Mangia's Favignana Resort

This is a large club so we expected a bit of generic-ness. The staff did seem a bit indifferent more often than not but that would be the only critique. The pool is huge with lots of room for sun bathers. The beachfront was stunning volcanic rock with platforms for lounge chairs tastefully propped atop. Downtown Favagnana is a 10-minute taxi away and is so charming and tasty. We rented a scooter from the resort one day - it was incredibly fun tooling around this beautiful island. We also hired a private boat tour of Favignana from a company in town. I'll write a review of that amazing experience when I remember the name of the company. I do remember the captain - Giuseppe, a weathered fisherman from Favignana who made our day on the water an experience of a lifetime.

We traveled to Sicily and spent four days in Favignana. It was a lovely island, and we rode bicycles all around and explored.

When I chose Mangia's the comments in the reviews were a bit mixed. Overall, it seemed like a nice resort, so we booked a seafront suite. The suite location was beautiful.

I will start with the positives of our trip:
--Giusy who managed the bicycle rental was lovely. She was super helpful, and that made exploring perfect.
--Aurora and a young man at the front desk were kind and helpful.
--The General Manager, Maurizio Figuccio, was very kind. He listened to us, understood our complaints, and had a nice approach. He wasn't able to solve our issues, but I appreciate him spending time with us and listening.
--The pool, bar, and restaurant team members were kind and customer-focused. And the pizza was good.

Let me talk about where this property could improve. I will start by saying that I do not believe customers are always right, because they aren't. Sometimes they are just wrong. That wasn't the case here.
--We stayed in the seafront suite - I believe it is one of their best rooms. The room needs a makeover, and that includes the shower. A horrible smell came from the shower drain when the water was on, and the bottom of the shower walls need work.
--The walls in the room are paper thin. Paper. Thin. I was startled because I thought someone was in the room. That is how clearly I could hear the conversation. There was no privacy. I heard every word, sound, flush, and everything else. Everything.
--The bedroom had curtains that could block the outside light. There were two windows (each window with two curtains to block light) and a door with one curtain. It blocked half of the light. We went to reception and asked them to install the other curtain, and they didn't. We went back the next day and my husband was told that 'they asked the housekeeping lady and she said the curtain should be able to cover that entire window and they believe her.' Wait, what? Now, we took a picture of all three windows (see attached), including the empty curtain rod that should hold the missing curtain, but they didn't believe the photo. We invited them to come to the room and close that curtain for us, and they declined - because they knew there was no way to cover that window. So, we woke up early for four days because of the light. The receptionists were rude and didn't care - at all. I am attaching two photos - decide for yourself.
--Do not disturb. That sign had no meaning. They literally had to lift the Do Not Disturb sign to insert the key into the keyhole. And they kept coming in there. It's bizarre because, you know, we were asking not to be disturbed. My husband was awake when housekeeping entered the room (while I was sleeping) and asked the housekeeper why she entered when the sign was on the door. She responded that 'sometimes the signs fly away,' which is true, but he pointed to the sign on the door, and she walked away. We put a chair in front of the door from that point forward so we could know when someone was entering our room.
--When we arrived, our luggage was taken to the room while we completed check-in. They handed us the keys and said the room was through that door. We wandered and finally saw the young man that took our luggage and he showed us how to get to our room.
--I left the room to meet friends and went back about 30 minutes later to get my hat. I arrived at the room and the door was wide open - with no one inside. I said hello a couple of times, walked in, took my hat then walked out. I was closing the door when the housekeeper came to me. Now, I am guessing that she mopped the floor and walked away to let the floor dry. But I could have been ANYONE walking into and out of that room. I didn't have a sense of security at this hotel.
--The shuttle. We took the shuttle to the hotel after the ferry but that was the only time. We were in the lobby 15 minutes before a scheduled shuttle when Aurora told us that it was full and left early. She called to ask if they were coming back, but they were sticking to the schedule, an hour later. So Aurora booked taxis for us so we had confirmed transportation in the evenings.
--Sprinklers. Every evening when we left our room for dinner the sprinklers were on. They move, so you have do somewhat of a dance to avoid them. We like showers but not after getting dressed for dinner. Perhaps they could reschedule the lawn watering for early morning or late night.
--Wifi didn't work well for us.
--We don't care about tv but for some people it is important. There were just a few tv channels because the system "could not find signal."

Gentile Ospite,

Grazie per la recensione sul nostro hotel! Siamo molto contenti che la sua permanenza sia stata piacevole. Faremo tesoro di ogni valutazione. Ci auguriamo di rivederla presto.

Cordiali saluti,
Silvio
Mangia's Favignana Resort

Mangia's is fantastic! The staff is wonderful, the amenities are divine, the pool is beautiful and fun whether you want to recline or jump in, there's snorkeling right off the pool or in many walkable spots, and the town and excursions are just minutes away. We had a wonderful time and I highly recommended it.

Dear Customer,

Thank you for the wonderful review of our hotel! We are very happy that you enjoyed your stay and look forward to seeing you again soon.

Aurora
Best regards,

There are no words to explain how much we appreciated such special personalized service, amazing food and wine with beautiful surroundings- from the prompt pickup at the port to the moment we entered this most scenic and relaxing resort and were greeted by Francesca, the front desk manager and Maurizio the super hands on and wonderful general manager. We thought it couldn't get better until we met the restaurant manager, Luca, the chef, Simone, bar manager, Giuseppe. I could go on and on....

It was dauting to think how a once in a lifetime trip of 16 cousins from Palermo and the US would work out. We were commemorating the year of the loss of our beloved mother and grandmother in the US and their mother and grandmother in Sicily, but we were also celebrating life and love.
Along with us was the recently married( two days before) bride and groom and also two cousins that are expecting this year.

There was something for everyone to do and the staff worked as a team to make it enjoyable and easy. Of special note, is the large ocean view pool and the amazing "kids" club that our littlest 5 year old cousin cried when she had to leave. The rooms were extra clean, comfortable and relaxing with sea view that were stunning.

We truly couldn't ask for anything more as we all bonded, relaxed and renewed and we can't wait to go back. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts Maurizio. You have assembled an amazing team and your special touches are everywhere as you continuously move the resort forward on this most magical and wild island with crystal clear bright blue waters!

Dear Customer,

Thank you for the wonderful review of our hotel! We are very happy that you enjoyed your stay and look forward to seeing you again soon.

Silvio
Best regards,

The hotel have ambitions but is not at all living up to 4 star service as they claim to have, maximum 2,5.

Not worth the money spend by staying there unless you are satisfied with only a good location and a pool.

When it comes to service level it’s a big disappointment!

For example, we were promised via email that the shuttle from the port to the hotel would come every 30 min. We ended up waiting 1,5h. Once arriving at the hotel there was no ownership of the situation, only blaming they had changed the schedule. And of course no compensation, like a cold drink, water whatever!

And the list goes on and on with poor service and customer experience focus.

Dear Guest,

Thanks for taking the time to share your impressions! We are very sorry for your experience, but it is thanks to comments like yours that we can understand how and where to improve. We work hard to ensure the best possible experience for our guests. If you give us a chance to regain your trust, I guarantee that we will do our best to offer you a different and better experience.

Best regards,

Silvio

Favignana Resort