Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Locanda Don Serafino, Ragusa, Sicily
Facts in brief
Official star rating 4
Location In the old town of Ragusa Ibla
Annual opening All year
Closest airport Catania
Distance from airport About 1 hour and 40 minutes
Hotel facilities and services
Restaurant nearby (closed on Tuesdays), Wine cellar with over 2000 wines, Guided tastings with the sommelier, Cooking classes with Michelin-starred chef, Farm visits arranged, Valet parking offered free of charge.
Complimentary
Valet parking, Wi-Fi
Out and about nearby
The Baroque city of Ragusa with the Chiesa dell’Idria, Palazzo Cosentini, the Cathedral. Nearby places of interest include Scicli (25 kms), the temples at Agrigento (136 kms), Etna (130 kms), Modica (15 kms), Noto (50 kms) and Ortigia (70 kms). There are beaches at nearby Marina di Ragusa (25 kms).
I enjoyed every minute of the tour. Cindy-Marie was simply fantastic and her knowledge, kindness and humour was all that I could have asked for. This was a first class experience. Thank you for making it all happen.Customer on Tuscan wine tour, June 2022
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Standard room for 5 nights
From about
£1,190 Low season
£1,370 High season
Holiday Code EXH1227
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Locanda Don Serafino, Ragusa, Sicily
In the maze of little streets and baroque churches of Ragusa Ibla, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is where you find Locanda Don Serafino, a boutique hotel that was opened by the La Rosa family in 2004 with one of the finest restaurants in Sicily. Near the ramparts of the lower section of the city, in the palace's former barn, the restaurant sits under high vaulted ceilings of exposed stone. Two-Michelin-star chef Vincenzo Candiano sources his ingredients exclusively from the island yet draws his inspiration from well beyond the Mediterranean to elevate Sicilian cuisine with his own style. His dishes burst with regional flavours but are modern in design and concept. Just a few metres away, the eleven rooms of unrivalled charm, and partially carved into the rock, are located in a building dating from the 19th century. The overall style of the hotel is contemporary and soft, yet respectful of the historic surroundings. Colours are soft and muted and have been chosen to complement the natural stone of the historic building. Breakfast, with a focus on natural and local produce, created by chef Vincenzo Candiano, is served in the hotel building. The hotel is in a restricted traffic zone, but you may arrive at the hotel by car. The hotel will then take care of the car on arrival and offers valet parking free of charge. If you book the Luxury suite there is an allocated parking space for your car near the restaurant. The Locanda Don Serafino became a member of Relais & Chateaux in 2017 and in 2019 the La Rosa family opened seven self-catering villas, which can host 4 or 6 adults, at Marina di Ragusa, 25 kms away.
Room descriptions
The Locanda Don Serafina has 11 rooms each with air-conditioning, heating, safe, hairdryer, complimentary Wi-Fi, smart TV, minibar with alcoholic and soft local drinks.
I enjoyed every minute of the tour. Cindy-Marie was simply fantastic and her knowledge, kindness and humour was all that I could have asked for. This was a first class experience. Thank you for making it all happen.Customer on Tuscan wine tour, June 2022
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Standard room for 5 nights
From about
£1,190 Low season
£1,370 High season
Holiday Code EXH1227
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Locanda Don Serafino, Ragusa, Sicily
The journey and how you get there
For a holiday to the Locanda Don Serafino in Ragusa, we suggest you fly to Catania. From the airport, we recommend a hire-car which you can then use during your stay at the Locanda Don Serafino.
Special offers
Call to make your booking and save an extra £50 per adult Call us instead of emailing us when you are thinking of booking a holiday and save an extra £50 per adult (in addition to any special offers that might be available). We want to talk to you to discuss your requirements and a phone call is usually the best way for you to define what you want enabling us to respond more accurately. We want to talk to you and you save an extra £50 per adult.
