Reviews of Rifugio Ariel

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

Great location, great staff, good food

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.

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.

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

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)

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.

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

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.

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.

Warm and comfortable room, felt as Rifugio should.

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 welcome, nice wooded area, food available onsite.

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

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...

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.

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.

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

Very cool place and delicious Italian quisine.

The area and closness to Etna are perfect.

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.

Perfect retreat in the woods, excellent evening meal with 3 courses complements to the chef. Hot tub experience great, beds comfy, Host (Frank I think his name was) and his dog Balou (so friendly) was very nice and very informative of the area. Basic room but all you need.

Cash only payment for bar and dinner, room quite a bit dated and a few cobwebs around. Breakfast very basic.

Comfortable place, close to the Etna cable car

I am simply amazed - I thought that places like that (especially near so popular Etna) don't exist anymore. It really has that unique climate of mountain shelters but it also offers everything you need to have a good time: great food, beer and water and - most importantly - amazing, helpful stuff. Do not overpay in other places! Here you're about 7 minutes from the start of Etna excursions, you have a lot of parking space and you get your peace and quiet!