STAY > Grand Hotel Des Ètranges, Siracusa (17/20)

Grand Hotel Des Étrangers in Ortigia is Syracuse at its most cinematic: a freshly restored, 5‑star grande dame with Ionian light pouring in through neoclassical balconies and just enough contemporary polish to feel quietly current rather than stuffy.

AMBIENCE >

The hotel’s neoclassical façade dominates the Ortigia waterfront, looking straight over the Levant Sea with the Duomo and Fountain of Diana just a short stroll away. Inside, you move from marble-floored halls and stuccoed ceilings into a more contemporary Sicilian palette of soft neutrals, warm timber and tailored upholstery, echoing the recent top‑to‑toe restoration of the late‑nineteenth‑century palazzo.

Public spaces lean into slow luxury: generous lounges, high ceilings and picture‑frame sea views that feel more like an old‑world club than a resort, while the overall scale (68 rooms and suites across four floors) keeps things intimate by Mediterranean grand‑hotel standards.

Step outside and you are immediately in Ortigia’s historic grid – baroque churches, tiny wine bars, the seafront promenade – which means you can treat the hotel as both sanctuary and springboard for exploring Syracuse on foot.

Grand Hotel des Ètranges is is the Ortigia address if you want grand‑hotel theatre – neoclassical bones, proper balconies, lobby scale – combined with a contemporary Sicilian finish and the ability to walk almost everywhere that matters in Syracuse.

SLEEP >

Rooms run from entry‑level Comfort to Superior and up through Junior Suites and signature suites, with the majority offering full or partial sea views; around 64 of the 68 units look directly towards the Ionian.

Interiors mix traditional and contemporary materials – think clean‑lined joinery, fabric‑covered headboards and classic floors – with enough space to actually unpack; the showpieces are the Imperial, Presidential and the distinctive Penthouse Borgia, which is designed as a private eyrie for longer, more confidential stays.

Bathrooms keep things bright and functional rather than over‑designed, and thanks to Ortigia’s generally quiet streets and the building’s solid bones, you sleep to the soft hum of the harbour rather than nightclub spill‑out (though in high season, sea‑facing rooms may pick up some waterfront buzz).

EAT >

Mornings begin in a dedicated breakfast room with panoramic windows looking out over the Sea of Syracuse, which does a lot of the heavy lifting even before your first espresso.

The hotel’s main restaurant, Clou, leans into an elegant, contemporary reading of Sicilian cooking – local seafood, seasonal vegetables, citrus and herbs – plated with enough finesse to warrant dressing up without tipping into formality.

Beyond dinner, the wider Ortigia food scene is on your doorstep, from market trattorie to natural‑wine bistros, so it’s easy to alternate between in‑house evenings and neighbourhood wandering.

DRINK >

There is a terrace or rooftop bar area where you can sit above the seafront traffic with a Negroni or Sicilian spritz at golden hour, watching ferries and fishing boats drag across the bay.

Clou’s cellar carries a thoughtful list that foregrounds Sicilian labels – Etna reds and saline island whites – alongside Italian classics and international bottles, which means you can drink hyper‑local or go global depending on mood.
For a change of scene, you are within a few minutes’ walk of small cocktail bars and enoteche in the lanes behind Piazza del Duomo, making a post‑dinner wander feel almost compulsory.

WORKOUT >

A compact but well‑equipped fitness area means you can tick off the basics – cardio machines and free weights – before breakfast or between swims.

If you prefer outside time, Ortigia itself becomes your training ground: run the loop around the island past Castello Maniace or string together walking laps between the bridges, cathedral square and harbour.

There is also an on‑site spa, so you can trade intervals for a massage or thermal circuit if your idea of wellness skews more restorative than athletic.

Location is the hotel’s greatest amenity: you are roughly ten minutes on foot from the Fountain of Arethusa and Maniace Castle, and about twenty‑five minutes’ walk or a short taxi to the Neapolis Archaeological Park and its Greek theatre and Roman amphitheatre.

Back in Ortigia, you can drift between churches, tiny museums and contemporary galleries, then return to aperitivo with the Levant Sea turning silver just beyond the balustrade.

CONCLUSION >

Grand Hotel Des Étrangers is the Ortigia address if you want grand‑hotel theatre – neoclassical bones, proper balconies, lobby scale – combined with a contemporary Sicilian finish and the ability to walk almost everywhere that matters in Syracuse.

It’s less about resort distractions and more about calibrated comforts: sea‑facing suites, a serious restaurant, a spa and bar with a view, and enough heritage to feel like you are staying inside the city’s story rather than merely adjacent to it.

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Image Credit | ALMANAK

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