Just back from a week in Marina di Ragusa. We all loved the apartment. It was comfortable, furnished beautifully, had everything we needed and the views over the marina were magnificent. Communication from time of booking, through our late arrival and during our stay was fantastic. Thank you Guenter and Giorgio for helping us have an amazing holiday! We loved the tray of local food you provided - it was very kind of you.
The town itself was quiet as expected at this time of year and there were only a few bars and restaurents open. Despite this it was buzzing on Sunday afternoon when it seemed like everyone for miles around had come out for a walk in the sunshine. The Stella Marina bar, which was just a few metres away was quite lively on Tuesday and Friday with the International crowd from the marina, who were all very friendly. The local people were very friendly too. My daughter really appreciated getting to play with a baby in one restaurent we were in. It was full of locals and the baby was brought to visit everyone, while her mum got to eat in peace. People were all highly amused by the mad British wearing shorts and t-shirts, while they were all wrapped up in jumpers, coats, hats and scarves! One old lady stopped me in the street to insist the teenagers should have coats on. It was 15 -17°C and we all had caught the sun on the sheltered balcony. Not sure how they would cope with cold and windy UK.
We found plenty to do in the surrounding area, Ragusa and Scicli were beautiful and for Inspectore Montalbano fans it was easy to find all the film locations. I had not heard of it until after I had booked the holiday but would recommend watching a few episodes to see how beautiful the area is and of course bore the rest of the family who didn't get around to watching any. We also enjoyed the Archiological park in Syracusa and the sandwich shop Caseificio Borderi in Ortigia market is not to be missed but it is a slow drive so make a day of it.
All in all it was a fantastic winter break. We had good weather and stayed in a fabulous location without the crowds.