guest reviews

"A second FANTASTIC holiday with amazing Sicilian hospitality."

Mandranova is a secluded, palm-shaded estate which combines the fun of a rural family holiday with the sophistication of a beautifully renovated Sicilian hotel. The atmosphere is warm and relaxing, mainly because of the two charming, friendly hosts. They cater for adults and children alike- Sylvia is quite happy to cook an early evening meal for the younger ones. Close by are outstanding family beaches and if you want to stay closer to home, there is an adjoining large plunge pool. We had the most brilliant authentic Sicilian cuisine we could have hoped for. Sylvia is happy to share her secrets in a one-to-one cooking lesson. Giuseppe also offers speedboat tours of the coast and a guide to the local sites. The hotel is ideally positioned for visiting the Valle di Templi in nearby Agrigento. We met many travellers on their second or third holiday.

"Che cosa vuoi per dolce? Che ne dici se ti faccio un cannolo? "

Il titolo di questa "recensione" sta diventando un piccolo tormentone del mio racconto agli amici della vacanza in Sicilia. A domandare era Silvia, che al mio "sìììì!!" mi ha poi davvero "fatto il cannolo", riempiendo di deliziosa crema di ricotta con scaglie di cioccolato il cannolo sfornato la mattina, e ne ha poi guarnito le punte con scorze di arancia ancora tiepide, anche queste preparate poco prima. La stanza era un vero appartamento con due bagni, arredamento elegante e intonato alla campagna senza essere pretenzioso. L'insieme ha assorbito il tocco della presenza costante e discreta di Silvia e Giuseppe, dei quali spicca la passione con cui hanno costruito questo progetto e l'amore con cui lo gestiscono. E' questo, secondo me, quello che i market-man chiamano il "vantaggio competitivo", e cioè il "perchè dovrei scegliere proprio questo posto"? Dimenticavo l'olio: non sono capace a raccontarlo, dico solo che una volta provato sarà difficile poi scegliere altro.

"Absolutely magnificent"

Staying with Sylvia and Vincenzo were the highlight of my Sicily trip. I would go back there and definitely stay much longer than just 2 days. It is in a beautiful setting, the rooms are fantastic; they're clean, attractive, convenient, and very comfortable. Sylvia, the owner, and chef extraordinare is so sweet, and talented. One can go to her garden with her, pick eggplant, basil, mint and go to the kitchen and learn to cook a dish that will always remind you of Mandranova. Her husband, ( a much more handsome version of Peter Sellers) is an exceptional host. A tour through his olive oil processing plant is a highlight and his passion for the land, the sea, and the olives is felt through every moment of his lecture. He and Sylvia are the most charming part of your stay at Mandranova. Their home is sophisticated Sicilian culture, with wonderfully interesting family heirlooms, including the Red Shirt, and they have captured the feel of a historical home yet with modern insights. If you really want to get the flavor and feel of Sicilian aristocratic life, spend as many days and nights as you can at Mandranova...the dinners are honest Sicilian country food, and the conversation is an exchange of humor/wit/public affairs with an international depth. The food is so fresh, right from the land, the trees, and the sea. You will not want to leave Mandranova and if you must, you leave with the promise to yourself to return as soon as possible and to stay as long as possible and to share the experience with those whom you love. ClaudiaSR St. Louis MO (01/11/2009)

"Would love to have stayed longer - only had 1 night. Wonderful hosts- very friendly and welcoming. "

The food was magnificent! Do have dinner there. The presentation and atmosphere in the dining room was great. Dined with fellow travellers at a long table. So many outdoor settings where one could relax - surrounded by olive groves. Found the olive oil production fascinating - given a tour of the operation plant. Would thoroughly recommend Mandranova."

