Acacia Resort

Hotel was lovely, spotlessly clean. Food was a bit repetitive in the serve yourself restaurant. Very limited hot breakfast. Great selection of cakes for breakfast, though! It could do with a bar at the pool. You have quite a walk from the pool if you want a cold drink. They only give you a very small paper cup , they get very soggy. I understand they can’t have glass at the pool, but we were in Fuerta Ventura for the Easter holidays, and they had nice sized plastic glasses. You could have a huge selection of cocktails all day long. This hotels all inclusive is a bit of a con, we were really disappointed. Very limited selection of what you were allowed in the all inclusive holidays that we had purchased . There were 5 of us, and we struggled to choose something from what we were allowed. Ended up paying for what we really wanted as everything else wasn’t our taste. The real Coca Cola had to be purchased at around 3 euros a can . Otherwise it was the worst tasting budget cheap cola drink in the all inclusive! Ruined your drink! There’s nothing around this hotel, other than other hotels. It’s very isolated and you can’t walk anywhere to a shop, there’s none nearby. If you weren’t in the full board option, there’s nowhere nearby that you could go for a lunch or snack, nothing at all ! Most of the staff were lovely, though some of the bar staff , I found, could be a bit awkward and not very welcoming. This was the only bar and it always had a queue! The pool is absolutely beautiful but you need to be up and out at the pool early if you have any hope of getting a sunbed . There’s also another pool up on the roof but you have to pay to use that one. The entertainment team are lovely. The boys go round chatting to everyone and encourage you to join in the pool games and grass area games. My favourite was Diego. He was so lovely and friendly, he was a credit to the hotel. Diego and Checco were so pleasant to talk to.

Had 4 days there and found it very relaxing. Drink prices were average for hotel. The only gripe I had was with the food, if you get to the restaurant/buffet in the last 45 minutes don't expect your choices of food to be replenished (when it's gone it's gone)

Very Nice annimation Thank You Diego!

