Hilton Portorosa, the only five star leisure and conference hotel in the north east region of the legendary island of Sicily, opened its doors yesterday, becoming the second Hilton hotel in Sicily and the second Hilton Worldwide Resort in Italy. Facilities include a private beach with powdery white sand, an indoor heated pool and an outdoor pool with sweeping views over the Gulf. There are also four shops, a private mooring for 12 boats, a shuttle service to Catania airport and Barcelona railway station, parking for 450 cars and a reserved area for buses and coaches. Hilton Portorosa Sicily is situated near two major Sicilian roads and is connected to the Catania Fontanarossa international airport by a helicopter service in 18 minutes and accessible by private yacht directly from Portorosa Marina, the number one tourist port. DC 02/08.

The spectacularly located nine-storey new hotel is framed by a private sandy beach on one side and Sicily's premier tourist port, the Portorosa Marina, on the other.

All 263 rooms feature contemporary, designer-led interiors bursting with natural sunlight from the floor to ceiling double windows and offering sizeable terraces. Almost all rooms have vistas over the port or the sea and each has a satellite TV, high-speed internet connection, mini-bar, and safety deposit box.

Three full-service restaurants offering a diversity of flavours and ambience include Re Ruggero, a ground floor outlet serving international specialities, Marina, which dishes up authentic Sicilian fare adjacent to the pool, and the rooftop La Perla, positioned for functions and providing spectacular views of the Tindari promontory and the Aeolian Islands. The Lobby Bar offers light snacks and cool drinks while the Beach Bar is flanked by the Tyrrhenian Sea.

The hotel is at the heart of the Marina of Porto Rosa, in the Gulf of Patti (Messina). It overlooks the inner harbour on one side and a private beach, the Aeolian Islands and the sea on the other. There's a berth for your private yacht, should you have one, if not you are within easy reach of the ferry port at Messina, which links to the mainland. Hilton Portorsa can be reached following the coastal highway route CATANIA-MESSINA-PALERMO, exit Furnari.

Area Details

• 19 kms to city centre
• 149 kms to the airport (fontanarosa)
• 190 kms to the airport (punta raisi)
• 12 km to the nearest station (barcellona pozzo di gotto)
• Close to the trade fair ground (hotel)
• Close to the beach