Relais Abbazia Santa Anastasia Resort & Winery

Absolutely loved this hotel. A very winding pot holed lane to get to the property but definitely worth it. So quiet and secluded. Pool area offered stunning views. Dinning in the courtyard at night was magical. Staff were attentive without being over the top. The 5 course menu with wine offered brilliant choices of Sicilian dishes. We loved ever minute. Breakfast buffet on the terrace again was a lovely experience. Wishes we could have stayed longer. Will return.

Remote and beautiful location with breathtaking views and stunning exterior buildings with fantastic poolside terrace. Excellent service in restaurant and hotel lobby. Please note, always access via the first exit with a red sign...this is not obvious and needs to be lit at night, otherwise there is a second turning a few kilometres later which needs to be avoided at all costs. Hotel makes an ideal short term break of 3 to 4 days. Restaurant food of high standard but expensive. We do recommend the wine pairing menu....excellent. Breakfast is ok but not the same standard as the main restaurant. The Pool terrace whist spectator lacks comfortable sun loungers and there is no provision of umbrellas if you require a modicum of shade. You are offered a shaded tree grove which is not pleasant. In the evening the hotel is dead and the bar is not manned and you have to ring for someone to come and serve drinks. Our room was small and tired with no Aircon until June 1st. There was also a lack of drawers (none) and the bathroom was cramped with a small shower cubicle. Staff were extremely friendly and helpful.

What a find. Right up high in the mountains with amazing views and equally amazing food. We stayed for 2 nights in a lovely room. The swimming pool was a lovely respite from the sun. Definitely make the effort to walk up to the view point. The food in the restaurant is worthy of a Mitchelin Star but it hasn't got one. The wine tour is a bit disappointing at only 40 minutes but you can try the wines (for a separate price) in the bar near the pool. The drive is about 2 miles long back to the road but is surrounded by the vines and olive trees - very picturesque

It was unfortunate that our directions took us to the door of this remote hotel via a very rough and long road, which was barely navigable and plainly not the correct access, although we met several others who had made the same mistake. It would probably help if the hotel were to make their signage off the main road a bit more prominent. Our room was a little disappointing, being quite dark, and with only limited storage space. The bathroom was small, with an old corner shower which worked well enough but really needs an upgrade for a hotel of this calibre. Having said that, this is an old building and there must be limitations on the extent the rooms can be modified. The staff were at all times very helpful and friendly. It was a pity, however, that on our first night there was a wedding which meant that we could not use the much more splendid restaurant for dinner. The most impressive aspect of our stay, however, was certainly the great restaurant food and wine offerings. On our first two nights we had the half board menus, which were delicious and well thought out. Our a La carte dinner was also of excellent quality and much enjoyed. Breakfasts were ok, in a nice breakfast room, although the cooked buffet option ( the usual bacon and only slightly warm scrambled eggs which we found everywhere in other hotels ) was not that attractive. Wines are all from the immediate area and were not only excellent but also very reasonably priced. All in all much recommended, although somewhat out of the way via winding roads, but not too far from the popular Cefalù. Visitors should climb the 200 steps to the panoramic view which is very worthwhile. Also good walks in the area of the estate, but ours was curtailed because the route had been fenced off. The hotel needs to check this before recommending to others.

We visited Abbazia Santa Anastasia after finding it online and reading some of their reviews. It is an impressive abbey tucked away in the hills and winery in the Castel Buono with wonderful vistas. The hotel, the room, the pool and surrounding walking areas are very impressive and worth visiting for a unique Sicilian experience and, of course, taste of some local wine. While I agree with some of the prior reviews, the staffs attentiveness to guests may have been spotty in some instances, when I addressed the issue, it was quickly corrected and more than made up for by their subsequent efforts. I would highly recommend visiting this hotel winery and trying it out. If any issues arise, they should be addressed at the hotel and I believe the experience would be definitely worthwhile.

This is kind of a magical place, a beautifully restored 12th-century abbey and winery up in the hills not far from Cefalu. The place offers a beautiful pool with stunning views of the hills to the sea, the room was very comfortable and quiet, the grounds were beautiful, breakfast was excellent, and dinner (not included, of course) was both elegant and delicious. We also had a very interesting tour of the winery.