"Rest and relaxation surrounded by olive groves"

On the best holidays you learn something new. Expectations are important, so we were glad to know in advance from Tripadvisor about the main road. From some of the reviews you might have thought that this would be the last place in the world for three days of rest and relaxation, but we came away happy and contended - our batteries recharged - just what we wanted from our stay at Mandranova. What we did not expect was to find ourselves on a working farm whose aim is to produce the best olive oil in the world. Make sure you have a tasting from Giuseppe who will explain what they aim to do and what good olive oil can be compared with your local supermarket at home. One morning he showed us and other guests round their modern facilities for extracting the oil (it isn’t pressed at all) with guests invited to act the parts of the flesh, the skin and the oil. Very entertaining – and convincing. We did not expect a five star hotel and our room in La Casella was small, clean and comfortable. The beach towels they lend you for the pool are generousThe pool is not big, it is just right for a dip and its location amid olive groves is delightful. Occasionally you will hear a vehicle on the road. For those who want a long swim, the secret is to go round clockwise! Silvia’s excellent Sicilian food is also generous. We liked it so much that we paid for a cookery lesson from Silvia and we were with her in the kitchen for nearly three hours. The recipes are just the kind of thing we hope we can repeat at home to delight our guests. To us it was worth every penny of the €32 each. We found Mandranova informal, restful, educational and conveniently located. Incidentally, to those who complain about the prices – why go to Sicily? The Euro will not stay at this level for ever and you have to make allowances. The advantage of sites like Tripadvisor is that you know what to expect. Silvia and Giuseppe were charming and helpful hosts and they want you to enjoy yourself. We did.

"Relaxed home from home with great hosts"

We had an excellent stay at Mandranova with our two young children. Silvia and Giuseppe are excellent hosts and we thoroughly enjoyed cooking classes with Silvia and the boat trip with Giuseppe. This would appear to be a marmite hotel judging by the reviews, so to address the negative comments rationally: Motorway - is a single carriageway road which is the main road along the south of the island. It's 200 metres or more from the front of the property, and you can undoubtedly hear a LOW hum from the cars. This didn't affect our holiday at all and no one I spoke to during our 7 night stay complained. Late dinners - when in Rome! The Italians eat late, chill and go with the flow or drive to a restaurant. Small pool/no seating - it is, but it's a good chance to mingle with your fellow guests and sometimes we were the only ones there. Expensive - you get what you pay for. The accomodation is excellent, the hosting brilliant and the atmosphere lovely. We stayed at a hotel in the north of Sicily which was nowhere near as good. Drinks - having to go to the kitchen to ask for drinks is not a hardship. This is a family run agriturismo - I had more difficulty getting a drink from the un-manned bar in aforementioned hotel. I'd recommend anyone go to Mandranova - Giuseppe is great for showing you the local highlights, and once he has Sicily and the Mandranova will truly get under your skin.

"Amazing stylish and individual country farmhouse"

Having searched the web for a hotel in Sicily we found a gem. I highly recommend you stay at Mandranova. The property is breath taking. Set amongst the olive groves and vineyards this private farmhouse is very elegant. The room we stayed in was beautiful and spacious, a very comfortable bed and feather pillows. The whole property could easily feature in an interiors magazine but the really beauty is although every detail has been thought through the environment is very natural and not overly 'designed'. Any one would be made to feel welcome here. Owned and run by Silvia and Guiseppe the service provided is seamless and delivered with ease and pride. Silvia is a highly recognised chef and the meals produced with local produce were excellent. Silvia accommodates dietary requirements. Guiseppe welcomed us with an excellent local wine and gave great insight in to the local beaches and places of interest. Between the two of them they run a five star operation but with the feeling of staying in a friends home. The grounds are lovely to walk around and the pool is stunning. We spent three nights here and could have easily stayed another few to chill out and discover the local area. The place attracts friendly guests. We came away with some of the Mandranova olive oil and pesto. There was an impressive exhibition by Sicilian artist Marco Bonafe in the main house. There are games, TV, DVD's in the main house that you have full access to. Take a sun hat and also mosquito repellent to Sicily. My experience of this area is that the hotels are not great (a 4 or 5 star hotel might be more like a 3 star in expectation terms). We will be returning!

