Spent a lovely night with my daughter and niece in this charming small hotel in Ragusa Ibla. I…read morewould unhesitatingly and very enthusiastically suggest anyone visiting to stay here. The hotel is wonderfully located walking distance from so many wonderful sites, restaurants and shops. It was spotless with wonderful amenities. Have stayed in five star hotels that have provided far less And most importantly the staff were delightful and extremely helpful.

I would give the Zafran a 5 star rating, if not for 2 reasons. #1 we were told that the restaurant…read moreand most restaurants around were closed after October, we arrived the 3rd of October. The Continental breakfast was wonderful and the servers so great. #2 is I really dislike memory foam mattresses, I find them to smell a bit like chemicals and I feel uncomfortable, also the sheets are terrible!!! Felt like I was sleeping on cardboard, in the middle of the night, I put on leggings and a long sleeve top, so I didn't feel the sheets. The staff was very pleasant and the view is fantastic! Make sure your room faces the sea. Also a 'double bed' is actually a king size (called a double because it sleeps 2).

This restaurant is located in a historical nice hotel in the centre of Ragusa. We decided to have…read moredinner here because of the wonderful view on the church that you can enjoy from the terrace. The ambiance could be improved using more candle lights and background music. The prices of the dishes are reasonable while the wine list is a little bit pricey and only listing Sicilian wines. We were welcomed with a complimentary glass of sparkling wine (which was unfortunately not anymore sparkling). The starter was nice and tasteful while the main course was ok (even if the spinach as side dish were pretty salty). Service was attentive but in my opinion too much stiff.

So we decided to go on an adventure and we jumped on a Virtu Ferry to Malta. How cool is that?…read more I went on-line and bought tickets and then I had to find a relative that actually had a printer where I could print the tickets out. All of these things we take for granted in the United States. i am so happy I did screen grabs of my tickets and put them on a flash drive or else I would have never gotten my tickets printed out. And I am glad I did because they used our screen grab tickets as our official tickets to get on the Ferry. Talk about being Green! We were told to get to the dock an hour before departure and we got to see this massive ferry pull into the port. This was not your Uncle's Ferry...this thing was massive...it was like a small cruise ship. I stood there watching cars and semi trucks coming off of the boat. Wow!!! The boat was not very crowded...we bought 2nd class tickets which were not Titanic 2nd class...the seats were nice leather and there was air conditioning. The Ferry had food, drinks and a casino. Really a Casino? A couple of guys were trying to hit it rich. As we left the Port of Pozzallo (Sicily) we were on our way across the water to the island of Malta. It took about 90 minutes to get there and the water was so calm. We could not feel any movement on the boat at all. The trip was fun...we had some food packed and I started reading a Malta Newspaper that a previous traveler had left at my seat. Malta rocks because they speak english...I had no idea that they did...this is going to be easy. As we pulled into Valletta, Malta we were greeted by massive forts, boats and ships all around. It was an amazing sight to see. Then as I was standing on the front of the boat a sea plane flew right over my head and then landed in front of us. I felt like I was in an Indian Jones movie and that I was after some lost treasure and Indy was on that plane. I wanted to pump my fist in the air and say, "I will get you Indy!" but decided not too because my fellow foreign travelers might find that weird. Once we were docked it was now time to find our taxi...we had arranged for a car to pick us up at the dock but with no cell phone we had no idea if anyone would be there for us. And then there was this great guy George holding a sign with my name on it. We were the last ones off the ship...traveling with kids will teach you not to rush out with the crowds. I am so glad we had a car because there was nothing around here but industry. If this was the Amazing Race someone would have stolen our taxi. Words of Warning: On our return trip to Pozzallo, the Ferry left 30 minutes early...we got to the boat 2 hours early because we were worried about traffic on a Friday...note to self...there is no traffic here on a Friday! We got there in about 15 minutes. I was so happy to be sitting on the boat as it left early and thinking about those sad souls who were cursing at the Ferry as it pulled away from the dock. I think I heard someone say, "I'll get you Indiana Jones!" Hey guy on the dock that was my line!!!

Took a ferry from Pozzallo to Malta and back. Very smooth crossing (90 minutes), friendly staff…read more Why didn't I give five stars? 1. The schedule is pretty inconvenient (you will depart around 5:30 / 6:30 in the morning (check in at 4:30 / 5:30) or arrive around midnight). Too early or too late. 2. You have to check in your bags before you board Carry-ons that are allowed on a plane are not allowed on Virtu ferries. After you check in your bags, they won't give your a receipt. After the boat arrives, all bags are loaded on the ground. It is up to you to find your bag and take it quickly - before someone else leaves with it...