Hotel Gargallo

If you're looking for a quiet yet central location in Ortigia, the Hotel Gargallo delivers. Ideal if you're out exploring during the day and don't require a super spacious room or a guest lounge to relax in. The rooms are clean and functional albeit with limited housekeeping during our multiday stay - bed making and bin emptying only - no clean towels or bathmats. A good continental breakfast is included, with functional but brusque and unsmiling service. The big downside was the complete disinterest of the reception staff in helping in any way. There was no key in the room safe and a request for this drew a blank stare. It took an hour and a quarter for our car to be brought to the hotel by the valet parking contractor, having been told to allow 30 minutes for this. The male hotel desk operative wasn't remotely interested in dealing with this and washed his hands of any responsibility, despite clearly taking a rake off from the valet parking company. It costs 15 euros per 24 hours to park in Talete car park, a brisk ten minute walk from the hotel. I recommend you don't waste your time and money with the very unreliable valet park service which costs 25 euros. When it came to check out the same man on reception wasn't able to provide our bill and told us it would take 30 minutes to prepare. Surely it's just a matter of pushing a button on the computer ? He was, however, very enthusiastic to get his hands on our cash payment for valet parking.

This hotel gives you all the advantages of being right in the middle of things, but you are actually in a quiet, comfortable place just an easy walk away from everything you would like. If you are driving, it is a scary adventure trying to get to the hotel. As you may know, some of the streets are extremely narrow and curvy. We had trouble making the turns without risking scraping the front and rear of the vehicle on the curves. Once you do make it to the hotel the valet will park it for you. NOTE--be sure to call ahead to tell the front desk when you will arrive so the valet can be there to take the car. Gargallo is a very tight one-way street and it has occasional traffic. So, you can't leave the car there for hardIy any time at all. I highly recommend valet at $25/day because who knows if and where you can find a parking spot on your own. The front desk staff was good, three or four different women for our two-night stay. The room was fine overall, but the mattresses...not so much. I swear we could feel the springs. Probably the biggest negative for us was the breakfast. How much effort, or awareness, does it take to keep the scrambled eggs warm? We did breakfast at 8:30, not very late, and both mornings the eggs were cold. Yes, we're Americans and three of four in our family drank Coffee Americano. Of the six different hotels/B&Bs we stayed in Sicily, this attempt at coffee and overall mediocre breakfast was the worst of the six. Don't let that scare you because the location is great and if you are a lighter weight person, maybe the mattress springs won't bother you (wink, wink).

Great location in the middle of Ortigia Island, but a little hard to find at first because the streets are confusing. You can drive right up to the entrance and drop your bags off, even though it doesn’t look like a real street, then park in the parking lot a few blocks away for 15 euros per 24 hours. The ticket machine at the parking lot is old and hard to figure out….exact amount in cash only! The hotel staff is very nice, friendly, and helpful. Our superior room was on the ground floor, clean, and fairly spacious. The bed was comfortable and it was quiet at night. Furniture is a little run down and probably should be replaced, or is just the end of the season? Bath towels are great. Breakfast was typical with lots of choices, with great espresso made to order. Hard boiled eggs should have been fresher. We recommend this hotel.

The bed was clean, but the rest could be improved. The toilet seat had chemical products stains (such as cleaning products)that tinted it greenish/blueish and it was very worn-out. Changing it wasn't an option? The "balcony" and the window's view were...check the picture yourself to judge them.

This is a wonderful location from which to explore the many delights Ortigia has to offer ... just a short walking distance to the sea, restaurants, market, shops and all the historical sights. It's a charming old building situated on a tiny side street, so has no discernible traffic noise, making for a peaceful night's sleep. Breakfast was varied and plentiful, with great service from the two ladies. The highlight for us was the friendliness and professionalism of Maria Theresa who went above and beyond to make our holiday as smooth as possible. In particular we're really grateful for her help in getting us the fastest cab to catch our bus to Catania on the morning we left!! Without her and Andreas - the James Bond of cab drivers - we may not have got there, but we did - safe and sound!! Grazie mille!

This was a charming hotel right in the center of the old part of Syracuse. It was easy to walk to all the places we wanted to see from here, and even come back to rest in the afternoon. The puppet theater is right around the corner (don't miss it!). The hotel is squeezed into a couple of old buildings, but our room was pleasant and air conditioned. The only problem was that, after I got into the shower, the sliding glass door would get stuck and I couldn't open it by myself. Fortunately, my husband was able to get me out. This happened a couple of times, even when I tried to prevent it. I told the management, and hopefully it's fixed now. The breakfast was good. A nice place to stay.