"Tranquil Oasis amid 12,000 Olive Trees 'more or less'"

Just returned from a fabulous holiday to Sicily and Mandranova was one of the highlights. We stayed just the one night but packed in as much as we could. The grounds and rooms are all very elegant. We had dinner outside under the stars with the other guests and the owners/hosts Silvia and Giuseppe. They seat each group at individual tables and so you can chat to the people next to you or have a quiet dinner with your partner as if at a restaurant. The food here was amazing, one of the best of Sicily. Topped off with the fabulous Mandranova Olive Oils. We were desperate to bring as much of the oil home as we could but with the next 10 days in Sicily plus the flight back to Australia we had to leave it behind, all but one bottle. We are now home, savouring each mouthful which brings back memories of hot days, cool swims, cool breezes and warm, generous hosts. As other reviews have mentioned the farm is just off a reasonably main road and so if you are not able to switch off the traffic noise you will hear it, although it is not constant. We found though that the second the gates closed behind us we felt we had arrived at a tranquil oasis that blocked out any outside sounds.

"Dining outside of an evening was lovely and the food and service was great. "

There is a really friendly atmosphere at the house, created by Silvia and her team. Silvia was also incredibly welcoming and flexible with us as were travelling with our 2yr old daughter - she prepared food when we needed it and was very warm with her. The property is not really suitable for toddlers. The furniture is lovely, (we were worried we would damage it!) there are great big stone steps everywhere and the main pool has no shade and is far too deep to take children in, so that was a slight put-off. To note, it really is in the middle of nowhere and there really is nothing to do around. The nearest beach/places to visit are at least 20minutes drive. "

"Lovely place"

I can only agree with the other positive reviews. This is a luxury escape from everything. We found the place fairly easily. Take the directions, follow them, and you will find it. In fact as we drove along the road, Silvia and Giuseppi were driving the other way, flagged us down, asked if we were staying the night and when we said yes, they both bowled out of the car, shook hands vigorously, told us to go on up to the house and their staff would show us around and provide whatever we needed. That is charming when they could just have driven by. Our room was in the new building and was lovely - we had a suite with a central room, separate bedroom and two bathrooms (one fitted for handicapped persons). The only points for improvement I would say would be to have perhaps one extra chair in the sitting room, and a welcome drink or snack provided. There are lots of inviting spaces to sit and relax and the pool is delightful. Swimming in the middle of an olive farm is something special. We ate dinner both nights - the first sharing with the owners and another couple, and the second at our own table as there were 12 for dinner. Silvia does the cooking, and she has staff to bring around the food so she can sit and eat with everyone. The first night we had prosecco with arancine, spaghetti with aubergine, veal with a vinegar sauce and potatoes and salad, a semifreddo and fruit. All for 28 euros which is very good value given you don't have to drive and the quality was lovely. This is not cordon bleu, but very Sicilian, family style eating. The wine each night was an additional 18euros or so - hardly expensive! There were cheaper options too. The dinners here were some of the cheaper we had in Sicily. The second night was toasted bread with olive paste and meatballs, followed by pasta ribbons with tomato and fennel and anchovies, then swordfish and lemon with green beans and salad, then a strawberry mousse torte. All very fresh and flavoursome. There are always seconds offered of the pasta. People who leave the negative reviews seem to have the wrong expectations of this place. It is stylish beautiful rooms on a working farm. Giuseppi is running the farm during the day, and Silvia is running the business and organising the food etc. They are not a hotel at your beck and call. However there is always someone around to provide a beer (which at 3euros was the most reasonable we found in Sicily) or other refreshment should you need it. You only have to ask. Dinner is a sit down Sicilian experience with local owners, and should be approached as such - it is not Michelin styled dining. They have dogs which protect the property but are never aggressive or scary - they bark because that is what dogs do but we never heard them at night. The road is not 50 yards away - it is perhaps 200 yards from the property and if you listened hard, yes you could hear traffic. This did not bother us at all at night as there are block out shutters on all windows and good quiet airconditioning. You could not hear the road from the pool. Compared to staying in Agrigento this was an oasis of quiet. It is an easy 20min drive to VOT, and much more pleasant than staying in Agrigento. There are good restaurants nearby (eg La Madea) so there is choice should you not want to eat at the agriturismo. I would certainly stay here again.