We stayed at Acacia for 11 nights and hope the review below is helpful. I’ve organised it into sections for ease of reading as it’s quite a detailed, honest review The Location This is both a positive and a negative. As other reviewers point out, the negative is there is nothing around so a car was a must (for us) to explore the island and also get to Cefalu for meals in the evening. You can’t really walk anywhere from Acacia so would need to rely on expensive taxis if you don’t have a car (€35-55 each way). The hotel does operate a chargeable shuttle twice a day though this isn’t well advertised - running morning and late afternoon - which need to be booked 24hrs in advance. The positive element of the location is that the hotel is just off the main road and makes it very easy to access the motorways and major routes in all directions, plus it’s a straight road and 15km to Cefalu, so a perfect base for exploring. The hotel and room The hotel is set in absolutely stunning grounds that are really well kept. There is a lovely lush, green tropical feel to the colourful gardens which is also home to loads of birds, a little colony of cats (which are well fed and well looked after and so cute to watch playing) and plenty of cool lizards. The hotel is immaculately clean everywhere from the toilets and public areas to the restaurant and the room itself. It’s always really reassuring to see a clean hotel - the cleaners work really hard to make it nice for everyone. We were in room 166 which was a deluxe comfort pool view room overlooking the tropical gardens. I couldn’t really see much difference between the room types and size to be honest as all the balconies looked a very similar size and the decor similar. It was spotlessly clean, the AC was really effective and the shower was good - two essentials for a holiday. The room decor was a little dated (the online pics make the rooms look more boujis than they are in real life with additional styling, throws and cushions) but it was spacious and our teenage daughter appreciated the comfort of a proper bed instead of a sofa bed. If I was being picky, it was little attention to detail things that could be easily fixed that I noticed - for example, the king size bed didn’t have a valance to cover the exposed mattress base whereas the single one did, one curtain being loose at one end that let the light in, only one bottle of complimentary water given for the stay, paper cups in the room not being replaced when used, only two chairs on the balcony when 3 people were in the room, the corridor being used as a storage area /dumping ground for travel cots/spare end-of-bed blanket boxes. First world problems but attention to detail makes a difference between good and great. Two tips - take a hairdryer with you especially if you have long hair as the one on the wall in the bathroom isn’t powerful enough. If you have a UK plug adapter, also take a multi plug cable to charge all your things as there was only one plug socket in the room (on the desk) that the adapter fitted. The food, restaurant and bar This was the biggest weakness for us and the reason we ended up extending the hire car for our whole stay. With my job hat on as a marketing director, I found the website was a little misleading and gave the impression that there are 3 places to eat when in fact there is one main buffet restaurant and the three areas are places you can sit to eat. The food is fresh and it’s varied to a point, but is formulaic and was never very hot. The website also mentioned ‘show cooking’ and other than the breakfast fried egg/pancake egg station and meat grill at lunch and dinner, there didn’t seem to be show cooking stations. If you are on B&B, it’s about €35 per person for lunch and the same for dinner - at lunchtime especially when you just want a light snack rather than a full meal costing €35, this wasn’t the ideal option for us. We arrived at the hotel on our first day 10mins before the lunch service finished and spent €109 for 3 of us on the slim pickings that were left and didn’t have the option to go back up which was frustrating and not good value at all (the limited bar food would have been ok for us but not for the teenager!). After a day we were somewhat uninspired by the formulaic nature of food and buffet style so chose to extend the car hire and go out in the every day to eat (Cefalu had some amazing restaurants that averaged €80 in total per night for the 3 of us to eat). If you like buffet food and are happy to eat the same type of offering in the same place three times a day then you will really enjoy it here, but we missed the having a sit down/a la carte option especially for dinner. The food and restaurant is the area that we felt could be improved the most at the hotel. Having just one buffet style restaurant for a hotel this size felt like a big compromise. The bar only served a Caesar Salad and a couple of sandwiches and we felt the hotel was missing somewhere where you could go in your swimming gear for a snack, a lunchtime salad, fab wood fired pizza or a club sandwich with a glass of something cold. Or a restaurant that serves amazing freshly cooked pasta dishes. Failing that, even theming the buffet every few days would help ease the predictability - we’ve seen this at other hotels and it can be really good. There was only one bar which was generally busy and the staff were really efficient. There pool bar hadn’t opened for the season (equipment delays) so it was a bit of a trek to have to get something on to cover your swimmies, walk up from the pool or beach, queue at the bar and then take all your drinks back to your lounger. Swimwear was forbidden in the bar but we saw a lot of people flaunting this which probably put the staff in a difficult position as nobody challenged it. It was so hot during the day that you needed to stay hydrated so some solution to access water more easily would have been a good idea until the pool bar opens (especially as there is a sign up to say it you can’t fill water bottles from the water fountain in the restaurant) The Pools The main pool is beautiful and set in the middle of the lush gardens. The water temperature was perfect and there were shaded areas to swim in too. But we barely used the pool as despite signs politely asking guests not to reserve loungers (there are only around 120 of them around the pool itself for a 251 room Hotel), all loungers were generally reserved with towels before breakfast and most of them were left reserved but unoccupied for most of the day. So we had to use the beach. We did raise this with the management who we felt are ultimately caught between a rock and a hard place - unless they police the policy and remove towels if people leave the beds reserved and unoccupied for more than say and hour, people will miss out on having a turn by the pool. If they can’t do that, they should take the sign down. We only managed to get beds by the pool twice during our stay from about 4pm as we didn’t want to exacerbate the issue and behave like others were. Also bear in mind that you only get one pool towel for your stay and it’s €5 each time you want to replace them. Based on our experience, a hotel of this standard should give a fresh pool towel each day. For 3 of us to have a clean pool towel every day at Acacia would have cost a total of €150!! The pool on the roof is really lovely and peaceful. We had a spa pass to use and did this on our last day. There are lots of wood pidgeons and swifts playing near the water which was cool I hope that they restrict the numbers here so that it remains as quiet and tranquil as it was the day we were there. The beach The beach is small and quite narrow and had great sun loungers that also covered your face with a little canopy. Many umbrellas were a bit bashed and had seen better days but provided some shade from the strong sun. There wasn’t the same scrum for loungers so we went here instead of the pool. The hotel website describes the beach as “pristine” which is also rather misleading. There were sharp sticks, small rocks and cigarette butts in the sand and we didn’t see it being raked or attended to at all during our stay. Raking the beach by hand or by machine like many resorts do is a really easy fix to make it ‘pristine’. As other reviewers say, take sea shoes as the entry to the water is rocky and slippy under foot. Car Hire The hotel has a Europcar desk on the ground floor and Mauricio was really helpful in sorting the extension to our car hire. A word of advice - take the full Insurance package even though it costs quite a bit more. We had a tyre blow out on a mountain road near Pollina as we swerved to avoid another driver coming too fast up the hill in the middle of the road which damaged the wheel. We are used to driving in big cities but there are a lot of crazy drivers here and we had two very near scary misses caused by others on the road to Cefalu. The staff Most of the staff were really efficient and generally didn’t appear to have time to chat to guests. There were a few standout staff however: Tiziana on reception was really helpful and welcoming. She also helped us when I lost something. Omar the luggage porter was lovely when we arrived and gave a good first impression of the hotel. Massimo the restaurant supervisor was smiley and friendly, rushing around making sure guests were happy Ylenia made some fantastic cocktails and really worked hard behind the bar. We didn’t use the entertainment or kids club but could see how committed these staff were to ensuring a good guest experience. We also met once with Santino (cluster general manager) and Emanuel (duty manager) to discuss a few things. They were so calm and super professional, and listened to all we had to say. How management deal with guest issues says a lot about a place, and these guys were genuinely brilliant. They explained that this is the first year that Mangias have taken over this hotel from another hotel group, so I am guessing from what they said that they may still in the process of bringing it into the Mangias way of operating. They also said that the pool bar opening was delayed by equipment not arriving for reasons outside of their control. This change of operator and new management approach felt reassuring and maybe some of the things noted above will be picked up as the full Mangias migration happens. Overall So all in all, I’d rate Acacia as good overall (a 3.5 if the option was there to give it) We enjoyed our break in Europe as a change (we tend to go to further afield but didn’t want to fly through the Middle East this year) and it was great to use Acacia as a base to explore Sicily as there is so much to see on the island. If Acacia were to offer more dining options (such as casual pool bar dining and an a la carte restaurant), we’d definitely come back but as things currently stand, we found the 3 times a day buffet in the same place too formulaic for us. The car was a must for sightseeing and eating out, so do factor the extra cost of that in (around €133 per day for a VW T-Cross with all the insurance options through the desk in the hotel).

