Tonnara di Scopello — Attraction in Castellammare del Golfo

Last week, I visited Tonnara di Scopello with my partner. As the hotel is booked far in advance and our trip was spontaneous, we came simply as visitors to the museum. I’ve admired this boutique, intimate hotel for a long time, and while in Sicily for just a few days, I wanted at least to enjoy the architecture and ambiance in person. So I purchased two entrance tickets for €50.

Please note: I’m not writing this review as a hotel guest—perhaps under those circumstances my experience would have been exceptional. However, if you plan to visit as a tourist, like I did, I must say the experience was rather disappointing.

The €25 per person entrance fee grants access to only a few rooms, where the exhibits are limited to some old fishing equipment and photos of fishermen. Photography is strictly forbidden, and access to most areas is restricted. What’s more, entry is only allowed at specific times, and this is not clearly stated on the website. This was quite frustrating, especially since I was in Sicily for a friend's wedding and only had two hours to spare. Waiting an hour for the English-language tour wasn’t ideal, so I joined the Italian one instead.

Midway through the visit, feeling underwhelmed, I decided to leave—only to be escorted directly to the exit, presumably to ensure I didn’t take any unauthorized photos on my way out. 🤣

In summary, if your intention—like mine—was to admire the beauty of the location, perhaps take a few photos or enjoy a drink while soaking in the atmosphere, I would not recommend visiting unless you're staying as...

The beach is gorgeous, I cannot take it away from them. However, the rudeness of the staff is like NO OTHER. I have been around Sicily 2 times and I can, with no doubt, say that I have never met more rude people than in la Tonnara. Just giving a head up to anyone visiting. There is nothing worst than traveling across the globe to be treated like a piece of garbage and especially if you are paying a fair price to be in this place. Tickets are sold for $30USD pp $25 USD the parking. Food is average not great but not bad neither. The wine was serve in a mini paper bag for $15 USD. Also, there is NO SHOWER which I think it is crazy and disgusting for a "beach club" and the water is very salty so be ready to feel extremely dry. They put away the shades for our "safety" at 1pm without giving any notice to anyone. We were all under the sun. Everybody moved closer to one of the building to get some shade (still inside the commun/ allowed area), and we were asked to MOVE because they didn't like it (I still do not understand why). The garbage was not picked up, you can also find glass which i think it is quite dangerous since people are barefoot. I asked to one of the waiter inside the shop the reason why the staff was so rude and he said: Because we don't need to make any effort, people will always come here. I hope your "trendy" moment will last because with these treatment, very few people...

I have mixed feelings about this location. The place as such is beautiful, the water is clear and it is great to spent time there and feel the ambience. Basically it is what you can see on the images on google, nothing more nothing less. Just be aware of a few things, which I would have liked to know before. To get to the seaside you have to pay 10 Euros: this includes you can take a chair, have 10-15 minutes walk trough the tuna museum and a small bottle of water. In my case the place, which was supposed to distribute the water was not open (beginning November) - so there was no water and there is no place to buy drinks of food nearby. (The hotel does not serve you). There are no public toilettes either. The tour was in Italian language, which I do not speak and you are not allowed to take any pictures, as the museum is part of a hotel. So the premises largely are only accessible to the hotel guests - this goes for the close by parking as well. You can park further up the road, which will cost you 2.5 Euros per hour or 10 Euros per day. Overall the weather was nice and I made the most out of it enjoyed the sun, however I would not pay for this experience again as there are more beautiful places to go to and they...