Verdura Resort

We arrived yesterday and were underwhelmed by the property. It has a barren feel with minimal landscaping. Our room was tired with the paint chipped and the floors and furniture marked. The design of the hotel felt to me more like a bunker. The staff is lovely and thus far the food has been good. We had a relaxing day on the beach but not a place I would return to.

Overall we liked it but there were some quirks and some of the service left something to be desired. Grounds and Area - the landscaping and grounds are gorgeous, and the drive-in is very dreamy. When we arrived at the lobby on a very hot July day, the doors were open, and there were no fans, and there was no air conditioning on. Our rooms weren't ready, so we were sitting sweating on the couches. I’m not sure if something went wrong that day because a few other days the lobby was closed and the air conditioning was on. The communal bikes were nice, and they had kids' ones too. Kids Club - my daughter had a great time, they did different activities each day with the kids, art projects, making cannolis, and making pizza. She wanted to go back each day. The kids could get dropped off in the morning and stay through lunch if you wanted. They even had movie nights in the evenings. Golf - my daughter went to lessons each day with Odin. He was fantastic! I have never seen a better coach for kids. Beach - It was fairly small with a large drop with rocks to the water. There were walkways that the hotel put down so you could walk into the ocean in several places, and the water was very calm for the most part. Beach Cabana - We did a cabana one day, which was nice, but didn't feel like it was worth it after previous Cabana rentals in other resorts. Those cabanas had a button to press for service, which was great because you didn't have to leave the cabana. The Verdura needed the button in the cabana because after they brought our fruit/wine/sodas, we never saw another waiter/server again. There was also no power in there, so you couldn't charge your phones. Pools - The Spa pools were gorgeous and adults only, they were very quiet and relaxing. I went to the spa for a massage, and the spa was beautiful. John Franco the lifeguard at the regular pool was very helpful as well each day we saw him. Food at the Beach/Pool - For lunch, if we were at the pool or the beach, it was a nightmare to order. Because within the few hundred feet between the pool, beach, and pool restaurant (all using the same kitchen), they all have different menus. There weren't many things my daughter would eat, but she liked the burger, which was only available within the pool restaurant. So each time I had to walk over to the restaurant, go to the host desk, and ask if I could have a to-go burger from the restaurant. You would think I was asking them to spin some wheat into gold for the number of people that needed to be "asked" if I could have a burger to go. Drinks - when I'm on holiday, I like to have a glass of wine and sit by the pool/beach in the afternoons. This was impossible at the hotel unless my husband or I wanted to get up and walk over to the bar at the restaurant in our swimsuits and get our drinks. Now, maybe I am crazy, but for a hotel that is charging about $1,100 USD+ per night, I expect a level of service at the beach or at the pool that I don't have to get up each time to get my own drinks. There was a waiter who occasionally walked around, but it was maybe at best 1x per hour at the pool. So, with the lack of service when I waved down the waiter, I asked if we could have a bottle of wine in a cooler. I didn't think that this was a strange request since at every resort I've ever stayed at, you could have plastic glasses and a cooler with ice with a bottle of wine. The waiter told me ok then sent another waiter back to tell me that this request was impossible. I thought it was a language thing and tried to tell him that if the waiter ever came over to start with, then I wouldn't need the bottle of wine, and emailed the concierge to ask about it. About 30 minutes later, the food/beverage manager explained that they couldn't have wine bottles at the pool for safety? We have been all over the world at multiple pools/beaches and I have never heard such a thing in my life. Restaurants - We tried a few of the restaurants, Liola, and then we tried L'Osteria, which was also good, but nothing was special or outstanding. The food was overpriced and just "fine." If you want real, authentic food, drive the 13 minutes into Sciacca, and there are plenty of restaurants, but account for extra time to park. Breakfast had pretty much the same options daily, so if you are there for more than 3 days this got a bit boring. They also had a kids table with a lot of different things. We went to the Scirocco Bar one evening and it was beautiful but completely void of people- maybe one other couple came for the 30 minutes we were there. This isn't somewhere that has a lively after-dinner crowd if that's what you're looking for (we were not looking for that so we just went right back to our room). Rooms - these were spacious, and the air conditioning worked great. The bed was very comfortable, and they made up an adorable bed for our daughter, along with a hedgehog stuffie. The bathroom was gigantic with a large shower and tub. There were some quirks. There was an AC unit (I think?) in the closet ceiling, and there was a bit of dripping from it. We put a towel down, and housekeeping seemed to fix it at some point during the visit, because after day 2, there was no issues. The closet was large, but there were cumbersome curtains that they had that were annoying because there was no hook or anything to hold them back. The fridge was cold, but very small. We asked them to remove some items so we could put in a bottle of wine, but it was a tight squeeze. If you want to bring your own snacks or drinks, I would ask if they could empty the fridge before/when you get there. The terrace was nice, with a table and 2 chairs with a nice view of the sea/grounds. I didn't realize you could be on the ground floor or 1 floor up. If I had known, I would have maybe asked to be on the ground level because it was a lot for my parents to go up and down the flight of stairs each day (especially in the heat). You also get turndown service and new bottled water each night in your room. Water - Guests were given 2 free glass water bottles each day in the room, or they had plastic free water bottles at the pool, the spa, and at the beach. But if you went inside the restaurants, they charged you 7 euros for the same glass bottles and would not offer tap water with ice. I understand they are trying to conserve water, then conserve it everywhere and then charge everywhere, OR when you are paying this much money at a hotel, just give complimentary water everywhere if you are a guest, not just in certain places. We noticed so many wasted plastic water bottles at the pool and beach, and people were wasting them because they were free. This is not great on an Island that has a lack of water. We mentioned it at our last dinner, and the waiter didn't know how to respond. I believe they took 1 bottle off but then charged for the other one. Maybe give people a reusable water bottle OR encourage people to bring them and offer multiple filling stations across the property. This would be much better for the environment and prevent a lot of unneeded waste.

Beautiful resort. I’d like to single out the Bar Scirocco, for its fantastic team and the environment and drinks that they create.

We loved the entire trip, 10 out of 10, it’s the perfect combination of lux and relax. The Scirocco Bar was extra special to start the night, Elia the best host we could have asked for. Will be coming back every summer

We spend our Summer Holiday the Verdura Golf Resort in Sicily, having a beautiful time here, the you Location is wonderful placed at the Beach, surounded of two wonderful 18 hole Golf courses, with a great Service and with people extraordinary friendly and concious. I would like to point out the very competent and friendly Service in the Clubhouse Restaurant with Deborah and Savaria, both are very special people doing a great Job. Many thanks to the Verdura Resort and all the charming people there, all the best , Markus