful. Cannot say enough about the hotel and want to extend a million thanks to Carmine and to her co workers- OUTSTANDING

This hotel is fantastic! The room was so clean, has in room tea facilities and quality toiletries. There’s many towels, slippers and dressing gowns. The breakfast buffet selection is vast and had quality items with gluten free and dairy free options. Cooked items are also available to order. Staff service was outstanding and they are incredibly helpful. The pool area and view are lovely. Great service at the pool too with towels already on the loungers and service to your lounger. The pool food menu is very limited however. The Clou restaurant serves delicious food and has a large wine list with roof top dining and lovely ambience. Parking is difficult as it’s a restricted zone but the hotel offer valet parking for €50 per night. Alternatively, we found €20 euro per night parking in the visitor bays at Porta marina which is 5 min walk from the hotel. Location is great however it is next to restaurant that has an outdoor terrace with very loud music until the early hours of the morning that can be heard if you are in the deluxe sea view room. Room service was efficient with quality food. I would highly recommend this hotel and would stay again!

very little The sun set was pretty from the upstairs bar.