A wonderful discovery at Mangia’s Pollina Resort ****

At Easter, we explored Sicily as a family. Our trip lasted 9 days, and we stayed in 3 hotels close to the cultural attractions we wanted to visit. Located about twenty minutes from Cefalù, the Mangia’s Pollina hotel pleasantly surprised us with the quality of its service and dining, its exceptional hillside location, and its very reasonable prices.

Historically, the Cefalù region attracts many French-speaking visitors. That’s why most of the hotel staff (including those from the kids’ club!) speak French in addition to Italian and English.

Our son Achille made lots of French-speaking friends, and it was great to see them having fun together on the football field, at the pool, or even at the beach. We got to know their parents and even shared several meals together.

The cuisine is truly delicious. We rarely saw such a fresh, tasty, and creative buffet. In the half-board option, wines and soft drinks are even included. There is also an original sushi restaurant housed in an old Genoese tower. A pizzeria, outdoors, offering superb views of the sea and other dining options.

The rooms have been recently completely renovated. We stayed in a suite with a master bedroom and a living room where our son’s sofa bed was set up. We also had a nice terrace. The room was clean and functional. We didn’t have a king-size bed, but a comfortable 1.60m bed.

Mangia’s Pollina has a very large sandy beach accessible via stairs or elevator: perfect for families with children! This beach offers sun loungers and a nice wooden bar. A lifeguard watches over the safety of the swimmers. Young children can paddle safely at the beach, in the kids’ section of the main pool, or in the lagoon pool specially reserved for them at the kids’ club, which also houses two water slides.

Built in the shade of pine trees and facing the sea, the kids’ club is idyllic. The team that supervises the children is fantastic. We travel a lot, but we have rarely encountered such imaginative staff! Crafts are made with recycled materials and are more original than the others: cardboard cars propelled by a balloon, propeller helicopters, ping-pong ball catapults, cardboard handbags, 3D postcards, etc. Achille had a blast!

Adults also have their share of activities: yoga or Pilates classes, aperitifs with live music at sunset, petanque, paddle tennis, … The hotel has an excursion desk that organizes outings according to your desires. The establishment also houses a Europcar agency.

Usually, we stay in 5-star hotels, and I must admit that we were very pleasantly surprised by the quality of this 4-star establishment. It’s a very nice address that I recommend to families looking for dream vacations without breaking the bank.

I also recommend visiting Cefalù and exploring the 1001 alleys of this historic seaside village, as well as simply strolling on the terrace or on the beach that borders this ancient medieval city. It’s the perfect place to enjoy one of the many Sicilian specialties like granita, arancini, or cannolo!

Arrivederci!