Masseria Agnello

When we drove up to the property, we were excited to see the beautiful setting . . . but in all seriousness, every single thing went downhill from there. If this is as far as you read, we want you to take a hard pass on staying here. The check in man, George, was incredibly unwelcoming. He didn’t tell us anything about our room, the property or the area. No one offered to help us with our baggage despite a long walk from the parking area and set of stairs we had to navigate (no elevator). We quickly learned that the hotel was essentially shut down for the season yet they still accepted reservations. With the exception of breakfast, every service was unavailable. No one was there to give us basic information about local sites. Our room was dirty with dust bunnies everywhere & we had no hot water for showers. Our $14 Euro gin and tonics came without limes because according to the young man onsite, limes were no longer in season. The pool genie remained in the pool the whole time we were there, and the pool towels wrapped in plastic as though it was too much effort to unwrap the laundered stack. Again, just say NO! The most upsetting part of the whole experience was our checkout. We were in a rush to get to the Catania Airport, and were held hostage and harassed by the only person onsite, a woman named India, when we disagreed with the total of our bill. India had zero ability to accommodate us, and called the owner, a British woman named Alex, several times, delaying our departure. Alex was incredibly rude, and nowhere to be found in person during our 48 hour stay. We would not be surprised if this place is closed by next summer but if it isn’t, just say NO! It’s a hell hole with a terrific view and horrific prices. By the way, this is the first time we’ve ever felt compelled to review a place after 106 years of combined travel. It was just such a demoralizing experience.

We chose this accommodation because the website portrayed it as being a luxurious property with a focus on quality hospitality. Also a friend had stayed (pre covid) and recommended it. Well, we were beyond disappointed. On arrival there was only one staff member available and although he seemed lovely, he wasn't particularly welcoming and did not offer any extra advice on the property or the surrounding area - basically, here is your room! When I asked about dinner I was told to let them know by 5pm if we wanted it - what? They would get something from the freezer?? First impression was that the property had become run down - musty smell (gas smell from the kitchen area), broken furniture on the bar terrace. On entering our room, which also smelt musty, we found rusty furniture and a dead pot plant on the balcony, furniture in poor condition - no care for detail. The 'compendium' consisted of a tatty cardboard folder containing 3 sheets of paper - 2 blank and the third with half a page typed - there were a few details about meal times but very first thing IN BOLD TYPE stated that food and drink from outside the property could not be brought in!! So I checked the provisions in the room - kettle, 2 mugs and I think 1 teabag and a sugar - opened the fridge - EMPTY! Not even water. No WiFi in the room - only available within about 10m from reception. Although we had booked and paid for 5 nights, we decided we would stay one night and leave. We went for a drive to find some provisions as we decided we would not eat there. On our return, a small tour group (9people) had arrived and they were milling around reception. There was still only one staff member available and the group were getting quite loud as they wanted to get to their rooms, have a drink, etc and their needs were not being met. We returned to our room when we heard loud voices from the pool area. We looked down from the balcony to see two people from this group exiting the pool naked! That was the last straw for us and we decided to leave immediately. I informed the staff member of our departure and expressed my disappointment in the property and my shock at the behaviour of other guests. At this time, the 'manager' arrived and she was very (aggresively) defensive. We told her that we found the property to be well under the standard of what was portrayed on their website and what we would expect for what we had paid. Further evidence of the poor management was to leave one staff member on duty when she was expecting a tour group. We promptly left. DO NOT STAY HERE!!!

What a stunning property with poor service. The level of service was poor. No water in room, fridge not working. Pool cleaner robot left in pool. Cleanliness poor. Had to ask for soap refills etc. The two young Italian men seemed unfocused. We dined in one evening, food was poor. Everything was completely over priced, due to remote location essentially they just can.

Upon arrival, we were captivated by the stunning beauty of the hotel and its surroundings. However, our initial excitement soon turned to disappointment. After waiting in the lobby for approximately 45 minutes, Stephon finally appeared to assign our rooms. Shortly after, the manager arrived and brusquely yelled at one of our group members for having his feet on a table, saying, "Get your feet off of there!" She then proceeded to scold us for not waiting to be checked in, despite our tour group of 9 having 5 reserved rooms, and it being well past the 3 pm check-in time. Matters only worsened from there. The nearest town being 45 minutes away, we decided to dine at the hotel restaurant, only to find out they were out of most main courses on the menu. One of our group members ordered food for two—one to be enjoyed there and the other to take to his room—but neither meal was ever delivered. Adding to our frustration, the air conditioning was inoperable in two rooms, and none of the rooms had hot water. To compound the situation further, there were no staff members available from 9 PM until 8 AM. During checkout, the manager maintained her rude demeanor, essentially implying that if we didn't like the experience, we didn't have to return. Our stay was far from the relaxing getaway we had anticipated.

I would probably give this 3,5. The woman running the hotel also use it as her own summer house. She and her father where smoking and drinking beer by the pool using it as if they were guests. She just thrown in the pool cleaning robot and it was then in the pool the whole day. Same thing with dinner she is sitting and drinking smoking at dinner with other guests. At breakfast there were no plates so guests had to try and find plates them self. Also food did not look all that safe to eat from breakfast as it was standing out in the heat all day and next morning same food still out there. It was run so poorly that it was actually fun. On the positive not the design and hardware is very good although it needs some TLC to get back to it's old glory.