Mangia's Brucoli, Sicily
Mangia's Brucoli is a five-star all-inclusive resort on a rocky headland on Sicily's east coast, midway between Catania and Syracuse, which joined Marriott's Autograph Collection after a full renovation in 2023. Its 402 rooms are spread across low-rise blocks tiered down to a sheltered Ionian cove, with a timber deck for sea access and Mount Etna on the northern horizon. Families come for the Worldwide Kids childcare from four months, the children's pool beside the club and the All-Inclusive Sublime dining across five restaurants.
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Is it worth it?
Who Mangia's Brucoli suits, what's folded into the price and the facts to skim first.
Mangia's Brucoli is a newly renovated five-star all-inclusive that reads best as a quiet, self-contained resort with a strong childcare offer, rather than a beach holiday. The renovation reopened it in 2023 as an Autograph Collection property, Marriott's collection of individual four and five-star hotels, and families rate the result: the staff warmth is the most praised thing across review sites, the Kids Club and its adjacent pool are singled out, and the setting above a sheltered Ionian cove, with Mount Etna on the horizon, draws consistent praise. The All-Inclusive Sublime board covers a buffet and four a la carte restaurants, and the Worldwide Kids programme takes children from four months.
There are real trade-offs too. The beach is a rocky cove with a timber deck for sea access, not sand, so younger children swim mostly in the pools. The resort is fairly isolated: the village is a walk away and there's no shuttle to it, so most families hire a car. The Standard rooms are compact at 23 m², tight for two adults and a travel cot. The most common gripe by far is a la carte availability, because not every restaurant opens every day and reservations are needed. A subset of early 2023 reviews felt the property hadn't yet met a five-star standard, with housekeeping and staffing teething, though later reviews show that gap has largely closed.
Best for
You want five-star all-inclusive dining, professional childcare from four months and a calm self-contained resort that also works as a base for Syracuse, Catania and Etna.
Maybe not for
You want a sandy beach, need flat step-free ground throughout with a pushchair or want to walk to a lively town without a car.
Best ages
Babies upwards. A crèche from four months, a kids' club from four to twelve and a teen club, with the children's pool and its gentle entry beside the club.
What stands out
The Worldwide Kids childcare, the sheltered cove with its timber sea-access deck and Mount Etna on the horizon.
What to check
Which à la carte restaurants open on your dates, whether the kids' club is in your rate and step-free access if you'll use a pushchair.
Where is it?
On a rocky headland at Brucoli on Sicily's east coast, between Catania and Syracuse, about 22 miles (35 km) from Catania airport.
Quick facts for families
What the resort is like, and getting around
Where Brucoli sits, how it's laid out over the levels and what that means with young children.
Mangia's Brucoli sits on a headland at Contrada Gisira, a coastal spot in the Brucoli area on Sicily's east coast, between Catania to the north and Syracuse to the south. A €25.5 million renovation reopened it in 2023, turning a resort of about 1970s vintage into the five-star Autograph Collection property it is now. It runs as a Marriott hotel under the Autograph Collection, so families who collect Marriott Bonvoy points can earn and use them here, which is worth knowing if that steers where you book.
The site is spread across several low-rise blocks rather than one tower, set among olive trees, cacti and palms, which gives it an intimate village feel despite its 402 rooms. It's tiered from the clifftops down to a sea-level solarium deck, with Mount Etna a distinctive sight to the north. The multiple levels are the main thing to weigh with young children. There are steps in places, and the resort doesn't set out step-free access across the whole site, so families using a pushchair are best emailing the resort to understand which paths between the rooms and the pools, restaurants and sea are level. Trip.com lists a stair-free main entrance for some rooms, such as the Suite Swim-Up and Junior Suite Sea View, though the full picture isn't published. There's free Wi-Fi across the resort.
The resort is self-contained but relatively isolated, and a car makes the stay easier. Brucoli village is reachable on foot, roughly a 10 to 15 minute walk along the coast, though there's no shuttle and the road back is unlit at night. A taxi covers that return trip after dark. Most families who want to come and go more freely hire a car instead. There's a large free car park on site. Augusta, the nearest town with supermarkets and pharmacies, is about 3 miles (5 km) away.
Every restaurant and bar
The buffet, the four à la carte restaurants, the bars and how the à la carte booking actually works.
