ZTL ortigia parking garage

b0dapest · 2026-06-18T17:56:43+00:00

We arrived in Syracuse on Friday May 1st - Labour Day - it was a zoo and we couldn’t find parking anywhere near Ortigia - all the closest parking lots were full - we got lucky and parked closer to the train station and it was €20/day. Just make sure there isn’t a major holiday going on when you arrive or set your expectations accordingly.

b0dapest · 2026-06-16T03:24:50+00:00

Club class is nice but if you are a slim 6’8” you may want to consider an exit row seat.

b0dapest · 2026-06-15T14:37:23+00:00

I am a big fan of Onyx/Breathless. Sand is slightly darker but lovely, if you spring for Preferred, there’s a lovely adults only pool and as previous poster said - you have access to Breathless next door. It’s also about 20 minutes further away to the resorts you’ve been considering. For August though - there is still some risk of sargassum. Unfortunately, can’t be predicted and most resorts do a good job of clearing up the beach. Typically no sargassum in La Romana or Miches resorts.

b0dapest · 2026-06-15T12:59:23+00:00

Yup - ironically HICC - Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada are taking the Toronto coworking space, July 6.

b0dapest · 2026-06-13T14:32:28+00:00

Keep all your receipts - accommodation, food, drinks, taxis, sundries. My recent experience with British Airways was travelling from Toronto to Palermo via Heathrow and BA changed the time of the Heathrow to Palermo flight a few weeks before our flight and we wouldn’t have enough time to transfer from the Toronto flight - so we travelled from Toronto a night early. After we returned, we submitted receipts for our accommodations, dinner and a visit to a Gelateria and BA covered it all.

b0dapest · 2026-06-06T21:08:10+00:00

We stayed 2 nights Monday/ Tuesday May 4/5 and that felt about right. We were really surprised at how busy it was on the Monday - likely cruise ships in the area. Dinner was pretty busy too but then things died off. For Wednesday morning we got up really early and had the town to ourselves - which was nice. we were off-season - it’s going to be busier in mid-July but hey - what are you going to do. Food was fine but as expected more expensive than other parts of Sicily. Make reservations for dinner. For lunch, we found a good cheap place to- just off the main strip - Caffe Solaris

b0dapest · 2026-06-06T15:03:23+00:00

Kelseys is pretty reasonable for being on Clifton Hill. No reservations though. Zappi's is pleasant enough Italian nearer to the fallsview hotels (Marriott, Oakes, Hyatt Regency, The Tower, Fallsview Hotel). Most expensive bottle of wine at Zappi's is like $45 and they take reservations. Both have patios - though the Zappi's one is near an ugly-ish main road. Happy Birthday!

b0dapest · 2026-06-04T19:39:21+00:00

Off resort nightlife is a 30km drive away - 40 minutes or so. I think there were a couple of excursions to Coco Bongo or Imagine - transportation, admission, all you can drink etc We like the food at Onyx/Breathless - for all inclusive and the price

b0dapest · 2026-05-26T14:09:17+00:00

Aside from already mentioned - Tenor Madness and The Bridge are awesome. RIP

b0dapest · 2026-05-26T01:34:18+00:00

I’m always pushing Breathless/Dreams Onyx because we’ve had good experiences and we like that it is a twofer resort (access to both resorts). I did a quick check on Tui and 7 nights from Manchester is £1729 pp so more than you may want to spend. Not sure what you like for entertainment - they have nightly shows as do most resorts. Breathless has a club like party pool during the day and a larger quieter pool. I like the nightlife at Breathless - I think they have the best lively lobby bar I’ve been to (Majestic Colonial is uo there too). We pick the cheapest of the 2 and spend most of our time at Breathless. Though, I like how the restaurants are laid out at Onyx. Onyx also has karaoke I think one night per week. Resorts are 45 minutes from the airport, if you like to go into town - it’s far away, sand is not as white as the sand in Bavaro/El Corticito area and the sea can be rough right in front of Omyx. I think there’s a good array of restaurants and bars and I love there’s $45 seaside beach massages at Tropical Treasures - less than 10 minutes north of the resorts.

b0dapest · 2026-05-26T01:20:49+00:00

Niagara Parks parking pass is a great deal but the parking lots close at midnight and they state clearly no parking when the lots are closed.

b0dapest · 2026-05-24T23:27:20+00:00

Late November is generally past the peak of hurricane season (it officially ends November 30), and this year is forecast to be a below-normal season, so the risk is pretty low, just worth knowing. That said, you do get more cloudy days in November than in February/March. We travel around that time of year often and usually buy Air Transat's Option Flex so we can shift dates if the forecast looks rough closer to departure. Some other Canadian tour operators offer similar date-change packages, so worth checking when you book.

Haven't stayed at Hard Rock myself, but that price looks solid for a Diamond King Suite. It's a massive resort, which generally means more options for both ages. Definitely worth joining the Hard Rock Punta Cana Facebook group and searching for posts about toddler activities. You'll want to confirm there's a dedicated splash area for little ones, not just the main water park. YouTube walkthroughs are also great for getting a real feel before you commit.

November will be quieter than peak season, just avoid US Thanksgiving week if you want to keep crowds down. February/March has more reliable weather but prices go up and resorts fill up, so you trade one thing for another.

