Hi,
I stayed here for a week leaving on 5th June 2014. The hotel is very clean with an impressive lobby. We had a sea facing family room which cost £570 for the week for 2 adults and 2 children. Gold and Diamond members got breakfast free. There was no extra for the children who also got free breakfast. The breakfast was fine, but not as good a selection as other European or even Italian Hiltons, such as the Sorrento Palace. There is no executive lounge at the hotel. Staff told me they will be getting a lounge by April 2015. Gold and Diamond members got free wi fi and free coupons to redeem at the bar. I got 8 coupons a day which I thought was pretty good. The coupons were for soft drinks, however the staff were very accommodating. The bar also has a patisserie and ice cream bar. I was allowed to use the vouchers for cakes, ice cream and hot drinks. On an evening the bar manager was super helpful and I managed to even get wine using the vouchers. On a few occasions he gave me some vouchers back. Over the week this saved me a considerable amount of money. Needless to say, on my last night I left him a good tip... The staff at the hotel were very helpful and were able to book horse riding for my daughter which was nearby and golf for me. The hotel has a lovely private beach, however it was €10 per sun lounger per day. The hotel pool was very well maintained and there was no charge for the sun loungers around the pool. They provide pool towels at €2 per towel, however there is no charge for Gold and Diamond members. The hotel has a spa and I was given 2 vouchers for free access. Outside the hotel there are a number of restaurants of varying standard. They are much cheaper than eating in the Hilton. We used restaurant pizzeria de margarita on 4 nights. It has very good reviews on trip advisor and was better than the others we had tried. It was a 2 minute walk from the hotel and next to where the Hilton park your car.
I would recommend having a car if you intend to go to places further away like mount Etna. The coach to Etna cost €34 per person and you leave early at 0830 and the coach Leaves Etna at 1630. There is a bus service to Toarmina which is €2 and takes 15 minutes. I drove everywhere and had a minibus as there was six in our overall party. I know the Italians have a reputation for driving, but I found the roads easy to navigate. The roads up to Etna are wide and in May it was very quiet. It may be busier on the roads in the summer. The drive from Catania airport to the hotel took 50 minutes and was mostly on auto route/motorway whatever you like to call it. The island was very beautiful but I would say 1 week is enough.
Regards
Obs