The resort runs on its All-Inclusive Sublime board, its all-inclusive programme. That covers the buffet and four à la carte restaurants, where you choose three courses with water and drinks brought to the table, alongside over 100 wine and spirit labels, soft drinks, coffee and snacks twice a day. Room service, the minibar and the local city tax sit outside it. Signature dishes at the à la carte restaurants are excluded from the all-inclusive and carry a supplement, which is worth flagging so it doesn't surprise you on the bill.
The main caveat is availability. The resort's own wording is that the à la carte restaurants are open by reservation and subject to availability, and that guests should check opening dates and times before arrival. In plain terms, not every restaurant opens every day of the season, and reservations are needed, so families sometimes find two or three going rather than all four. This is the single most common thing guests flag, usually because they arrived expecting to move freely between restaurants each night.
Mediterra is the main buffet restaurant, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a panoramic position over the sea. Breakfast runs to fresh Sicilian pastries, citrus, local honeys, cheeses and fruit. It's the practical room for a young child, with the broad choice and no fixed sitting that suit a toddler's appetite, and it's the one restaurant always available for dinner on the all-inclusive, whatever else is open.
Donna Floriana Bistrot is the Italian specialty bistro, cooking regional recipes with local ingredients, à la carte with a reservation. Kaigan Sushi Bar is an Italian-Japanese fusion restaurant, sushi and seafood prepared with Japanese techniques, also à la carte and booked ahead. Al Grano Pizzeria serves wood-fired pizza from an outdoor terrace with sea views, the easiest of the four with children. Scausu Grill is the grilled fish and meat restaurant, sea-facing and à la carte.
For drinks there are two bars. The Lime Bar is a panoramic terrace bar for sunset views, drinks and light snacks. Riva's Pool Club is the poolside bar for cocktails and drinks through the day.
How à la carte booking works
Book your à la carte dinners before you arrive by emailing or calling the resort, since on-the-day tables can run out when it's busy and some restaurants only open on certain dates. Ask which restaurants will be running on your dates and reserve the early sittings that suit young children first. Mediterra, the buffet, is always the no-booking fallback for dinner.
Rooms and suites
Every room category with its official size, the three pools and the rocky cove below.
All 402 rooms were fully refurbished in the 2023 renovation, the Standard rooms included, in a contemporary natural-toned style with air conditioning throughout and an en-suite bathroom in every category. The official rooms page lists twelve categories, which the table below sets out with their official sizes; the guidance after it is which suit a family with a baby or toddler.
| Room | Size | Sleeps | Family notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard King | 23 m² | 2 adults | Garden or park view. The entry room; it fits two adults and a travel cot but leaves little floor space. |
| Standard Twin | 23 m² | 2 adults | Garden or park view. The twin-bed version of the Standard King, the same size. |
| Superior Garden View | 23 m² | 2 adults | A garden-facing room at the standard size. |
| Superior King | 24 m² | 2 adults | Standard view, a touch larger than the Standard rooms. |
| Superior Twin | 24 m² | 2 adults | The twin-bed Superior, standard view. |
| Deluxe King | 25 m² | 2 adults | Park or garden view, at the top of the two-adult rooms. |
| Deluxe King Sea View | 25 m² | 2 adults | The same room with a sea view. |
| Deluxe King Swim-Up | 24 m² | 2 adults | A private plunge pool and terrace off a garden-view room. |
| Junior Suite | 32 m² | 3 (sofa bed) | A separate sofa area, standard view; the practical size once a cot and a toddler share the floor. |
| Junior Suite Sea View | 34 m² | 3 (sofa bed) | The sea-view Junior Suite, a little larger. |
| Suite | 40 m² | 3 (sofa bed) | An elevated view and the most room of the standard suites. |
| Suite Swim-Up | 47 m² | 3 (sofa bed) | The largest, with a private pool and terrace off a garden-view suite. |
The occupancy above is the number of adults a room is sold for; a cot doesn't use one of those places. A cot for a child up to and including two years old can be added on request on top of the two-adult occupancy, subject to the resort confirming it, and this is confirmed for the Standard King with a cot. For a family the practical read is space. The Standard and Superior rooms at 23 to 24 m² fit two adults and a travel cot but leave little floor space, so they suit a baby who isn't yet moving around more than an active toddler. The Junior Suites at 32 to 34 m², with a sofa bed and a separate sofa area, are the practical choice with a toddler, and the Suites at 40 to 47 m² give the most room, with the Swim-Up versions adding a private pool and terrace to play in.
