Voi Arenella Resort

Recent Reviews: 4358

• User:PenBillericayEssex

  Trip type:

  Could be so good.

  01 Oct 2025

  This hotel has so much potential but there are several odd practices that need to be changed. The layout is very confusing. Food lukewarm at best, although pretty good products. Lovely grounds and beach area. AI drinks too small, shops mostly closed. Staff generally friendly but pool stall officious. VOI Arenella Resort, Guest Services / Front Office at VOI Arenella Resort, responded to this review Dear Pen, we're sorry your vacation didn't live up to your expectations. We'd like to clarify: all our services, including the resort's boutiques, are open according to their opening hours. We hope to welcome you back to showcase our potential. Thank you for your feedback. See you soon!

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• User:Orangeclogs

  Trip type:

  Very underwhelming

  01 Oct 2025

  Where to start as we were rather underwhelmed with the hotel and feel it falls short of the description. As there is a lot to unpack I've broken my review into sections.  The room -The room was made up each day but not cleaned. You knew when the maids were coming as the hallways echoed loudly of the trollies and them shouting from room to room to each other. If you like a lay in or are a light sleeper be aware that day or night the corridors offer very little peace. The room had no amenities other than a TV and an empty fridge. If you required a kettle, iron and anything else you had to rent them. Someone told us in the resort a kettle was €30 for the week!Food -We stayed as an all inclusive guest. Breakfast ran from 7:30 to 9:30 we didn't make it down for this. So unable to comment.Lunch - plenty of choice from local cuisine to pizza, burgers, chips etc. Fresh fruit and ice cream was available at lunch only. Dinner - Same as lunch but with more options including a roast station which changed each day from meat to fish.Drinks during meals - beer, red and white wine on tap as were water and soft drinks. Jugs available to save multiple trips which was handy. A Pizza bar is available for lunch or dinner. But you have to book. Pizza was decent and made a nice change from the buffet.When booking the website said snacks available throughout the day. The only snacks available within AI at the pool bar was what seemed to be left over breakfast pastries or cold squares of pizza. So this was very disappointing.There are two other places to eat. One restaurant is only available if you have a premium room. The other is a bar offering coffee, cocktails and local snacks (arincini etc).This is a pay only place and isn't covered under any board. The food was all ok, but my personal opinion it was never hot enough, everything was lukearm. So somethings weren't pleasant to eat. Drinks - Beer, cocktails, wine, spirits and soft drinks but all served in a small plastic cup. All fine and tasted pretty good. Premium cocktails and bottled beer drinks available to buy. Prices as of Sept 2025 were very reasonable.Pools -The 2 outdoor pools offer plenty of sun loungers. The reservation of beds is not stood for and is controlled by the life guards. One pool offers music and activities and the other more relaxed.The third "indoor" pool isn't indoors, just had a sliding cover which was open. I guess this is used in colder months. Also the 3rd pool is only accessible via the spa (payment required). The Spa -We did use the spa facilities. Massage was great as were both the wet and dry saunas. Unfortunately the hot tub was cold and only 2 jets working The cost for a 30 minute massage and spa access was €40. Other options available.We had a couples massage and one complaint from my wife was her masseuse had smelly feet and could smell them through her trainers when she was face down on the bed. So not the best when trying to relax!The beach.Just a 10 minute walk from the hotel or a free shuttle takes you to the lovely sandy beach and amazingly clear shallow sea. Very clean and well maintained.Plenty of sun loungers, first few rows reserved for premium rooms only. There is a bar/restaurant at the other end of the beach. However this is not included within the AI board, but it is reasonably priced.Two decked areas for sunbathing, one with a bar overlooking the sea and with direct access for a swim. Entertainment -There seemed to be plenty going on during the day if you wanted to, but we never took part. Evening entertainment was a singer doing their best. It was entertaining but maybe not in the way it was meant to be. This is the only entertainment during the evening at the hotel and is located at the terrace bar.WiFi available throughout the hotel including at the pools and beach. Good connection.Shuttle to SyracuseRuns every day at a cost of €5pp each way. Must be booked in advance.To help you plan day trips the bus runs 9:30am & 12:00pm out - 3pm & 6pm return. The hotel has absolutely nothing around the vicinity. So unless you have a car or use the shuttle to Syracuse you are stuck there. The hotel does have a little shop selling souvenirs but that's it. I feel it could do with a little mini market on the grounds due to its location.Although the hotel grounds are well maintained and a pleasure to walk around (it's a huge resort), the rooms and indoor areas are very bare.The hotel has a concierge service where you can book excursions and car hire if you want. The hotel staff were generally pleasant with a few exceptions. It felt like one or two had no interest when it came to anyone who wasn't Italian. This was generally the bar staff.One of the lifeguards hygiene surprised me. After using the pool facilities one of the lifeguards came out of the cubicle and followed me out of the door without washing his hands. I suggested he turn around and wash his hands but he laughed, refused and walked back to his post. God forbid anyone needs medical assistance from him.A note to be aware of, if you have a late return  flight you can request a late checkout at the cost of €70. But this request must be done at least 24 hours prior and isn't guaranteed.I think overall the hotel is ok and was good for a relaxing week away. However maybe a little too big for what the staff can manage. I can't imagine why it's like in high season. Due to its location and standards I wouldn't recommend friends to stay and wouldn't return. VOI Arenella Resort, Guest Services / Front Office at VOI Arenella Resort, responded to this review Dear Orangeclogs, thank you very much for sharing your detailed feedback. We’re sorry to hear that your stay did not fully meet your expectations, but we truly appreciate the time you took to share your impressions, which help us improve our services. We would like to clarify a few points:The in-room equipment such as kettles, irons, and other items are not for rent but are provided upon request with a refundable deposit.Fresh fruit is available at every meal, and at lunch, guests can also enjoy ice cream, while in the evening three different desserts are always served.Snacks are offered twice a day at the pool bar.All dishes are freshly prepared and cooked in front of guests at the show-cooking stations.The resort is fully committed to sustainability and does not use single-use plastic.Beverage prices remain the same throughout the entire season, without variation.The entertainment program follows the official description and offers various daily and evening activities.The shuttle service to Syracuse costs a total of €5 per person (round trip), with departures at 9:30 AM and 3:00 PM and returns at 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM.The resort features three shops, including a bazaar where guests can find a wide range of products.We are pleased you enjoyed the relaxation and some of our facilities, and we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again in the future to offer an even better experience.

