Fantastic!
What a delight this resort turned out to be....we arrived at night and weren't expecting what we found.......it was like an oasis in the desert...after travelling along a very plain road, we went through the gates of the 'Acacia Resort' and were firstly struck by the design of the reception, which was open air and gave the feel of being outside and yet we were inside!
This hotel is only open a matter of months, but instead of there being teething problems, the guests benefit from the newness of everything and the excitement which comes from a new project.
Being one of the few English-speaking families, this made no difference to our enjoyment of the resort.
We would recommend this Hotel to anyone, as you experience real Sicilian culture - who wants to go away and be surrounded by more of what you have back home!
Food is of the highest standard, rooms are excellent, pool is spotless.
The 'water aerobics' is like a scene from a pop-video, with both men and women partaking - nobody cares what shape or size you are!
'Acacia' is for all ages, and is equally suitable for families or the single person, and all nationalities.
If you want to visit a country and feel its culture, Acacia is for you.
We had the luxury of a beautiful four star hotel, but visited the many little towns nearby, and joined in their celebrations.
'Acacia' is 16km outside the town of Cefalu, but local Taxis and buses make it accessible .
What really makes this place are the staff - they are young and friendly, and encourage guests to be part of the whole 'Acacia' experience - at forty years of age, for the first time in my life, I spent an hour every day benefiting from the ' soft aerobics' and then 'harder aerobics' - this was credit to the staff, who made you feel part of their team. I'm now home, and feel that I not only had a wonderful holiday, but I benefited from the facilities, am fitter, and got a better tan - all without the pain!!!!!
Where else have you been where you can say the pool-man made your holiday? Luigi is a character who has pride not only in his job, but his appearance - every day we looked forward to seeing Luigi 'Beckham's' latest attire - this is a man with a diamante earring and D&G gear!!!!!!!!
The whole team is unique, from the aerobics girls, to the entertainment's Manager (yum-yum - stop I'm married), the bar staff (who had to fill my baby's bottles every day), Ivan the life-guard, Emanuelle at the pool bar, the reception staff (a lovely lady from Boston who looks remarkably like Barbra Streisand), the Manager, the crazy boys who were part of the entertainments team, Eric the unofficial translator....best of all is the owner himself.
This is a man with finesse. An unassuming character, Cessare is a true gentleman, who makes you feel you are the only guest staying in the resort. You don't realise who he is at the start because he is so hands-on - this is why I believe Acacia is so successful - he genuinely cares about the small things which you would presume would be unimportant to a man of his position. He doesn't leave his staff to take care of everything, but instead you see him helping out and taking an interest in the operational issues of the resort.
He really has his eye on the ball, and this means that there is attention to detail, and this can only mean that the guests benefit.
He wants to listen to ideas for improvement - that's if you can find any!
The plans 'Acacia' have for the future are tempting enough to want to go back and see them.
We always go somewhere different every year, with so many places in the world to see.
Our dilemma now is the thought of not going back to 'Acacia'.....maybe we'll squeeze in an extra holiday!!!!
Wonderful memories to keep me going at work.
Michelle Grant, Northern Ireland
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