"I loved our stay. It was one of the highlights of the trip. Mandranova was much more than accommodation. "

"Great place to stay"

We spent one night here and found it terrific. Everything was first rate: the room, the swimming pool and the food. Silvia and Giuseppe were friendly and attentive hosts. We are very pleased that we decided to stay at Mandranova when we visited Agrigento. We also contrary to some reviews had no difficulty finding it nor were we disturbed by any traffic noise.

"Elegant respite"

This is an elegant, chic, and artistically rustic inn. It is a beautifully remodeled country villa and adjacent buildings, on a working olive tree farm. Food was wonderful. This is a short trip from the Valley of the Temples, near Agrigento.

"Very nice place"

Our room at Mandronova was fabulously put together (although the lame shower curtain and rusty and rickety rod could have been improved upon.) The grounds and pool were amazing. Guiseppe greeted us warmly and was a delightful host! The dogs were not bothersome to us. Sylvia has great taste and style. Contrary to other reviews I was not at all bothered by the proximity to the main road. If anything I hardly noticed and it made for easy navigation to and from the Valley of the Temples -an easy 20 minutes. For dinner, a Swordfish was served as a main course. When it arrived from the kitchen, and since my husband doesn’t eat fish, Sylvia put together a delicious plate of very tasty meatballs which my husband said he enjoyed. The dinner was fine but in my opinion, over-priced at 28 Euros per person. Wine was extra and also over-priced in my opinion. I would encourage future guests to explore other dining options if they are seeking quality and/or value, although the convenience of having dinner there may be very well worth the cost for some and must be considered. A different menu is served every evening and other reviewers had said wonderful things about the dinners, so perhaps it is simply a matter of personal taste and if what happens to be on the menu turns out to be of your liking. Other reviewers have commented about the "rules." I found the rules to be a matter of courtesy and responsibility and not put off by them in the least. One thing I thought was missing was a welcoming (and complimentary) refreshment or a little something waiting for you in the room. I find this to be a fairly common amenity in places of this caliber. It is a very low cost gesture that goes a very long way. Something like that would have enhanced the experience for me. Breakfast was actually way better than I expected based on the reviews. Even though it was after the official breakfast serving time of 8-10:30, they allowed us to enjoy it and kept it out for us. They also encouraged us to linger for the afternoon and we would have if we didn’t already have a full day ahead of us. I think check out time was 11:00 but it didn't seem to matter. They allowed us re-entry to our room to freshen up and relax for a while after our visit to the VOT and breakfast. The delicious olive oil and olive oil facial cream we purchased made great souvenirs/gifts. The purpose of traveler reviews is not only to help other travelers in making their selections from the many, many choices, but to give feedback to the hosts so that they may strive to continually make improvements where needed. All in all, this place was a wonderful oasis and I would recommend it to those intending to visit the area.

"Truly Memorable Experience"