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• User:ebizat

  Trip type: Family

  Not as expected for a four star resort

  27 Sept 2025

  Have just returned back to the UK after staying at the VOI Arenella Resort. Found that unfortunately our stay didn’t live up to expectations of a 4 star resort overall. Starting with positives - the biodiversity is great and general grounds are beautiful and well maintained. As a whole public areas are decently clean - with regard to the pool area and the communal floors. The pool area has lots of loungers and places to stay out of the sun and it’s very unique to have loungers near the sea, where they provide floats so you can safely swim.Most of the staff are friendly and helpful. I especially thought the activities team were great and very enthusiastic getting people involved in aqua fit. Shoutout to Emma who is very warm and smiley but definitely all the team are amazing. I can say the same for the restaurant, in particular Fernando and Laura! Now unfortunately onto negative side.The main issue that really affected my enjoyment and peace on the holiday was the frequent presence of flying cockroaches. On our first two nights we had one in our room that made several appearances at night. It flew onto my head while I was sleeping and I could hear it scuttering around causing me to have little to no sleep the first few nights. It was so bad we had to request a room change. When we did move to an upstairs room we weren’t offered to help move our suitcases upstairs considering the inconvenience.When we did mention about seeing the bugs it generally felt that is wasn’t taken very seriously and was seen as a normal occurrence. We saw it twice in the restaurant and again in the upstairs terrace bar. I understand that we are living close to nature but it isn’t acceptable just to expect them to be in your room or running past when you’re trying to eat. Especially for someone who has travelled a lot and never seen them so often at a resort. It does need to be taken more seriously and steps to minimise the impact. Maybe a wall splitting the bushes and restaurant and better checks of rooms before people go in. The standard of food in the restaurant was mixed. The main highlights are the roasts, lasagna and the trio of desserts. Some nice pasta dishes here and there, beyond this it was fairly disappointing. Often a lot of food was lukewarm and not piping hot which isn’t pleasant when eating vegetables and certain meats. Fruit and some salad items were slightly warm and not very cold. Due to the temperature and flies I think it’s a must to have metal lids to cover the food. I tried to avoid salad due to this for concern of food poisoning. Think food needs to have a better way to keep it hot or cool when needed. The queueing system for the buffet restaurant was pretty stressful, with long queues for drinks and rude people trying to jump the queues. Maybe a longer dinner service or staggered entry times? Cleaninless was mixed as a general. On a few occasions the pool toilets smelt very bad and the floors with dirty. Sometimes with no toilet or drying paper. The maids were very accommodating and lovely, providing us with new towels when requested. But I think the cleaning process should be more comprehensive. For example, when it rained our balcony should have been swept and mopped as we had bird poop, mud and leaves for a few days. Amenities are quite limited. We didn’t have basics in the room like milk and a kettle with a few cutlery, saucers and plates. This resort really needs a proper supermarket considering how far it is from a main town. In order to get milk into our room this required us to take this from the buffet area in water bottles. The same goes for the difficulty faced trying to get bottles of water throughout the trip. I understand the intent to be environmentally friendly but few places in the resort sold bottles of water. Would have been happy to pay for these. Felt there were a lot of restrictions. My family and I take medication twice a day, so constantly walking 10 minutes to access some water for medication is very inconvenient. Especially in their older age. We were pretty far located from the main part of the resort, requiring a lot of walking each day (some of an issue for my parents). Not ideal for older people. There was a golf caddy kart that did take us and our luggage from the reception to the room and the main guy who runs this is very warm and friendly. I understand that potentially this is something we would have needed to request to regularly have this service. All in all, unfortunately the stay was quite disappointing in ways. It would make us not want to return and wouldn’t be able to recommend to anyone. The staff at times did their best and were generally helpful and friendly but this didn’t fully make up for the whole experience. VOI Arenella Resort, Guest Services / Front Office at VOI Arenella Resort, responded to this review Dear Ebizat, Thank you very much for sharing your detailed review. We are sorry to hear that your stay did not fully meet your expectations and would like to clarify a few points.The resort is located within a large natural park, where biodiversity is one of the most appreciated elements. In such a green environment, the occasional presence of insects can unfortunately occur, despite constant checks and sanitisation carried out before each arrival. We apologise for the inconvenience.The restaurant offers freshly cooked dishes with a menu that varies daily: grilled meat and fish, fresh pasta, fruit at every meal and three desserts every evening. Temperatures are constantly monitored, but we will take your comments into consideration to further improve our service.Access is organised to better manage flows.With regard to room amenities, kettles and other accessories are available on request with a refundable deposit. Drinking water is available in various areas of the resort in order to reduce the use of single-use plastic. However, we understand the possible inconvenience and will evaluate solutions to facilitate access.We are delighted that you appreciated the beauty of the park, the professionalism of the staff and the comfort of the common areas and the beach. We hope to welcome you back soon to offer you an experience that is closer to your expectations. See you soon!

