Mare Indaco — Hotel in Santa Croce Camerina

This is the kind of holiday spot that is written about in novels: golden days spent near the sea, sharing meals with an Italian family on their farm as the cat lazes in the sun. The immediate surrounding area isn’t picturesque, but inside the gate is an oasis of green, with an Eden-like garden that provides every fruit and vegetable one could wish for. We only stayed one night, travelling down from Catania in order to walk (and swim) in the footsteps of Inspector Montalbano. More of this below. ||||We requested an evening meal and our host pulled out all the stops by providing us with a vegetarian feast, where absolutely everything, from the olives to the wood-fired oven-baked bread, was produced right there on the farm. The food was simply prepared with ingredients literally pulled fresh from the ground. The conversation was awkward, given the minimal textbook Italian we speak, but towards the end of the meal, I asked about the Italian citrus fruit, cedro. This caused our host to spring up from his seat, pick one of the fruits (and some onion and some parsley) from the garden and prepare us a salad so that we could try it for ourselves. Breakfast was equally memorable with two different homemade cakes and cornetti/croissants with a range of homemade jams. ||||Our accommodation was great for the night we spent there. The bedroom had air conditioning and television and there was a shower, kitchen, and small dining area, plus a large outside veranda with seating overlooking the garden. We didn’t book self-catering, so there was a sign in the sink that forbade its use – inconvenient for sharing an evening glass of wine and washing up afterwards, but understandable – but families could and do spend the whole summer here. I did get the feeling that our hosts were friendly with the other Italian guests and they patiently waited for us to finish our meals before gathering together for more convivial socialising together without the language barrier we presented. ||||There is secure parking and the house is a short drive into Punta Secca, which serves as Montalbano’s Vigàta in the series. We tried to book at his actual house in Punta Secca, but this place was much nicer. As for the town, Montalbano fans won’t be disappointed. Everything was much nicer than I expected it to be. The house, the lighthouse, the parking space, and the fish restaurant are all there, looking exactly as they do in the films, and there is hardly any evidence of tourism. We went in the evening and the small beaches had a few people on them, but nothing like the beach umbrella purgatory of other beaches (we were there in May, however). The highlight of our trip to Sicily was waking up early and swimming outside the house at 6. 30 a. m. Not a single other person was there, and it was just like being in the film. ||||Great value and...

Com e casa is on the logo of Mare Indaco B&B, and that's exactly what it is. It translates as 'as at home', and indeed as a guest here you are welcomed into their home. If you want a pristine environment and luxury tourist trap, don't go. If you prefer, as so many of the other reviews have said, to be welcomed, looked after and superbly fed in a homestay/agriturismo type experience, then this is the place for you. Angela and Elio and their family couldn't be friendlier and more helpful, and it was a bonus to be eating in the evening at table with people from other countries. You felt part of something, a guest, rather than a tourist just looking on.||It made our first trip to Sicily one we want to repeat asap. ||If you are a Montalbano fan, that is a real bonus too; his place is just down the road, and it was very pleasant to be sitting at the cafe at Punta Secca of an evening, having a drink while the sun goes down, watching them filming the next series of Young Montalbano.Brilliant!||One more point...we went in October and the temperatures were 27-32deg. This is off season for many locals and some of the restaurants and other shops were shut. This was fine for us, we don't like super busy or super hot, but it's a point to bear in mind if you like the high life!||Ragusa, Modica, Scicli, Donnafugata, all superb places to visit with easy driving, but you do need...

We visited this establishment in May this year and loved it so much that we wanted to go back as soon as possible.||.||Luckily Ryanair this September started a new service linking London Stansted with Comiso/Ragusa (only 20 minutes away from Punta Secca) thus avoiding the long trek from||Catania. and that was an offer that we could not refuse!!||We spent seven days in glorious October sunshine touring a deserted Montalbano land (just||like the films) enjoying amazing home cooked meals with Angela, Elio and family.||It was so beautiful,peaceful and quiet and terrific value for money.||The new airport has now opened up this beautiful area and made Mare Indaco is the ideal||base to chill out and live the true Montalbano life of sun,sand,fantastic food and amazing scenery.||We recommend this establishment to all Montalbano friends who want to know the "real" Sicily||Angela and Elio will show you what Sicilian hospitality really means.||We will certainly go back...