There are no formal family rooms and no interconnecting suites, so the way to get two bedrooms with a door between them is to book two connecting Standard rooms or two connecting Superior rooms, the only pairings the resort connects. The "More Space for Family Moments" rate gives 50% off a second room, which is worth asking about if you go that route. Check-in is from 4pm and check-out is 11am, with early check-in and late check-out subject to availability rather than guaranteed.
Pools and water
There are three pools. The main pool is large and open to all guests, with sunbathing alongside. A separate adults-only pool gives grown-ups a quiet corner during family hours. The children's pool sits right beside the Kids Club, which families count as a real plus, and reviewers describe it as a lagoon-style pool with a gentle entry, two water slides and a lifeguard on duty. Two room categories, the Deluxe King Swim-Up and the Suite Swim-Up, have their own private plunge pools off the terrace.
Sun-beds are free for all guests and beach towels are provided. There's no splash pad or water park here.
The beach and sea
The beach is a rocky promontory rather than sand, a private cove of clear water that the natural inlet keeps unusually calm. The way into the sea is a new timber solarium deck at water level, which the resort describes as leading gently to the water, so it's a graduated, comfortable entry rather than a scramble over rocks. Because the entry is rocky underfoot, water shoes are advisable for young children. For a change of scene, Baia di Arcile is a pebble beach about a mile and a half (2 km) away, reachable by car.
Babies and toddlers
The childcare from four months up, what the resort sets out for the youngest and everything that fills a family day.
From the 2026 season the children's services run in partnership with Worldwide Kids, an organisation that has staffed luxury-resort childcare for over 30 years, and the resort is a member of the Luxury Childcare Association, which certifies training and standards. That gives the childcare a professional, certified footing that families rate highly. A dedicated Childcare Manager oversees each day, staff are trained in safeguarding and emergency response, health and safety audits run before the season opens, and the programme uses Worldwide Kids' digital safety system to keep things organised.
The crèche takes children from four months to four years, with certified staff running sensory and play-based sessions, and creative and musical activities geared to very young children. The Kids Club runs from four to twelve, with creative workshops, sports, group games, mini golf, a playground and water games, and it includes a selection of evening activities, which adds some flexibility for later evenings. The Teen Club covers thirteen to seventeen, with sports and team challenges. The clubs run through the day, so book the crèche ahead if you want a place for a baby. The childcare may be included in your rate or charged separately, so confirm which at booking rather than assuming it's free.
For an evening to yourselves, babysitting and meal supervision are available on request and are best booked well ahead. On the baby kit, a cot can be added for a child up to two, as above. For high chairs, nappy-changing and baby or weaning food, ask the resort directly what it provides. The buffet's soft options cover weaning in the meantime. There's no shop confirmed on site either, and the nearest supermarkets are in Augusta, so bring enough formula and nappies for the stay. A pharmacy and medical services are in Augusta, about 3 miles (5 km) away, and it's worth carrying a GHIC card.
On resortThings to do
The sports on site are six tennis courts, two padel courts, a five-a-side football pitch and a basketball court, with outdoor yoga sessions on the programme. The Sunball Tennis and Padel Academy runs lessons for all levels, including children and teens, with racket rental, at an extra cost. There's a fitness centre, and a wellness centre offering massages and beauty treatments through a partner, both at extra cost. Evenings bring live music and gourmet dinners, and the resort hosts the Mangia's Musaic Festival, an annual summer music event with international artists, which in 2026 runs from 17 July to 1 August.
A distinctive touch is Autograph Moments, a Sicilian-craft ritual: guests whisper a wish into a small handmade ceramic vessel, receive a card at turndown and place the vessel in a basket at a morning Sun Saluti ceremony, after which the vessels build up into a garden installation. Older children in particular tend to find it memorable. The resort also arranges bookable experiences at extra cost, with prices set at the time: it has its own helipad and runs helicopter tours over Etna, Taormina and the Aeolian Islands, along with ground day trips to Etna, Catania, Noto, Syracuse and Taormina, wine tastings, boat trips and cooking classes.