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• User:Ann C

  Trip type: Couples

  Nice resort but room for improvement

  07 Sept 2025

  The resort is set in well maintained grounds and there is a shuttle bus to the local picturesque bay. Our apartment was perfect for us and had everything apart from milk for our morning cuppa! Staff are friendly and helpful. If you want a relaxing holiday, it is perfect, but it is quite remote and is not suitable for independent sight seeing, unless you have a car. You can book day trips from the hotel, but they are quite expensive. The hotel provides a bus service to Siracusa for a €5 return trip, but the latest you can return is 6pm. And evening entertainment at the resort is very poor and mainly geared towards children! We were on a fully inclusive package, but there are only two bar areas that cater for all inclusive, and all drinks are served in plastic cups including cocktails! Which makes you feel like you are in a student bar rather than a 4 star resort. Positives are that the resort has three lovely pool areas, the food is excellent and the staff are friendly and helpful. But the evening entertainment really does let it down and as you cannot get into town, there are no other options. There are lots of lovely things about the resort, but it could do better. VOI Arenella Resort, Guest Services / Front Office at VOI Arenella Resort, responded to this review Dear Ann, Thank you for taking the time to write a review of our resort. We're happy to hear you enjoyed our shuttle service and the beauty of our gardens. We're also delighted that your apartment was perfect. Our staff is always available to create a welcoming atmosphere for our guests. We're happy you were able to relax during your stay. We understand that without taking advantage of the VOI Concierge excursions and without a car, exploring the area is more difficult. However, with the aforementioned shuttle, we always try to offer you the opportunity to explore the city center and Ortigia. We hope to have you back again. See you soon!Alberto SancioGuest Relation