I enjoyed every minute of the tour. Cindy-Marie was simply fantastic and her knowledge, kindness and humour was all that I could have asked for. This was a first class experience. Thank you for making it all happen.Customer on Tuscan wine tour, June 2022
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Standard room for 5 nights
From about
£1,190 Low season
£1,370 High season
Holiday Code EXH1227
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Locanda Don Serafino, Ragusa, Sicily
About Sicily
An Expressions tailor-made holiday in Sicily allows visitors to discover a unique and captivating island. The rich tapestry of Mediterranean history can be witnessed on the southerly island of Sicily, fascinating not only for its amazing blend of cultures including Greek, Arab, Byzantine and Norman and its architectural treasures which reflect these influences but also for its breath-taking scenery of coast, parched mountains and fertile groves of almonds, oranges, lemons and olives. The people are proud and independent, reserved but sincere and helpful. Traditions thrive to an extent that the atmosphere of Sicily is unrecognisable in the context of other parts of Italy further north. The towns and villages are contrasting with picture postcard scenes of mediaeval labyrinthine alleyways adorned by wrought-iron balconies and baskets of flowers or severe dilapidation punctuated by grand Baroque or austere Norman cathedrals and churches. Additionally, there are of course some of the most important sites of the ancient Greek world such as the temples at Agrigento, the theatre at Taormina and numerous relics at Siracusa, reputedly one of the most beautiful cities of the Greek world. High above the island looms Mount Etna, one of the largest volcanoes in the world and an awe-inspiring sight. Off the north coast of Sicily, the beautiful Aeolian Islands offer escape and remoteness, natural scenery and a startling light, a sleepy way of life and romantic isolation. A holiday in Sicily appeals for those who want typical rest and relaxation with cultural activities at hand, and for those who want to be more adventurous and experience more of this captivating island.
Highlights of Sicily
An ascent of Mount Etna, partly by car and then further on foot (guides available) through the luxuriant vegetation which includes oranges and lemons, bougainvillaea and poinsettias and then higher up the groves of walnuts, cherries, almonds, pistachios and vines. Palermo is known for its street markets, especially Vucciria and Ballaro, where traders and hawkers, pickpockets and shoppers converge amongst narrow streets and stalls of wares. See the traditional costumes and dialect of Piana degli Albanesi, where Albanians settled in the 15th Century. Revel in the splendid site of Taormina above the sea with views to Etna. Local crafts include cork, ceramics, honey, embroidery, raffia. Enjoy the calm and remoteness of the Aeolian Islands with their clear waters, beautiful scenery and peaceful way of life. Enjoy the gardens of the Villa Giulia in Palermo and the Public Gardens in Taormina.
Cultural highlights of Sicily
Palermo contains some of the greatest Arab-Norman buildings in existence - San Giovanni degli Eremiti, the Palazzo Reale with its striking Cappella Palatina and La Martorana. Monreale outside Palermo is the greatest work of Norman architecture in Sicily and contains beautiful 12th and 13th Century mosaics and cloisters. The Doric temples of the 5th Century BC in the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. Cefalu has the `Portrait of a Man` by Antonello da Messina, dating from 1465 in its Museo Mandralisca.
Festivals in Sicily
Many Sicilian local festivals are linked to Saints’ Days. A few of the most well-known festivals generally include Carnival celebrations in Taormina and Acireale. Easter is celebrated especially in Trapani, Marsala and Piana degli Albanesi. Messina celebrates Ferragosto on the 15th August with a firework display over the Straits. The Sagra del Mandorlo in Fiore takes place in Agrigento in the first and second weeks of February to celebrate the almond blossom. Taormina Arte is a summer festival of music, cinema, ballet and theatre, held in the Greek theatre. The Palio dei Normanni takes place in Piazza Armeria in August.
Gastronomy in Sicily
The gastronomy of Sicily, like much of the culture of the island, has been heavily influenced by its history. Cuscus is a Sicilian version of couscous, and marzipan features heavily in sweets. Local produce includes citrus fruits, almonds, capers, olives, peppers and fish. Local specialities include Maccheroni con le sarde (pasta with sardines, fennel, raisins, pine nuts and saffron), Pesce spada (grilled sword fish), 'alla Siciliana' with capers, red peppers and herbs. Cassata is a popular dessert made with ricotta, candied fruit and pistachios and Cannoli are almond biscuits stuffed with ricotta. Sicily produces a variety of red and white wines including Corvo di Salaparuta and Etna, Marsala and Malvasia.
