Mangia's

Mangia's Pollina Resort

Mangia's Pollina is a beach resort on Sicily's north coast near Cefalu, for families who want private sand and a base for the coast. It is a four-star with a private beach, a pool and a kitchen running Italian and international, and its rooms climb from 22 to 34 square metres with a sea view offered at most sizes. All-inclusive is sold on some rate plans rather than as the resort's single product, so the board basis is what to confirm at checkout. Guests praise the private beach and the coastal setting, the sea-view rooms, the family atmosphere, and the pool and grounds. The complaints are all-inclusive terms that are not clearly published, dining variety thinner than a large resort's, and a location that wants a car. The thing people wish they had known is that this is a Sicilian beach resort with optional plans rather than a Caribbean-style all-inclusive, and that the beach is stronger than the plan. Where a rate carries all-inclusive, expect the Italian and international dining and the seaside bars, with the premium-label coverage unconfirmed; wellness treatments, excursions and the airport shuttle are extra, and that shuttle from Palermo runs about 70 to 80 euros a person return. Hire a car if you mean to see Cefalu and the Madonie. The 25-square-metre Superior with Sea View is the value, the 27-square-metre Deluxe Room with Sea View is the bigger view, and the 34-square-metre Suite is the most space. Anyone who wants a full all-inclusive programme should look at the resorts on the island's south coast.

Mangia's Himera Resort

Mangia's Himera is a Sicilian beach holiday village on the north coast east of Palermo, for families who want sand, a pool and evening entertainment. Cefalu and Palermo are the day trips. It is an all-inclusive in the Italian sense: one buffet restaurant, two bars, a kids' club and a private beach, with 148 rooms in clear categories. Read it that way and it works; read it as a Caribbean-style resort with a dozen venues and it will not. Guests praise the staff and service, the cleanliness and the refreshed rooms, the beachfront setting and the entertainment for children. The complaints are the narrow dining, since Perseo is the only restaurant, an all-inclusive whose details are not always clear, a location with no nightlife within walking distance, and a spa that sits at a sister property nearby rather than on site. The thing people wish they had known is that a car, or planned transfers, turns the resort into a base for the coast's towns and sites rather than an island of its own. The plan covers the buffet and the bar list, with premium labels unconfirmed; the spa treatments, the excursions and the airport shuttle from Palermo are extra, and the canoes and paddleboards are available with limits. The Superior Room with Sea View keeps the outlook without the suite price; the Suite, at 43 square metres, is the largest room. Anyone planning to eat out along the coast most evenings should question whether the plan is worth paying for at all.

Mangia's Selinunte Resort