The area and days out
Brucoli village is a low-key half-evening out, roughly a 10 to 15 minute walk along the coast, an old fishing village with an Aragonese castle, a channel with sea caves and a handful of seafront restaurants and bars. Augusta, about 3 miles (5 km) away, is the nearest town for supermarkets, pharmacies and fuller services. Beyond that, Brucoli's east-coast position makes it a good base, with Syracuse, Noto and the Etna area all within about an hour by car alongside your beach and pool days. The distances below are driving times, approximate beyond Syracuse and Catania, which are the multi-source confirmed ones.
| Place | Distance | Drive | What's there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syracuse and Ortigia | 22 miles (35 km) | 30 to 40 min | A UNESCO old town on the island of Ortigia, a Greek theatre and a waterfront families enjoy. |
| Catania | 22 miles (35 km) | 35 to 40 min | Sicily's second city, a busy fish market and a baroque centre. |
| Noto | 37 miles (60 km) | about an hour | A golden-stone baroque town known for its gelato. Distances beyond Syracuse and Catania are approximate. |
| Mount Etna (Rifugio Sapienza) | 34 miles (55 km) | 60 to 75 min | Europe's highest active volcano; the 1900m level and an adventure park suit older children, the 3000m climb is for capable hikers. |
| Taormina | 43 miles (70 km) | about an hour | A hilltop town with a Greek theatre and sea views. |
| Alcantara Gorges | 47 miles (75 km) | about 65 min | A lava gorge with cold natural bathing pools, good for older children in summer. |
Syracuse and Ortigia is a UNESCO World Heritage site, with a Greek theatre and archaeological park on the mainland and the baroque island of Ortigia, whose waterfront is easy going with children. Noto is a golden-stone baroque town known for its gelato. Catania has its street fish market, La Pescheria, the Cathedral of Sant'Agata and plenty of city atmosphere. Mount Etna, Europe's highest active volcano, has an adventure park near Rifugio Sapienza and guided tours; the 1900m level is accessible to older children, while the 3000m summit is for capable hikers. Taormina is a spectacular hilltop town, often combined with the Alcantara Gorges, a lava gorge with cold natural bathing pools that suit older children on a hot day.
Loves and gripes
What families rate and what they flag, how it compares, the journey in and the weather by month.
Mangia's Brucoli rates consistently well across the review platforms. TripAdvisor has it at 4 out of 5 from more than 460 reviews and Booking.com scores it 8.5 out of 10 from 807 reviews, with cleanliness and comfort the highest-scoring categories at 9.0 each and value the lowest at 8.2. On the Beach gives it 4.4 out of 5 and Trip.com sits at 8.4 out of 10. That reads as a well-liked resort with one recurring operational gripe rather than a mixed one.
What families love
- The staff warmth, the most consistently praised thing across the review sites.
- The Kids Club, singled out by families, with its pool and slides right alongside.
- The setting and scenery, the sheltered cove, the clear water and Etna on the horizon.
- The renovation standard, with rooms rated well-appointed for a newly refurbished five-star.
- The pools, the main pool and the children's pool in particular.
- The calm, self-contained feel, more intimate than 400-plus rooms would suggest.
Common gripes
- À la carte availability, the top gripe, when not all restaurants open every day.
- Service speed when busy, and a language barrier at some restaurants.
- The remote setting, and needing a hire car to get out and about.
- Compact Standard rooms at 23 m², tight with a travel cot.
- Signature-dish supplements at the à la carte restaurants, which catch some guests out.
One point deserves fair framing. A subset of early 2023 reviews, in the resort's first season, flagged a gap between the five-star billing and the reality, with housekeeping and staffing teething. Reviews through 2024 and 2025 show that improved across most areas, with the à la carte availability the concern that carried on, so it's honest to say the early gap has largely closed rather than to hold the first season against it.
Against other Sicily resortsHow it compares
For the very youngest, VOI Arenella near Syracuse is the clearer choice, with a nursery that takes children from birth to two and a shuttle to its beach; Brucoli's edge is on room quality, the breadth of the food and the professional standard of the Worldwide Kids childcare. Against Grand Palladium Sicilia on the north coast, near Cefalù and served by Palermo airport rather than Catania, Brucoli's crèche from four months beats Palladium's baby club, which starts at one year. Verdura Resort near Sciacca is the island's luxury benchmark, with four pools, golf and far more scale at a higher price; Brucoli is a credible lower-price alternative with a better east-coast base for Syracuse and Etna sightseeing.
Within its own group, Mangia's Brucoli is the Autograph Collection flagship, the highest-positioned of the Mangia's resorts and the one with the strongest Marriott Bonvoy recognition. Its siblings include Torre del Barone on the south coast, which runs a Neilson-partnership kids' club, along with Pollina and a Sardinia resort, so it's worth a look across the group if you're choosing between them.