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• User:Lukas W

  Trip type: Couples

  Good resort with notable flaws

  03 Aug 2025

  Travel & ArrivalMy fiancé and I (both around 30, no kids) stayed at this resort for eight nights in July 2025, booking a premium double room with an all-inclusive package.Getting there from Catania was straightforward. The most convenient option is the Interbus from Catania Airport to Syracuse train station (~€6 per person, ~1 hour). Alternatively, you can take a bus to Catania train station and then a direct train to Syracuse, though this is more expensive and time-consuming. From Syracuse station, we took an Uber to the resort (€20, <20 min). For our return trip, we used the hotel shuttle (€5 per person, twice daily).Check-In & First ImpressionsThe reception staff were welcoming, professional, and fluent in English. They provided a detailed resort map and information leaflet. After settling in, I was called back to pay the €112 "club tax" (€7 per person/night for premium rooms), which they had forgotten initially. The staff remained courteous, and this was only a minor oversight.The Premium RoomOur room was conveniently located near reception in an adjacent building (no need to go outside). The bedroom and bathroom were spacious, modern, and clean, featuring a waterfall shower. Unfortunately, the shower head was clogged upon arrival, and it took two complaints to get it fixed. The terrace was private, spacious, and had comfortable seating.Unfortunately, the promised "haven of peace and quiet" (as advertised on their website) fell short. While soundproofing between rooms was acceptable, noise from the hallway, especially slamming doors, was excessive. Though somewhat expected with many families staying, even adult guests were disruptive, making relaxation inside the rooms difficult.Housekeeping was excellent: friendly, accommodating, and respectful of our privacy. The first restock of the minibar was included with our premium room, offering soft drinks, juice, and beer.Dining ExperienceThe resort has two restaurants, one exclusively for premium/superior guests. The premium restaurant had a modern design, effective AC, and a pleasant outdoor patio, though it was often noisy due to families with children.Breakfast: Buffet-style with decent variety, but identical daily. The coffee (made to order) was mediocre. A major issue was the flies, as uncovered food near open doors attracted lots of them, particularly around the cheese and ham.Lunch: Buffet with rotating pasta and meat dishes, plus consistent antipasti/salads. Staff would slice freshly grilled, seared, roasted, or cooked meats and fish on request.Dinner: A mix of buffet (antipasti/desserts) and à la carte (pasta/risotto/fish/meat, with vegetarian and vegan options). Quality was inconsistent. Some dishes were good, others bland, salty, or undercooked (in the case of pasta and risotto; the meat and fish were always safe to consume). Service was chaotic at times, with long waits (up to an hour) and confusion between courses. It felt like their system for taking and delivering orders was not well-organized.The pizzeria (separate from the restaurant but included in all-inclusive) served excellent pizza, but we were mistakenly charged due to a language barrier. Reception resolved it, though reimbursement took a week and required extra effort on my part (I had to email them proof of payment even after providing the receipt).PoolsMain Pools: Two lively pools near a bar, always with available sunbeds but noisy due to kids and music. Lifeguards were unnecessarily strict (e.g., scolding us for moving a parasol slightly).Wellness Pool: Quiet and nearly empty, but it inconveniently lacked a nearby bar, so getting water required a long walk. None of the pools offered drink service, which was disappointing.BeachesSandy Beach: Private area for resort guests, but still crowded and loud due to an adjacent public beach.Rocky Beach: A serene wooden deck with direct sea access. Crystal-clear water, deep enough for swimming immediately.Solarium: A peaceful area with soft sunbeds, ocean views, and a bar. Perfect for quiet relaxation.All-Inclusive DrinksThe unlimited beer, wine, and soft drinks at meals were great. However, the included bar cocktails were disappointing: cheap, hastily mixed, and flavorless. The resort should either improve the quality or remove them from the package.EntertainmentThere were lots of entertainment options, especially for children. One of the two main pools regularly played music, and animators hosted programs for kids. The animation staff was always pleasant and thankfully never intrusive. The resort also offers sports areas (soccer, tennis, and more) and evening live music on the terrace. For families, the entertainment is a definite plus.Final VerdictThis resort has clear strengths: friendly staff, a stunning rocky beach, and generally comfortable rooms. But several issues hold it back. The premium room’s noise problems and inconsistent dining were the biggest letdowns. While families will likely enjoy the lively atmosphere, couples without children may find it lacking in tranquility.Would we return? Maybe if we are traveling with kids, or if the resort addresses the noise and restaurant issues. For the price, we expected better, especially in Italy, where both hospitality and cuisine are usually exceptional. VOI Arenella Resort, Guest Services / Front Office at VOI Arenella Resort, responded to this review Gentile utente, grazie per il suo dettagliato feedback. Siamo felici di sapere che la sua esperienza di viaggio e di arrivo sia stata positiva. Ci teniamo a offrire un servizio professionale e di qualità ai nostri ospiti e siamo lieti di sapere che abbiamo soddisfatto le sue aspettative. Siamo felici di sapere che il nostro staff sia stato cortese, professionale e fluente in inglese. Ci scusiamo per l'inconveniente della tassa di soggiorno dimenticata e ci impegniamo a prestare maggiore attenzione a questi dettagli in futuro. Siamo felici che abbia apprezzato la sua camera premium, la sua posizione comoda e il comfort che offre. Prenderemo molto seriamente il suo feedback così da poter migliorare ulteriormente il nostro servizio. Speriamo di riaverla ancora con noi. A presto!Alberto SancioGuest Relation

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