Four Points By Sheraton Catania Hotel & Conference Centre – A Review By Punam Mohandas
The Four Points by Sheraton Catania is in such a spectacular locale that one would be willing to overlook a lot of inconveniences just for this factor alone. It faces the rocky Cyclops Coast by the stunning blue Mediterranean Sea in Aci Castello, Sicily.
The hotel’s elongated, narrow lobby space is brightly lit by Sicilian sunshine. There’s a wide patio outside with seating, where guests can relax. Just ahead of the Reception counter, is a beautifully hand painted Sicilian horse-cart of the days of yore, which is the centrepiece of the hotel. The Four Points has also showcased a famous local sculptor, Alfio Bonano and one of his pieces of art, that features a dining table and a couple of chairs made entirely from the lava from Mt Etna. Indeed, as you spend some time going around the property leisurely, you’ll find that the Four Points actively promotes local art by hosting periodic, temporary exhibitions.
Mustard or green coloured corridor carpeting (varying according to the floors) leads to the accommodation which includes 168-keys, categorized as follows: Classic (with or without balconies); Superior (all with balconies, some with sea views); Deluxe (sea view rooms with balconies); Diplomatic Suites (50-sqm) and Presidential Suite (70-sqm). Some of the rooms are accessible for physically disabled people. Real hanging plants provide a serene backdrop to the floors and Il Melograno bar. The room decor is plain and simple, as befits a Four Points. The beds are very comfortable. While the bathrooms don’t have bathtubs, they are equipped with full force rain showers.
All rooms are kitted out with tea/coffee making facilities; televisions; electronic safes and minibars. There is free wifi across the hotel. One earnest suggestion would be for the hotel to consider installing full-length mirrors, especially as the three-angled mirror in the bathroom does not allow easy access for women particularly, with the washbasin in between.
F&B outlets at Four Points By Sheraton Catania include the 450-covers Il Timo, with indoor as well as outdoor seating overlooking the sea. Although this restaurant is open for all three meals, it is not 24-hour service. Breakfast is the basic European style, with scrambled eggs, muesli, cold cuts, some Sicilian brioche and pastries and coffee as well as juice machines. There is also the spacious Il Melograno bar in the lobby, just beyond the horsecart showpiece mentioned earlier, which serves food only after 6PM. This space has a pond with a beautiful sculpture of a horse made from recycled paper and the statue of a girl sitting beside it. The glass lift leading to the floors above is just adjacent. Beyond the lift, is a small area with a water and drinks vending machine. Apart from these, there is the Fuchsia Bar as well as the Lava Pool, both of which are seasonal. The Four Points by Sheraton also offers a incredible Sea Deck facility with 30-sunbeds directly overlooking the sea; there is a path leading under the main road connecting the hotel to the sea, however, this is closed from October-May due to inclement weather conditions.
Recreational options include the Arantia Rubra (meaning orange-red in Latin) spa. This space also has a sauna/steam/jacuzzi area, for which the charge is € 25 per hour. Then there’s the tennis court on the second floor. Something that will no doubt leave guests entranced and enchanted will be the small yet lush garden on the second floor, where the hotel grows its own herbs and vegetables such as basil, pepper, aubergines, strawberries, thyme, onion, cauliflower, marjoram and so on. Quite big-sized lemon and avocado trees, considering this is on the second floor! Thoughtfully placed tables and chairs here allow guests to relax, amid the sound of soft, piped music. Sometimes, yoga classes are also organized in the garden.
Convention facilities at Four Points By Sheraton Catania include a Ballroom that is the largest in Catania and can accommodate 800-pax. There are also smaller meeting room options available, such as Pegaso, Sala and Cassiopea. The Business Centre is extremely basic and is really just a small niche across the lift, with a computer and printer. There are some books for guests to borrow placed beside the Il Melograno bar.
True to the Sicilian nature, the Front Office staff are extremely friendly and helpful. Similarly, F&B, while being brisk and bustling, is nonetheless cheerful. Housekeeping is courteous and unobtrusive; many of them don’t speak English, so it’s best to convey any requests through the Front Office. Engineering needs a bit of a looking-to; while the air conditioning is fine, the boilers perhaps need overhauling.
The Four Points by Sheraton Catania allows offers parking for upto 70-vehicles, as also a charging port for electric vehicles. Within the hotel premises, space has also been rented out to vendors such as a cosmetic and laser clinic; hairdresser; clothes and accessories; bank, and travel agent.
Aci Castello is about 20-minutes away from Catania Fontanarossa airport and about 25-minutes from via Etnea, the main avenue of Catania. Undoubtedly, hiring a car here would be a huge benefit, as Aci Castello is a small, coastal village. That said, it’s extremely fortunate that bus no. 534 stops right outside the hotel, which takes you all the way till via Etnea; tickets are € 1.50 each way. While the bus service is regular, it’s not always punctual and no, this cannot be laid at the door of Italian insouciance; the truth is the coastal roads are narrow and winding and it takes time to manoeuvre them, especially for a large vehicle like a bus.
To reach the Four Points by Sheraton Catania, you can take the Alibus from the airport to Catania Central railway station (€ 4) and from there, bus number 534 to the hotel. If you’re not that adventurous or have a lot of luggage, you can ask the hotel to arrange a taxi for € 40,00. There are a few BlaBlaCar drivers in the city as well, so if you download the app, you may be able to find a ride for cheaper than a taxi.
In terms of dining, do check out the Mare restaurant just down the road from the hotel; bear in mind it closes for full service (cooked meals) at 3PM and opens again at 7PM. Places to visit within an easy drive of Aci Castello are Acireale, Acitrezza and, of course, Catania. You can also visit Fiume Fredo, where a couple scenes of ‘The Godfather’ were shot. And, of course, you must go to Mt Etna, one of the most active volcanoes in Europe; it’s frequent spewing have led to most of the beaches in Catania to have black sand/rocks.
From Catania, it’s just € 9 for a return ticket to spectacular Taormina, 40-minutes away by bus. Along the way, you pass Giardini Naxos, which is quiet, not touristy and also by the sea. Other places within a short distance from Catania are Syracusa, an hour’s bus drive away, that is most famous for its unfinished Apollo Temple; Modica, 1.5 hours away, famous for its chocolate and Bronte, an hour away and well-known for its pistacchios. Palermo is only two hours away and the popular beach of Cefalu is a further 1.5 hours from there.
Dishes to try would include seafood, horsemeat balls, arancini, fresh pasta with pesto pistachio, pizza pistachio, fried mozzarella and desserts such as cannoli and the martorana (marzipan) and so many more. You can never have enough gelato or granita and Sicily truly has the best! Catania isn’t exactly famous for shopping, however, I’d definitely recommend carrying some jars of pesto pistacchio back, as this is the only place you can buy it.
Catania is really far down south, even further than Palermo and so it can be a bit inconvenient getting here, with most flights heading to Rome or Milan as transits. The new ITA (Italian Airways) is doing a great job with quite a few daily flights that are very punctual. There are also European airlines such as Austrian Air and budget airlines such as RyanAir that fly into Catania.
FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON CATANIA HOTEL & CONFERENCE CENTRE
Tel: +39 095-7114111
Fax: +39 095271380
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.four-points-by-sheraton-catania-hotel-and-conference-center.com
Punam Mohandas asserts her right to be identified as the author of this work. Any views or opinions expressed in this review is that of the author.