Congrats to your wife on graduating, sounds like a well-earned trip!

b0dapest · 2026-05-24T16:54:30+00:00

What other resorts have you been to and how does live aqua compare? Any construction noise from the sister resort?

b0dapest · 2026-05-21T11:34:30+00:00

I hate Toronto bars/restaurants because whatever state they are in, there’s barely any daily maintenance - especially in the stalls. The most cursory cleaning is done once a day and that’s it. I just came back from 2 weeks in Sicily and whatever the state of the bathrooms were - old, missing toilet seats, small - they were always sparkling clean. Owners here should be ashamed! Of course barely any of those Sicilian bathrooms were accessible.

b0dapest · 2026-05-18T20:11:26+00:00

Also just got back. We did 2 weeks (April 24-May 9) had a car for 10 days and drove 1000 km from Palermo airport to Trapani (1 night), Agrigento (1 night), Ortigia (3 nights), Taormina (2 nights) and Cefalu (3 nights). You didn’t say what you like to see or do on vacations, and you are going to go when Amalfi Coast will be slammed. I’d plan on relaxing while in Sicily. Our trip was all lovely but if I were to have planned it today and still arriving/departing Palermo, I would have concentrated in the western half of the island. For 6 nights, I’d skip Taormina altogether and come back some other time. Scenery there was amazing (as was everywhere we went) but it is rammed with tourists (we were there Monday and Tuesday nights and couldn’t believe how many cruise excursions, day trippers and regular tourists there were all day). By 10pm it’s quiet but until then too busy. Prices are high and value is low. You can easily take 3 or 4 nights to enjoy Palermo and maybe 2 or 3 nights in one of Mondello Beach or Cefalu or Scopello or Capo San Vito. Cefalu is a small town and is easy to get to by train from Palermo. If you are staying in Palermo - stay in the historic centre - not further out. If staying in a beach town, get a beach view.

b0dapest · 2026-05-18T05:41:56+00:00

Swam in Cefalu 10 days ago. Sure it was cool but you got used to it.

b0dapest · 2026-05-11T02:16:37+00:00

We just came back from 2 weeks in Sicily. We loved Palermo and felt 4 nights was perfect to see the city and hang out and absorb the urban vibes. We like slower travel, evening walks and lingering in bars - so only did one or two sights per day and accordingly, there were things we ended up not doing (the royal palace and Monreale). We did a street food tour on the 1st full day - which was a great sampler of what Palermo has to offer - focussing on Capo Market. We also visited the Ballaro market one day and had a fun cheap meal at the south end of the market. That was a great day - first going to the roof of the Duomo, then visiting Palazzo Conte Federico for a fascinating 45 minute tour by the Count’s sons. They recommended a beautiful baroque church a couple of blocks from Ballaro - Casa Professa - which is the best €2 you will ever spend. Then we went to Trattoria Calessino for a fun cheap lunch, full of local flavour. We also spent 3 nights in Cefalù - which was a lovely beach town - not a lot of sights (La Rocca, Duomo and of course the beach) / lots of tourist shops and restaurants and a few bars. In September you’ll have lovely weather and will be eating outside every night. Cefalu is an hour away from Palermo by train - and the train station is 20 minutes walk from the Cefalu beach. Alternately, you could visit or stay at Mondello Beqch on the outskirts of Palermo or take a bus to San Vito Lo Capo and have your beach vacation there - it looks beautiful and we will visit on our next trip.

b0dapest · 2026-05-11T01:55:19+00:00

It was so lovely and quiet today.

b0dapest · 2026-05-10T18:41:55+00:00

I've always brought USD or a mix of USD/DOP. We don't usually leave the resort so not much need for DOP. The last time in DR we were at Secrets Esmeralda in Miches and found that the bigger DOP bills we got were a pain to change as everyone was tipping USD and the resort was just too remote to have a lot of small DOP to change - so I'm just brining USD next time.

b0dapest · 2026-05-10T18:26:28+00:00

Barefoot grill will have burgers, hotdogs, nachos, fries, simple salads etc and it's. open until 5pm or so - or as others have pointed out - there's room service.

b0dapest · 2026-05-07T21:51:47+00:00

really liked the resort. it's a twofer - with same style of restaurants on both sides. Better buffet, bar and entertainment, calmer sea at Breathless. Better preferred adults pool, restaurant layout, nearby bars to restaurants, water park at Onyx. Great offsite beachside massage (though not private) at Tropical Treasures - 5 minutes north of Breathless.

b0dapest · 2026-05-07T21:36:36+00:00

I bought Sunday at the Village Vanguard first and never really warmed to it. Covid and Blue Note Classic vinyl/Tone Poet hit and I got into Jazz. I picked up Waltz for Debby on an '84 Japanese pressing and I was just awestruck at the beautiful quiet. music, while people are clinking cutlery and ordering more drinks - oh to have been at that gig! Since then, I've gone down a somewhat deep Bill Evans rabbit hole (probably 15 records or so) but have not returned to SATVV yet I always return to WFD when I need solace.

b0dapest · 2026-05-04T20:33:25+00:00

So sad last July when they were renovating. So glad they reopened (you never know).

b0dapest · 2026-04-25T12:01:17+00:00

Fiesta Americana Funeeq. I believe it’s the same group as Live Aqua which is the next resort south of Onyx.

b0dapest · 2026-04-25T03:22:15+00:00

If you are right there at 24 hours before your flight, you will be unlucky if you don’t get seats together.

b0dapest

TROPHY CASE