The journey in and the best monthsGetting there and when to go
The arrival airport is Catania Fontanarossa, about 22 miles (35 km) away and a 40-minute drive. There's no complimentary resort shuttle, so an airport transfer is arranged separately: the resort will book a private car if you send your flight details, independent operators quote in the region of €80 to €110 a vehicle, and a UK package may bundle a transfer in, so check what yours covers. The resort is sold for 2026 as a standard package holiday by several UK operators, among them TUI, Jet2holidays, easyJet Holidays, Classic Collection, Southall Travel and British Airways Holidays, as well as bookable directly, so there's more than one way to put it together.
The resort runs seasonally, roughly spring to autumn, with opening and closing dates that shift year to year, so check availability for your dates. For families with young children the gentler windows are May and June and September into October, when it's pleasant, quieter and short of extreme heat. July and August are the hottest and busiest, around the Italian Ferragosto holiday.
Weather
Brucoli shares the climate of Sicily's east coast, so the figures below, drawn from the Catania and Syracuse reference stations, cover it well. The warm, swimmable window is roughly June to September, with the sea warmest from July into September. May, June, September and October are the more comfortable months with young children, short of the July and August peak. July and August are hot, and a sirocco wind off Africa can push temperatures towards 40°C on exceptional days, though the sheltered cove moderates the heat a little.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Rain | Wet days | Sea temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15° | 10° | 98 mm | 10 | 15° |
| February | 15° | 9.5° | 110 mm | 10 | 15° |
| March | 16.5° | 11° | 78 mm | 9 | 15° |
| April | 19° | 13° | 65 mm | 9 | 16° |
| May | 21.5° | 16° | 36 mm | 4 | 19° |
| June | 26° | 20° | 18 mm | 2 | 23° |
| July | 29° | 23° | 7 mm | 1 | 27° |
| August | 29.5° | 23.5° | 32 mm | 2 | 28° |
| September | 27° | 21.5° | 65 mm | 5 | 26° |
| October | 24° | 18° | 106 mm | 8 | 23° |
| November | 20° | 15° | 118 mm | 10 | 20° |
| December | 16.5° | 11.5° | 124 mm | 12 | 17° |
Typical monthly averages from weather-station records. Sea temperature is the open-water figure, so a sheltered bay can feel a degree or two warmer. The resort runs seasonally from spring to autumn, with exact dates that shift year to year, so confirm yours with your booking channel.
Questions
The things families ask most, the official pages worth a bookmark and when this guide was last refreshed.
Will all the restaurants be open when we visit?
Not always. The four a la carte restaurants open on a seasonal schedule and need booking, so email the resort before you travel for the dates each will be running and reserve your evenings then. Whatever is or isn't open on the night, the Mediterra buffet serves dinner every day, so nobody is left without a meal.
Is the kids’ club included, or do we pay extra?
Check it at booking. Your rate may cover the Worldwide Kids crèche and clubs or charge for them separately, so ask your operator or the resort which applies to your price before you rely on childcare. Request a crèche place for a baby at the same time, as they're booked ahead.
Do we need to sort our own airport transfer?
Yes. Nothing runs automatically from Catania, so sort a car before you fly: the resort will arrange a private transfer if you send it your flight details, or your UK package may already include one, so check what yours covers. It's about a 40-minute drive to tack onto the end of a travel day with tired children.
We need a separate room for the children. What should we book?
Book a connecting pair. The suites don't interconnect, so a door between two bedrooms means two connecting Standard rooms or two connecting Superior rooms, the only pairings on offer. Ask about the “More Space for Family Moments” rate as you book, which takes 50% off the second room.
There’s no sandy beach, so where will the children swim?
The children’s pool, with its gentle entry beside the kids’ club, is where younger children spend most of their water time. Sea swimming is off a timber solarium deck over the rock rather than sand, and the cove is very sheltered and calm, so pack water shoes for small feet at the water’s edge.
Can we bring a dog?
Small pets are accepted, up to 10 kg and one per room, for a supplement of around €20 a day. That figure can change, so confirm it and the conditions when you book.
When is the resort open?
It's a seasonal resort, open spring to autumn and closed over winter. The exact opening and closing dates shift from year to year, so book against live availability for the dates you want rather than a set season.
See more Mangia's Brucoli photos
Open the Mangia's Brucoli photo gallery →Useful links
- Mangia's Brucoli: the resort's own site for rooms, dining, the children's clubs and offers. It's on +39 0931 994401 for the things worth confirming, such as transfers, à la carte openings and step-free access.
- GOV.UK Italy travel advice: entry rules and safety updates before you travel.
- Sicily with little ones: our guide to the wider region, its beaches and when to go.
Last updated 16 July 2026.
