Caol Ishka Hotel
Via Elorina 154, Contrada Pantanelli, Siracusa, Sicily, Italy
Check availability as rates may vary for dates. Best rate guaranteed.
It’s odd, we’ll grant, to travel all the way to Sicily and end up in a hotel with a Gaelic name. But it’s not the only thing that’s out of the ordinary about this place. Caol Ishka seems simple enough from the outside, just a traditional masseria, a Southern Italian farming estate, in a field on the banks of the Anapo river, just outside of the coastal city of Siracusa.
But, as the saying goes, you can never judge a masseria by its pale-lavender paint job. The rooms are as modern as can be, visually spare with their plain cement walls and solid-white linens but full of detailed small comforts, from luxe ultra-modern furniture and fixtures to plasma televisions, DVD players and top-shelf bath products. Hardcore devotees of contemporary design will find the interiors unimpeachable, and may be driven to distraction turning over the chairs, checking for labels, but even the most casual fans will appreciate the utter absence of tired antique chic.
Zafferano, the restaurant, picks up where the rooms leave off: as strongly graphic as the room and the plates may be, the modern Sicilian cuisine is the main attraction. You’re close enough to Siracusa and the historic sights of Ortigia (barely a mile) for an easy day trip, but just far enough that come morning a day by the pool under the Sicilian sun may sound like more your speed.
Please note: Caol Ishka Hotel is open seasonally, March through November.
How to Get There
Caol Ishka Hotel is approximately a 1 hour drive from Catania-Fontanarossa Airport (CTA). Please contact customerservice@tablethotels.com to arrange airport transfers.
- 10 Rooms
- Style: Modern Design
- Atmosphere: Quiet
- 12 Guest Reviews
- Caol Ishka Hotel
- Via Elorina 154, Contrada Pantanelli
- Siracusa, Sicily, Italy
Hotel amenities and services
- 100% non-smoking hotel
- 24 hour concierge
- 24 hour front desk
- Babysitting (on request)
- Bar
- Central air conditioning
- Free parking
- Free wi-fi
- Garden
- Library
- Lounge
- Luggage storage
- Outdoor swimming pool
- Pet Friendly
- Restaurant
- Room service
Other Syracuse hotels
12 Guest Reviews
All reviews are from Tablet guests with verified stays.
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- Mark
- Stayed July 2009
- Rating: Fair
What I liked:
The overall setting is beautiful and relaxing. The staff members were all very friendly. One lady was particularly helpful in offering good advice for how to make the most of our short time in Syracusa.
What the hotel could do better:
Difficult to find at night! Their one sign has no lights. The rooms are nice but nothing amazing...at least for the price we paid. Having a strap over the toilet seat to show that it had been cleaned felt a little Motel 6!
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- Lauren
- Stayed September 2008
- Rating: Good
What I liked:
The hotel was reasonably priced, and well located by car from Siracusa. A modern, minimalist approach to decor was appreciated after the more elaborate, old style hotels elsewhere on the island. The hotel's pool was a big draw.
What the hotel could do better:
The rooms were not amazingly well put together. Perhaps 'rustic' would be the best way to describe them.
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- Rosie
- Stayed April 2008
- Rating: Excellent
What I liked:
Perfect romantic get away, wonderful restaurant with fab seasonal food, discreet but efficient helpful staff, great bathooms, comfy beds, nothing was too much trouble. We felt like we were at a private villa with staff rather than a hotel it was so intimate.
What the hotel could do better:
Mezzanine rooms a wee bit dark.
