Villa Igiea, a Rocco Forte Hotel

To convey how beautiful this hotel is, & how simply lovely are all the wonderful staff who looked after us so well. This was a very special Anniversary trip for us, and we spent many months deciding, before settling on the Villa Igiea. What a perfect choice! We simply could not have asked for more. The hotel itself is a stunning ochre coloured, fort like castle, set within the most gorgeous grounds that are immaculately maintained. Just full of exotic plants, trees and shrubs. The views over a marina - stocked daily with the most stunning superyachts - out to sea meant that our new paperbacks were not even opened! Food in all the outlets was of a very high standard, although we did feel that perhaps the bar menu could have offered a few more choices. Seafood in Alicetta was excellent, as were the dinners and breakfasts in Florio. A special thank-you to all the team there who made our Anniversary dinner so special. Our room had a lovely sea view, with a small balcony and terrace, and furnishings were of a high standard, with bed-linen of a very good quality. Views - as already mentioned - were amazing. However, it is the staff that really make the hotel; so many lovely, warm and kind people, and when we left we felt we had made many new friends. So many of them worked so hard to make our holiday special, and we have tried to mention as many as we could, apologies to those we have missed - you are all legends! On Concierge, Philip, and his wonderful team of Francesco, Alessia & Anastasia looked after us like VIPs (which we most certainly are not!) and Philip even presented us with a lovely gift on departure. We looked forward so much to chatting with you all every evening after dinner. By the pool, Alessia & Vincento were just so kind, considerate & helpful, making sure we always had plenty of shade, and were well supplied with towels & drinks all day. Despite neither my wife or myself speaking any Italian at all, we always manged to have a laugh with each other, and again were just looked after like VIPs. We enjoyed cocktails at the bar each evening, and were very impressed by the skills of the head barman (again, so sorry we haven't your name) who was always so cheerful and welcoming. At breakfast, and at dinner, Giovanna & her team of Chinzia, Francesca Paula, Francesca, Salvatorre (who taught us how to make Cannoli!) Massimo, Marko & Adriano, all looked after us so well, and there were genuine tears from us all when we the time came to say our goodbyes. So many happy times. In Alicetta, all the team worked so hard, and with such enthusiasm - Paulo, Francesco and Geronimo - thank-you all so much. We'd also like to mention the lady on reception - so sorry, we did not get a note of your name - who really pulled out all the stops to help us with a (much) extended check-out and allowed us to keep our room ahead of our late flight home to the UK. A big thank-you for that. Possibly just one suggestion for the future - we both felt that the changing rooms for the pool were in need of a refresh, and some additional loos. A small point though, and perhaps if the new "beach club" happens next year this will happen then. Overall, a wonderful trip - we travel a lot, and have been lucky to have been able to stay at many really lovely hotels. Villa Igiea is right there at the very top of those. Thank-you again so much everyone - we really want to come back!

Our recent stay at Villa Igiea was magical: the room, the food, the gardens, the staff were absolutely outstanding. We especially appreciated Irena at concierge for her assistance. She helped us peel back the layers of Palmero, she knows how to navigate the city's complexities ans contradictions, giving us a honest picture that made our experience way richer. We wnjoyed her dinner recommendations and her insights on artisan shops, picturesque spots and monuments. The view from our room was breathtaking. The food choice at breakfast was rich and wide. The check in lady was discreet and kind. The bar open at night is one of the best we have ever seen.

Exemplary service, worldclass food, beautiful room, fantastic hotel. A perfect place for a three night stay. Staff couldn’t have been more helpful.

We loved our stay at Villa Igiea! It is a beautiful hotel complete with fabulous gardens and an amazing sea view. It was a real paradise in Palermo. Our room was well maintained by Yolanda from Housekeeping. The room was such an elegant design, clean, ambient temperature and everything worked complete with a super comfortable bed. What sets this hotel apart is the warmth and professionalism of the staff team. They really take time to get to know you. We loved being welcomed by Giovanna at breakfast and talking with Rossana every morning. Francesca made really good suggestions of places to visit. Salvatore kindly prepared a plate of sweet Sicilian foods for us. On my birthday Massimo even presented me with a cake to celebrate! Dinner at the Aliceta restaurant with a sea view was spectacular. Giuseppe and Alessio offered great recommendations and Rafaelle went above and beyond to ensure we had the best dinner. At the Florio restaurant, Carlo was such an amazing host. Franceso took care to explain items on the menu and all the staff were very keen for you to experience the finest Sicilian cuisine. The Chefs are outstanding and every meal was delicious. We enjoyed visiting the cocktail bar too and admired the creativity of the cocktail geniuses. We loved using the gym and relaxing by the pool. Vincenzo and colleagues were so attentive and some refreshing poolside snacks were often provided including fresh melon and orange granita-what a treat! The shuttle service to Mondello beach was much appreciated and Auriello and Vincenzo were kind and very good drivers. The reception and concierge team ensured that our stay was perfect and we really noticed the attention to detail. From the fresh flowers in the bathroom, to our welcome peaches in our room when arrived, to the fabulous live musicians at dinner. The hotel is beautifully maintained and it was wonderful to explore the gardens. I wholeheartedly recommend staying here and we would love to visit again!

It didn't seem there were many luxury hotels to chose from in Palermo, none of the big names, and we weren't sure what to expect. We travelled as a group where our friends stayed in two different high-end hotels in Palermo and we agreed this was hands down the best one. This hotel was all we could wish for. It is a one-off. It has so much history and character (art nouveau public spaces, beautiful gardens, atmospheric bar (which we loved!)), the food was sublime (but it's Italy, so hard to go wrong there), the rooms were exceptionally comfortable, well climate controlled and elegant. But as always what makes a stay perfect is the service - nothing was too much trouble for the staff, it was obvious everyone took pride in their roles and it was all very polished. The location is not properly in the center (about 8 minutes away in a car) because this hotel is by the sea (interesting views of the port - this is a city), which we also loved. I would definitely stay here if ever in Palermo, and you won't be dissapointed if you do too.