The best thing about Grand Hotel des Étrangers in Siracusa is that the General Manager Rosario Rubino is committed to the goal that every guest has a warm and elegant Sicilian experience.

I recently returned from nearly three weeks in Sicily. In a subsequent post, I will elaborate on the amazing 100 mile hike I completed with my friends. It is called the Magna Via Francigena.

After the strenuous hike, I want to go somewhere in Sicily and relax in beautiful surroundings. I choose Ortigia, a small Baroque island and the historic center of Siracusa. After much research I select the Grand Hotel des Étrangers for my stay and I am so very glad that I do. I check into my beautiful room with a balcony overlooking the sea.

I have an appointment to interview the General Manager. His name is Rosario Rubino. Within minutes of arriving at the hotel, he meets me on the beautiful rooftop of the hotel.

Mr. Rubino is not just the General Manager of this hotel, but Group General Manager of all the properties in the Luxury Private Properties Group. This includes the Ashbee in Tauromino and the Excelsior Palace in Palermo. He has spent his entire career in the hospitality industry and it shows. He warmly greets me and welcomes me to Ortigia. From the first moment, he conveys to me that he genuinely wants me to understand not only the hotel’s unique message, but what makes this part of Sicily so special. Being Italian, of course there is no conversation that doesn’t include food and wine. A few minutes after settling in and admiring the view, the hotel’s chef, Paolo, comes out to say hello.

Paolo indicates that he is preparing a “little something”. Well the “little something” turns out to be an array of delicious plates. The Sicilian traditional arancini was paired with piping hot cod fritters. A plate of chickpea flatbread arrives. Four gorgeous appetizers plates include samples of the local fishes, olives and homemade focaccia and crackers. And of course a local refreshing wine from Mt Etna is poured.

As with all my Shirleyfest property interviews, I am curious to know what makes this place unique. Rosario without hesitation tells me that his group is not selling rooms, they are offering experiences. He has a commitment to instill in all of the staff here a single vision: “We want to share a vision of surprise and elation with our guests.” He hopes that every guest will feel special during their stay. I ask how he does this. Quality. Quality. Quality. Quality in hiring, quality in food, quality in furniture selection, quality in assistance with very guests unique needs. To do this he wants to understand the individual needs of his guests. The focus must be on the guests and everything else will naturally flow. This goes beyond the four walls of the hotel. For example, as with many luxury hotels, guests often ask for restaurant recommendations. His view is that any restaurant they recommend is a partner in the guest experience with them. Since the restaurant will be an extension of the stay, he wants to know the restauranteurs personally and to obtain their commitment to a quality experience for his guests. I ask him for the name of one of his favorite restaurants on the island. Don Camillo he answers easily. A few nights later my friends and I dine there and we all agree it is an amazing experience.

Other highlights of my time in Siracusa include a stroll through the market where I yearn to have a Siracusa apartment and kitchen to take all these beautiful ingriendents home to cook.

Also a walking tour of the island where all the ancient mythology was explained by Gloria our tour guide and many of the lovely churches explored.

One morning I walked 30 minutes off the island to the Neapolis Archaeological Park and saw ancient greek theatre and quarries.

Another day, I slowly worked way around the island and through almost every one of the narrow streets to people watch and stop for delicious bites.

On my last day, I was buying some lovely Italian dresses in a boutique. The owner, Paola had a helper, Betty, who turned out to be the girlfriend of her son, Pietro. Pietro owns a restaurant nearby, so I reserved for dinner that night. It was an ancient building with a lovely courtyard and delicious food. It is called Cantina Rampa. Betty came and had a glass of wine with me and we talked of many things. When it got slower, Pietro came and told me the story of the restaurant. He told me how quiet the island got during Covid and how he could hear the sea from his apartment everyday because so few people were living in the town. I got his recipe for swordfish and after many hugs ( and finding they had treated me to the copious amounts wine I had enjoyed) we said our goodbyes.

Back at the hotel I started to pack. I realize that the message I got from Rosario is that there is a single-mindedness about the guests here getting the full experience of their stay…all elements are part of that experience. Rosario also uses a word I like alot. Dignity. He believes that if the staff is treated with dignity, then the guests will be treated with dignity. I really felt that during my stay. In the breakfast room, Eva and Christina greeted me each day as if I were family coming down to breakfast. And oh what a breakfast. And one day when I had selected one too many pastries, Eva whisked it away and came back with it stored in a beautifully wrapped package, “for later”.

Giovanni in the front office could not have been more accommodating. A great example—lately many fine hotels that I have stayed in have a continuous fan in the bathrooms. I detest this noise. I have inquired repeatedly about how to make this noise cease and 100% of the time I have been told, “Sorry, that is not possible.” Never giving up, I noticed this low fan noise in my beautiful room at Des Étrangers and mentioned it hopefully to Giovanni. “The engineers will fix it to your satisfaction” were the words that came immediately out of his mouth. And they did! Within the hour! I was shocked and oh so happy. Wemerson, Maitre of the bar and dining room, could not have been more accommodating. One night the three of us ate in the gorgeous rooftop dining room. Having drinks first on the outside deck, my drink order was remembered without a word and then he professionally and warmly served us one of the best meals of our trip.

From Luigi, the assistant manager, to Marco to Monica to Chiara to Giuseppe to Anna and Davide and many more, the staff could not have been more gracious and helpful.

One final note, I asked Rosario for his perfect day in Siracusa. He told me he would wake up and have a run around the beautiful island and then have the hotel’s luscious breakfast. He would then take a boat to the lighthouse and to a little beach club/restaurant called Punta Magdalena. After a few hours he would return by boat and do some shopping in the historic city center ( I’m partial to Max Mara and also the Paola’s boutique) He would return and have apertivo on the hotel’s rooftop deck and finish with dinner either at their restaurant, Clou, or at Don Camillo. Sounds perfect to me too.

I felt so taken care of at Grand Hotel des Étrangers that I was despondent when I finally had to leave to catch my plane. I take one more trip up to the rooftop and one more look off my balcony to the sea.

There is no doubt that I will be back to Siracusa and there is no doubt where I will stay.

Ciao my dear readers.