Palermo hotels, Monreale Sicily

Hotel Baglio Conca D'Oro, Palermo

This comfortable hotel near Palermo is set a little way below the town of Monreale in a pretty Sicilian village. The Hotel Baglio Conca D'Oro is a charming historic building built in soft, pinkish stone with 27, spacious, comfortable guest rooms. All rooms are doubles and have private bathroom facilities (some with showers) as well as satellite TV, direct-dial telephone, radio alarm and minibar. Many bedrooms have glorious views over the Conca d'Oro valley and all are light and airy with tasteful furnishings and fine furniture.

The hotel has access for guests with disabilities and all rooms are accessible either by ground-floor access or a lift/elevator. There are full conference facilities with a banqueting hall holding up to 250 guests, a handsome bar and a range of meeting rooms of various sizes. Pets are welcome here and there is a babysitting service for families with young children. In addition, the hotel is surrounded by attractive gardens and there is a private beach for guests' use. A large, welcoming restaurant offers a menu featuring delicious Sicilian specialities; There is also an outdoor swimming pool and a range of therapeutic and relaxing beauty treatments using the mineral-rich waters and mud found on the island. A shuttle service exists to ferry guests to and from the railway station and there is free car parking.

The village, named St Joseph's, was originally built by one Biagio de Spuches, the President of the Royal Estate in 1740, and has an ancient paper mill and an old church. The town of Monreale (royal mountain) was named after a palace built here by King Roger I of Sicily, and is set on the slopes of Monte Caputo, which overlooks the beautiful, fertile valley known as La Conca d'Oro - the golden shell - famed throughout the island for its olive, almond and citrus trees. There is lots to see in the city of Palermo, which lies about 15 kilometres/10 miles away, with its handsome turn-of-the-century buildings, colourful markets and distinctive cultural identity.

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Double room from €60