I stayed at Mandranova early September and would agree with all the positive comments in previous reviews. Sylvia and Giuseppe are fantastic hosts and it was a pleasure to spend time in their company and learning about their olive farm and tasting the oils they produce. I stayed in five different hotels during my trip to Sicily and this is one place I would definitely return to. My room was located in Il Casello, the separate house (a converted railway station) and was fantastic. Before we arrived I was a bit worried by the negative comments that appeared on some of the reviews but luckily I chose to ignore them or I would have missed out on a truly memorable experience. I will address these with my opinions. Difficult to find – It’s not. As per the website instructions, drive along the motorway SS115 and exit at KM 216 (its marked 216) Go over the cross road which takes you back onto the motorway and take the first right (where the wooden sign for Mandranova is) Continue along this road for about 800 metres and Mandranova is on your left. (It’s the place with the big iron gates, opposite the sign that says Mandranova) Noisy dogs – Yes the dogs do bark at you (imagine that, dogs that bark!) but only when someone approaches. After that they’re completely docile and sit by you waiting for affection. Food – Breakfast was fresh fruit, fruit juice, cereals, yoghurt, meats, cheeses and cakes. Self service, buffet style. Just like everywhere else I stayed, including 4 star hotels. (Although, in my opinion the coffee wasn’t that good). Evening meal is cooked by Sylvia who really should write a recipe book. Three courses with extra helpings of home cooked typical Sicilian food enjoyed outside in the company of Sylvia and Giuseppe and other guests. Location – Yes, the farming in the immediate area does use poly tunnels. However, you can’t see these from the farm (see photo’s) and there is road noise, but only if you listen for it. Certainly not loud enough to cause concern. So, if during your trip to Sicily you think that staying on an olive farm and eating typical home cooked Sicilian food in the company of friendly and charming hosts is something you might like, then this is the place for you.

"Silvia and Giuseppe are fantastic hosts who make guests feel part of a wonderful house party. "

The gardens and comunal spaces are gorgeous but the quality of some rooms here are disappointing especially in the main house. I would not recommend the Agave suite that we had booked it was dark, dingy and very basic not what you would expect. We moved to a room in the house on the estate which was much brighter and better furnished although the bathrooms were still somewhat basic. It is a great place to stay for a few days made special by the welcome of Silvia and Giuseppe."

"Fine Hospitality in a Visionary Agriturismo"

As the itinerary planner for a group of 4 for our 2 week sojourn in Sicily, I had planned a tour of Sicily's finest hotels and accomodation. Independentelly travelling from Sydney and reliant on the web reviews I was a little cautious about Mandranova, based on the mixed reviews, and checking in from Capofaro en route to Mandranova, I was stunned to read the review of July 29. But from the moment we buzzed the front gate [found easily following the instructions] we were met with the warmest of welcome and the finest of hospitality. Sylvia and Guisseppe are fantastic hosts, and fortunately for us, joined by two fine sons home from university who equalled their parents in ensuring our stay was most pleasurable. Yes, this is an uncompromising landscape, a harsh climate, the highway is close by and it is an area clearly not yet accustomed to a quest for quality. This makes the visionary concept of Mandranova even more special. I have now experienced many of southern italy's most luxurious hotels, but they cannot displace the memories of Guisseppe's evening conversation, and Sylvia's divine cooking. With a little bit of Olive theatre, from Guissepe's tagged 'Swarznegger' 'We'll be back'. It may not be until another of Mandranova's many dreams are realised, and we will be driving down the new palm fringed Sicilian Sunset Boulevard, but I am confident that the passion that embues the Mandranova experience will be just the same any time you care to visit. Overall, Mandranova proves that passion and people make for the best travel experiences.

"Highly Recommended!! What A Great Place!!! "

FANTASTIC!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! The food and wine was amazing - even for a Sicilian place the breakfast was great - most places in Italy and Sicily offer a black coffee and something sweet but here you had plenty to chose from including english breakfast tea, fresh fruit, yogurts, bread, rolles, cakes etc! wow! The hospitality was second to none from the moment we arrived to the moment we sadly had to go home. The views are stunning - ask Guiseppe to take you up on the tractor so you can see the sunset from the top of the plot - he won't mind as they go out of their way for you. It is a working Olive farm but it doesn't feel like it really - its so welcoming it felt more like a home away from home. The great thing with it not being a hotel is you can actually find out a lot more about the culture, way of Olive harvesting and local foods - the owners are always more than happy to show you through the process. I have been there 5 times now and stayed in a different room each time. All were lovely, spacious, air conditioned, well laid out, clean and charming. When I was there the Formula 1 was on and I wanted to try and watch it - Giuseppe went out of his way to help me find it on the TV. Just a shame for him that Hamilton beat Massa ;-) If the weather is calm it's worth asking if you can go out on the boat - its a lovely relaxing day out and you can swim off it too - if you are really lucky then you may even see the Dolphins. So if you want a lovely relaxed place to stay which is full of lovely charming people in a beautiful environment then this place is for you. Go and watch the sunset from the Pool!! Hope you go and love it!

