Hotel Kalura — Hotel in Cefalù

I think this hotel hits a sweet spot that is very hard to reach. It's got enough of the resort vibe, but doesn't come at you overly hard with making life way too easy as a non-Italian tourist so that you feel you could be anywhere in the world at any resort. It was helpful that english was easily available from all the staff we interacted with, but it didn't feel too watered down if you know what I mean.

The hotel definitely caters toward those from other countries, with menus available in Italian, English and German - so in that way it was for sure easier to communicate than in some of the towns we visited on the western and southern side of the island. Though I love trying to use my very, very basic and bad Google Translate Italian, and so the language ease was both a blessing and a curse.

I suggest paying for the sea view, the courtyard was nice, but it was nothing close to being able to see the sunrise from an elevated balcony. We stayed on the second floor, you could probably pay for a higher floor, but probably that isn't worth it. The only complaint that I really have about the room was the shower, no matter what we tried the entire bathroom floor was just covered in water, so we had to place towels down in order to not slip. It's just a bad design, not sure if the other rooms had the same issue, but it wasn't a big deal.

One other minor issue was the way the venting was setup in the bathrooms, when in the bathroom you could hear the conversation taking place and showering in the room next door. Not a huge deal, but for sure sound isolation is something that I would expect from a hotel at this price point.

The beds were fine, big for European standards, moderately comfortable though the sheets were more on the rough side given the probable bleach used. The view though... and the location... that's gotta be what this hotel was about. The included breakfast was also good, and probably the best we had on our trip. Plenty of fresh options, refreshed throughout the morning. Great, friendly staff as well.

In terms of location, you can walk into town in about 25-30 minutes, though you'll probably be a sweaty mess afterward like we were, find a cool air conditioned spot for some chilled bianco and you'll be fine. It was nice having that walk as an option, though we only walked in once, opting for a €12 taxi ride with Rosaria that the front desk helped coordinate (there is no Uber)

Dinner at the hotel was excellent, the wine list is solid and the view was just spectacular.

The stone beach and swimming was amazing, crystal clear waters while we were there with deep rocky pools to explore with a snorkel and we saw thousands of smaller fish and a few bigger ones as well. Most of the families with kids hung out at the stone beach, so one area became sort of the default adult quiet(er) area, but I don't think it is officially one. If you are looking for sand, you can head into the busy downtown Cefalu beach, or a there are other beaches a short shuttle ride away. You can also rent SUPs and kayaks too and the lunch down at the beach was both...

A Beautiful Property with a Serious Management Problem at Dinner

Let me start by saying: I never write negative reviews. If you look at my track record, I’m someone who believes in giving the benefit of the doubt — hospitality is tough, and I always try to highlight the positive. This is the only time I’ve ever felt compelled to speak up.

To begin with the good: the hotel grounds are absolutely stunning. The entire property has a refined, upscale charm that made our stay feel special. My kids especially loved the beach area, which was perfect for snorkeling and exploring. The bartender in the evenings was an absolute gem — warm, friendly, and the kind of person who makes you feel at home.

That said, our experience at the hotel’s restaurant during dinner was deeply disappointing — and ultimately upsetting.

After 6pm, the outdoor dining area becomes completely overrun with bees. I’m not talking about the occasional nuisance — it’s a full-on infestation. The moment our food arrived, it was swarmed. My young son was so startled he ran off to the courtyard, completely unable to eat his meal. His plate, like ours, had already been covered in bees and was simply no longer edible.

When I politely brought this to the attention of the restaurant manager, Luigi, I was shocked by his reaction. Rather than offering a solution or even showing a shred of empathy, he responded with hostility and arrogance. When I went to the front desk to ask for assistance, Luigi actually followed and began yelling at my wife in the lobby — an absolutely unacceptable display of behavior for someone in his position.

His “solution” was to invite us to eat indoors — but only after our food had already been ruined. And to make matters worse, he insisted on charging us for the uneaten meals, despite the fact that they were clearly inedible and we had no opportunity to enjoy them.

For clarity: I would recommend this hotel for the location, amenities, and the overall feel — especially for families during the day. The breakfast buffet was solid, the rooms comfortable, and the beachfront experience was a highlight.

But dinner? Until there’s new restaurant management and a serious solution to the bee problem, I would avoid...

I booked a standard sea view room - what a mistake! Ruined my whole stay in Cefalu... To state first of all the only positive point: the receptionists were all friendly and nice, eventhough they were treated by various costumers is a pretty rude way. That said: immediately upon arrival I had to wait 40min after official check in time (14:30). As I entered the room my jaw dropped - it was the ugliest hotel room I've been to. I took off the IKEA style photo images of the walls, but the cheap taste of all furniture wasn't something I could change. The bathroom was really depressing, a very sad room with a too small shower in a very used state, the whole room is big (the proportions here - room, terrace, hotel - are architecture failures), but everything feels like a jail cell. The terrace to the sea is half blocked by a huge roof above some open area (another architecture failure, BTW) and there's no privacy nor the feeling of privacy on tbe terrace - you are totally exposed...the light in the room lamps is of this white energy-save style, again - sad atmosphere of cheap ugly taste. The lobby is horrifying, weird divisions, tasteless design or over-design (be warned of the bar area, a real disaster on every level) A major deficit is the crowd of elderly - physically and/or mentally - mostly Germans /Austrians - of the kind you really would rather never meet in person. The private beach is a stripe of concrete - a bad joke (luckily the "architect" who "planned" these atrocities wasn't able to damage the cliff in the water view) Breakfast: a totally disorienting buffet, with awkward separations to islands (but mozzarella f.e is not together where other kind of cheese is, scrambled eggs are across the hall, juice machine practically hidden) takes long to find dishes that are clean enough, even at the bar(!) the barman(!) gave me espresso in a lipstick stained cup...I had to show it to him. I found a hair in one piece of cake and so...