We came to Acacia Resort as a family with small children, not knowing how they would adapt or whether they would enjoy the experience. From the very first day, all our expectations were exceeded. The swimming pool was absolutely fantastic, and our children had an amazing time. Our three-year-old daughter even learned to swim there and made incredible progress during our stay. In the evenings, she loved taking part in the activities and entertainment programs organized by the wonderful animators - Cedric and Chiara. They truly made this holiday unforgettable for her. It has already been a week since we returned to Poland, and she still talks about the resort every day, telling everyone where she was, what she did, and how much fun she had. As a parent, I was worried that traveling with a small child would mean constantly taking care of everything and not being able to relax. Instead, seeing how happy and comfortable our daughter was allowed us to enjoy our vacation as well. We felt that we had chosen exactly the right place. I highly recommend Acacia Resort to every family with children. The memories we made here will stay with us for a very long time, and we truly hope to come back one day.

We had a fantastic stay at Acacia Resort in Sicily. The hotel is beautiful, well maintained and set in lovely surroundings. The pool area is particularly impressive, with plenty of space to relax and enjoy the sunshine. The food was excellent throughout our stay, with a great choice and consistently high quality. The staff were friendly and welcoming, helping to create a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. As we visited before the start of the main season, the pool bar and a few other amenities were not yet open, but this didn’t detract from our overall experience. The only downside for us was the location. There is nothing or than a couple of hotels within walking distance and the main road and lack of safe footpaths make it difficult to walk anywhere. However, we ventured out using local taxi services to Campofelice and the train station. The hotel is well placed for visiting the beautiful towns of Cefalù and Palermo by train, which made exploring the area easy. Overall, we had a wonderful stay and would happily recommend Acacia Resort to anyone visiting Sicily.