"Lovely lovely lovely"

What more can we say !! Dont be downhearted if you take the wrong turning as we did and find yourself in somewhat unpalatable surroundings as when you do arrive its like arriving at a perfect oasis!!. The childern thoought it was the best ever and that without TV or gadgets !! We will come back again. "

"Wish we were still there! "

My husband and I spent, alas only one, night at Mondranova during a motorbike tour of Western Sicily. We greatly admired the careful work carried out by the Di Vincenzos in lovingly restoring this family property. We were given a room in the "casello" which was very private, had a beautiful view and was furnished simply but with good taste. Our bed was large and very comfortable. We were not in the least disturbed by road noise as some have commented. We swam in the small but lovely pool, again with gorgeous views of the country side. In the evening we had drinks in the garden and were joined by our hosts and some of their friends. At dinner a group of us sat together at one of the large tables and it was a lovely way of making new friends and meeting the people who live locally as well as other tourists. The food was abslutely delicious consisting of a variety of local specialities or a choice of salads and cheese. We drank some interesting wines chosen by our hosts and we found the price of dinner very reasonable. Of course Mandranova is a working farm and I expect it is not always easy for the hosts to be at their guests' complete disposal all the time. This is not an ordinary hotel and you cannot expect 24 hour butler service. For the same reason the many dogs run free on the property but we found them friendly and they never disturbed us. We also stayed at Donalegge in the Madonie but this was without a doubt one of our favourite places in Sicily and we hope to return. I couldn't reccommend a better place to stay in the vicinity of Agrigento.

"Good base for Valley of the Temples"

This small hotel is situated near Agrigento and handy for visiting the Valley of Temples. It is immaculately presented – truly the cleanest windows I have ever seen !! The common areas are lovely with two huge lounges with comfy sofas – one with TV and one without. The outside areas are nice too with plenty of seating. Our room was OK – small but comfortable enough but looking at the website now I think we got the short straw – so name your room or suite when you book. We were made very welcome by the owners. They manufacture olive oil and are clearly very proud (justifiably so) of their produce. There is a good selection of wine and Guiseppe had a welcome heavy hand when pouring a whisky or glass of wine !! Sylvia cooks each night. No problems for those with a large appetite as plenty for seconds however personally the food was just a little heavy (or you might call it peasant) for our tastes. Breakfast was very disappointing – particularly old, stale bread. Everything including the milk was left out for self service and for us this was just lazy. Would recommend a night out at Le Madia per previous reviews – very traditional restaurant – but great fun. We didn’t understand the menu at all so went for the in season tasting menu which was a great choice – 5 out of 6 courses fantastic and one slightly challenging octopus dish which converted us to eating tentacles !!. Including the taxi (and two bottles of wine) the night cost 240 euros for two so not cheap. We stayed for three nights and with hindsight two (or even one if you are touring) would probably have been enough to use as a base to see the Valley of the Temples. The towns along this coastline (we drove from Syracusa) have little to obviously recommend them being concretey (?) and quite poor. Also the poly tunnels are a blight on the (quite ordinary by Italian standards) countryside.

"Sicilian Gem"

Forgot all about writing the review for Mandranova until now. All I can do is echo the comments made by other guests. This is a fantastic place in every way, especially the food which is spectacular, and the charming host. We went out on their motor launch for one of the days and this was equally wonderful, with a packed lunch to die for. Will definately go again.