Great location, great staff, good food

Stayed in August 2025

I often stay in high mountain Rifugios in the Alps, so - judging by its name - I expected something like that. But no, to my biggest surprise, it is like a nice, but basic hotel in the middle of the forest. It had a convenient bathroom, a very comfy bed and it was super quiet, so we fell asleep within a nanosecond. I never understood why many ratings at booking.com are about the staff, but here's my first ever contribution to this: I have never met so nice, kind, friendly and flexible people. We were greeted warmly by the owner ( I guess), and the cook prepared dinner just for us later than expected, because we went for a hike, and woke up early because we left early. Supersweet. And we have never eaten such a good pistachio pasta meal before. Thank you. (I am still searching for a similar recipe on the net)

Stayed in May 2025

The price of food! We were charged 30Euro for 2 small bowls of simple pasta.

Lovely rustic chalet close to Etna. Cosy comfy room & decent shower. Piano V just up the road was a beautiful quiet spot for breakfast picnic.

Stayed in October 2024

Comfortable place, close to the Etna cable car

Stayed in April 2024

it was cold in room but there were enough blankets no mobile signal near the hut

great place in the middle of the forest, very close to hiking paths, free parking in front

Stayed in November 2023

Cozy environment, friendly host, immerse into the nature.

Stayed in November 2023

Peaceful location, close to Etna

Stayed in October 2023

Mountains cottage accommodation style ... not much comfort but everything necessary is there. The stuff doesn't speak English very well but was very willing. They try to comply with everything.

Stayed in August 2023

It is a basic hostel setting. So, if you want a luxury hotel then you're looking in the wrong place. It is comfortable and welcoming and we enjoyed our stay

The food was home cooked and rustic. V nice and good value. The setting is beautiful, and the dog was a great favorite with all of us.

Stayed in August 2023

Great location, the hosts are amazing and super good to rest and sleep.

Stayed in July 2023

The hosts are extremely friendly and the dinners were excellent! The hotel has a nice, cozy vibe and is located 8 min away from the south gate Etna tourist center (by car). I highly recommend Refugio Ariel.

Stayed in June 2023

nothing really.

The owner was the friendliest person I have met on this 4 week trip. He went out of his way to help people and prepare us an excellent meal. Really value for money and 5 minutes away from the Etna park/parking and cable car.

Stayed in May 2023

location google maps is not correct. 200 mtr away from location. difficult to find by night

simple with excellent food. Kind people. simple but clean rooms

Stayed in April 2023

Very helpful host in a quiet location close to footpaths. We are used to Rifugios where we have to bring our own linen/sleeping bag & towels but they were provided. very comfortable double bed with en-suite. We arranged with Alfio to leave our bags after arriving on the morning bus (1km walk) and we were able to walk up to Etna South in less than an hour using S1 to pick up an early morning guided tour the following day. Half board was simple but good value & Alfio did a great job running the Rifugio single handed.

Stayed in October 2022

They didn’t inform me before the booking that there was a Limit time to do the Check in and I was going to arrive later than that. So at the end I couldn’t stay there. The info should be clear since the beginning

Stayed in May 2025

It was quite isolated. The corridors were poorly lit - I had to use my phone torch to find the corridor light switch. The tight circular stairway down to the bedroom was dangerous. The shower stall was small and leaked terribly. The shower head collapsed making a shower impossible. There was no place to put anything (like soap) in the shower. The toilet baited the sink and there was no toilet paper holder.

The proprietor was very helpful and affable. He was very obliging re meals. The beers in the dining room were easily accessible. The dinner was excellent apart from the stale bread that seemed to be offered again for breakfast.

Stayed in May 2025

Very bad direction, post code isn't relevant 😒 No really good communication with owner.

Stayed in May 2025

Communication with host was not easy, not much response. Room was dirty, with stained towels and bedding but it's ok....

Beautiful location on Etna, close to the cable car to the top. Lots of nature and peace and quiet. Somewhere safe to park the car on the property. Basic refuge accommodation, to be expected.

Stayed in November 2024

The rooms are in the basement of the refuge so they feel a bit dark and enclosed. The location was good but it wouldn't want to spend any significant time hanging out in the communal areas or the outside picnic benches.

Location to Etna is amazing. From the refuge to the cable car its about a 9 min drive. The road from the towns below up to Etna is really long and winding so I was happy to have a base further up the mountain so I wouldn't have to drive this at 7am.

Stayed in November 2024

The catering left a little to be desired for the price. Perhaps we have high standards for Italian food but we paid €73 for dinner and breakfast for two people. For this we got a small bowl of pasta, sauce probably from a jar with shop grated parmesan. For the secondi we got two small sausages and some unseasoned lettuce, a litre of questionable wine and some stale bread. I had to ask for more pasta as I wasn't full after walking all day. For breakfast it was a single small croissant each with some jam and a cappuccino. The ingredients cannot have costed more than €10, with very little time, skill or effort put into their preparation. You can drive on tarmac to the entrance with the nearest shop half an hour away. You would expect to pay a similar amount for incredible food in the Dolomites, that has been driven up in a 4x4

Warm and comfortable room, felt as Rifugio should.

Stayed in October 2024

Small bathroom, very noisy arrival of large group late at night, food overpriced compared to other options nearby.

Warm welcome, nice wooded area, food available onsite.

Stayed in October 2024

There's a whole list of issues. The lack of a refund for a canceled reservation makes sense here because the conditions are terrible, and as soon as you arrive, you just want to leave. But of course, they make sure to keep your money... The room was dirty and dusty, with dust flying around like sand in the Sahara during a storm—not fun for someone with allergies. The furniture was old and damaged, and there was no heating in the room, which was very noticeable at night. The final straw for me was the pistachio pesto pasta from Lidl for 30 euros, and for my wife, when she asked for a cappuccino, she received black liquid without milk from a machine, and they still charged her 1 euro for it - obviously no VAT receipts... There was no equipment whatsoever in the room: no plates, forks, glasses, not to mention a kettle or a hairdryer. We had to buy a portable heater just to warm up water for tea at night when it was so cold. The shower drain was clogged, and I had to stand ankle-deep in dirty water, not knowing what might have come up from the sewage system. This was our worst experience in Sicily, and we definitely won't be coming back.

The only advantage of this place is its location—close to the forest and Mount Etna. But let's be honest... staying in a tent would probably offer the same experience, and likely be more comfortable and cheaper...

Stayed in October 2024

Very cool place and delicious Italian quisine.

Stayed in September 2024

They charged our credit card twice! Error may happen... but what is worse, after 2 months, the obvious claim is still not closed, since the owners of Rifugio Ariel are not collaborating with the bank.

The area and closness to Etna are perfect.

Stayed in May 2024