We visited Acacia for the first two weeks in June 26. The hotel is clean, comfortable and the pool is great. A little cold earlier in the day, but warms up well. We had a good holiday, but there are a few things to note. 1. If you are All Inclusive you are second class. No waiter service to the table in the bar, if you want a beer you can only have a quarter pint, no real cocktails offered and you can't even get a diet coke unless you pay extra. 2. Food is average at best, mass produced and often cold. Very fish based and if there is meat it will be breaded chicken or slices of something in gravy to keep it warm. They do a nice stroganoff though, but this was only one day. Ice cream is cheap and puddings were terrible. 3. Snacks, you can get a sandwich from the bar or some of the mornings pastries. That's about it. 4. If you are staying here, Rent a car, we used Locauto from Catania airport. There's a Eurospin supermarket 6km away and we went there for snacks and water. Also, using the car, we went into Cefalu, Valley of the temple, Etna and Syracuse etc etc. 5. Entertainment, The entertainment at the hotel next door was amazing, we watched it through the fence, we had a dodgy bloke with DJ decks doing karaoke and a lady singer some nights who was ok, I did hear that their proper entertainment starts in July. 6. Staff, the wait staff are great, but some other staff are not. They have a rule, pool is open between 9 am and 7pm, I went down around 08.50 and was just sitting and reading my book and had a life guard scream and shout at me. So, all in all, nice hotel as we had a car, if we go back (probably won't) I would pay for bed and breakfast or half board and save a grand then eat out.

Very good resort hotel. We arrived in the dark and it was a bit difficult to find. Some of the facilities and options were not well advertised, for example the golf course.

We’ve stayed at acacia for 2 weeks on a half board basis and had an amazing experience! The room was good only issue was our plug sockets weren’t that great had to wiggle a bit for electricity but that is my only negative. A bit of a heads up for some no iron or coffee/tea making facilities in the room. The pool amazing! The beach is pebbled a bit but there are sandy areas would recommend foot wear in the sea. Now for the bit that makes this hotel the staff! Everyone we dealt with in reception was pleasant and helpful, the two staff members we dealt with for excursions were great particularly Simone he was so knowledgeable and passionate about what we should see in Palermo and extremely friendly and funny at the same time. The entertainers were great you have Salvo as the DJ always friendly would chat and make you feel welcome Davide as the main entertainer he’s brilliant tries to get everyone involved amazing sense of humour warm and friendly and very talented, always makes an effort even when even when he’s not working! The bar staff very welcoming and friendly every one of them makes an effort! We had a particular lady Rosaria who would see me in waiting at the bar and tell me she would serve us at the table and make sure we had drinks and clean the empty glasses she was extremely professional and lovely! All the staff in the restaurant area also polite and friendly lots of choice food wise and wasn’t always the same thing. Now something important…. This hotel is away from outside restaurants bars shops etc. for us this was a base for adventures and chilling in the evenings, unless you want to stay in the resort I’d recommend hiring a car Sicily is an amazing place and if your just seeing the hotel your making a big mistake! There are limited excursions available near the reception but you really need to go exploring…. Trust me!!

⭐☆☆☆☆ Extremely Disappointing – Not Worth £1,300 per Person We stayed at Acacia Resort Hotel near Palermo on an all-inclusive package and paid approximately £1,300 per person. Unfortunately, our experience was far below expectations. The biggest disappointment was the Superior Room we were given. The view from our terrace was shocking and completely unacceptable for a room sold as “Superior.” Instead of a pleasant garden, pool, or sea view, we were looking directly onto what appeared to be a neglected service area or maintenance space. It felt more like a back-of-house staff area than accommodation intended for paying guests. The terrace was unusable as a relaxing space and certainly not what anyone would expect when booking a holiday at this price. In my opinion, this room should not be marketed as a Superior Room at all. If anything, the area outside looked more suitable for hotel operations than for guests trying to enjoy their holiday. We felt misled by the room category and disappointed that such accommodation was considered acceptable. When spending £1,300 (10 June )per person on an all-inclusive holiday, guests should receive a room that reflects the price paid and the standards advertised. I would strongly advise future guests to ask for detailed information about the room location and view before booking. Unfortunately, the value for money was extremely poor, and this issue significantly affected our overall holiday experience.