Monaci Delle Terre Nere

We received incredible service from the moment we arrived and throughout the stay (very personable). This Country Boutique Hotel with private villas and pools were well appointed in luxury. The fresh organic regional and local (on property) food prepared by suburb Chef, along with staff made each and every meal a delicious work of art. Looking forward to returning with friends and family, yes that good! I consider owner & staff friends for life.

I find it hard to write a bad review as we generally enjoy all hotels we stay at but this place sadly really did not compare. For somewhere which charges nearly 5* +++ prices a night, you’d expect top level everything which unfortunately we feel this hotel just didn’t deliver. We have stayed at a number of relais and chateaux properties and have always found them to be wonderful, sadly not the case here. This hotel is rustic but not in a charming way, it feels very run down and tired. Rooms are incredibly basic and not at all what you’d expect for the price sum, beds basic and uncomfortable, bathrooms tired (and mouldy in some examples!). One room we stayed in did not have a shower, just a very old bath which you had to climb in for the shower and another room had a shower opening onto a weird internal roof!? Lots of broken appliances, rooms very dark etc etc. The hotel is very spread out which is wonderful as it does create a sense of privacy and it’s nice and peaceful at night so zero noise pollution which is always wonderful! but getting around is quite painful - the hotel do make this easy with golf cart transfers but it can feel like a bit of a faff. Breakfast is a super super steep climb and if you were elderly or struggled with mobility, this would cause a challenge. Breakfast itself is very very basic with not a great range of offerings, anything more substantial from the à la carte incurs an extra charge - which is just bizarre! €16 for very basic avocado on toast is a rip off - not even with eggs or salmon, just plain avocado on two small pieces of bread. Speaking of cost - drinks and food are very overpriced. Dinner was delicious and I would say priced top end but for the quality, reasonable - we can’t fault the taste and options, it was excellent. However room service for snacks would cost a minimum of £100 for two people and carries a room service fee of €35 which is incredibly steep just to deliver food!!! The hotel are also very blunt and explicit that you cannot order from that menu at the bar or collect it yourself - nor can you bring food in to the property from outside - which a lot of hotels would turn a blind eye to, especially when options are limited on site. Whilst you cannot blame the hotel for this next point, worth being aware that the location seems to carry its own microclimate being located above sea level. The duration of our stay was cloudy and cold whilst Taormina was warm and sunny. Sadly there is not much to do at the hotel in the poor weather and there are limited shared spaces to relax, this definitely has an adverse effect - some staff are also very rude and unhelpful. For example when we inquired about a wine tour and accidentally found out it was a wine tasting but could not take part due to needing to drive, we were rudely told this was not refundable .. receptionist actually rolled her eyes ?! It was a simple misunderstanding which the very kind guest experience manager did resolve for us but didn’t

We spent 4 days on an amazing property with a caring, doting staff that couldn't have been nicer or more helpful. Our stay was enhanced as we were upgraded to a private villa with a private pool that had panoramic views. The food was excellent. We enjoyed breakfasts, lunches by the pool, an outdoor dinner, and late night snacks at the bistro/bar area. We'd go back in a heartbeat.

Monaci delle Terre Nere is absolutely stunning—an unforgettable property nestled in the hills near Mt. Etna. The grounds are spectacular, with gorgeous landscaping that blends effortlessly into the natural surroundings. It quickly became one of our favorite stays during our 14-day trip. The food was excellent throughout, and the setting of the main restaurant was truly special. Breakfast and dinner service were consistently very good, and we appreciated the creativity and quality of the cuisine. However, there were a few areas that didn’t quite meet the five-star standard. The bathrooms in our suite were more rustic than expected, and the overall service felt stretched. Check-in took nearly an hour—which, after 24 hours of travel, was frustrating—and the front desk and concierge team, while kind, seemed overwhelmed and understaffed for the size of the property. We also found the bar service at both the pool and Convivium bar lacking, with unfriendly bartenders and slow service. Despite these hiccups, we still really enjoyed our stay and the unique charm of the estate. With a bit more attention to staffing and guest experience, this could easily be one of the best hotels in Sicily.

This is a lovely, spread out hotel on Mount Etna with views of the sea. We were upgraded to our own villa with a private pool right in the vineyard. The restaurant and bar were great. The golf cart drivers are friendly. Be aware that you do need to call a cart to pick you up if you are in one of the farther rooms, which takes some time. There are also not any walkable restaurants from Monaci for dinner, however the hotel restaurant AND bar food were fantastic and they were also able to arrange a car for us to another village for dinner. You are literally on an active volcano where everything is buzzing and energetic - the bees, roosters, doves, flowers blooming everywhere. There may be an occasional insect here and there but that adds to the charm of this beautiful place.

Excellent hotel and countryside,pool chickens, Vineyard treehouse and beautiful rooms and restaurants in the hotel they’re cooking classes and golf carts that drive you for free all over and really really big and nice and fancy excellent hotel you should come