in Sicily, Italy
Mangia's Brucoli, Sicily, Autograph Collection
- Toddler
- Kid
- Teen
Brucoli is the club-style resort on this list: 402 rooms, three pools including a proper kids pool, six tennis courts, padel, five-a-side football, a gym, a kids club and a junior club, and an all-inclusive option that means nobody counts gelati. It sits on a sheltered natural inlet forty minutes from Catania airport, which is the shortest transfer of any resort here and matters more than people admit when you are landing at 9pm with tired children. The catch is the water: this is a rocky inlet with sunbeds and platforms, not a sandy beach, so the pools do the swimming and the sea does the snorkelling. If your children are six to fourteen and you want tennis in the morning, a pool all afternoon and a show after dinner, this is the Sicilian resort that delivers it most cheaply per head.
Our verdict
The best all-round family resort in eastern Sicily if you can live without sand. Clubs, sport, food and a 40-minute transfer, at a price that leaves room for day trips.
The rooms
402 rooms across a large seafront estate, refurbished into the Autograph Collection but still, at heart, the Italian holiday village it has always been. Family rooms and adjoining pairs are plentiful, which is the whole reason to look here: four of you fit without a second booking, and the resort openly discounts a second room. Expect functional rather than designer, and ask for something away from the entertainment stage unless your children sleep through anything.
At a glance
- Kids club
- Kids Club and Junior Club, included
- Pools
- Three, including a kids pool
- Sport
- 6 tennis, 2 padel, football, gym
- Airport
- Catania, about 40 min
How the KidProof Score works
Every hotel is rated on eight things families actually care about, then weighted by how much each one drives your choice. Room setup counts the most. The little touches break the ties.
Sleeps how many? Connecting rooms, family suites, a real extra bed?
Clean travel cot, high chair, bottle warmer, changing table, kit to borrow.
Shallow pool or paddling area, playground, kids club (free or paid).
Quick breakfast, kids menus, allergy options, snacks on hand.
Secured windows, protected corners, watched pool, well kept grounds.
Laundry, in-room fridge, stroller access, parking, reliable Wi-Fi.
Close to family attractions, easy transport, park tickets or access.
Welcome gift for the child, staff who talk to kids, themed rooms.
Why families love it
- Kids Club and Junior Club included, with real staff and a daily programme
- Three pools, one of them a dedicated shallow children's pool
- Six tennis courts, two padel courts, football pitch and a tennis academy
- Forty minutes from Catania airport, the easiest arrival in Sicily
🗓️A day here with kids
- 8:00
Buffet breakfast early
Before 8:30 the room is calm. After 9:00 it is a different building.
- 9:30
Kids club opens, courts are free
Drop them off, then take the tennis slot you booked on day one.
- 13:00
Lunch, then the kids pool
Shallow, lifeguarded, and far enough from the main pool to relax.
- 17:00
Snorkel off the platforms
Water shoes on the way in, always. The rock is sharp and hot.
Family things to do nearby
Tennis and padel academy
Coached sessions on six courts. Book early: this is the resort's genuine speciality, not a token court.
Snorkelling off the inlet
The rocky shore that costs you a sandy beach buys you clear water and actual fish, right off the platforms.
Evening show
Classic Italian village entertainment, mini disco and all. Children love it, parents endure it, everyone sleeps well.
Is it right for your kids?
Baby
0 to 1 yr
Possible but not ideal. Cots are available and the buffet copes, but there is no baby club, the shore is rock, and a resort of 402 rooms is a lot of walking with a pram.
Toddler
1 to 3 yrs
The dedicated kids pool is the reason this works: shallow, watched and separate. Keep them out of the inlet, where the rocks and the drop-off are not toddler territory.
Kid
4 to 11 yrs
This is the resort's target. Club in the morning, football and tennis in the afternoon, mini disco at night. Six to twelve year olds come off the plane and never ask what's next.
Teen
12 yrs and up
The Junior Club plus padel, tennis and a gym gives teenagers a reason to leave the room. It is a family village though, so do not expect a scene: a 16-year-old may find it quiet.
Plan your stay
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Live prices & availability
Stays near Mangia's Brucoli, Sicily, Autograph Collection, Brucoli, Sicily, Italy
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Parents also ask
Is there a sandy beach?
No. The resort sits on a sheltered rocky inlet with sunbeds and access platforms. It is lovely for snorkelling and useless for sandcastles. Fontane Bianche, about 45 minutes south, has the sand.
Is the kids club included in the rate?
Yes, the Kids Club and Junior Club programmes run as part of your stay. Specialist coaching, like the tennis academy, is charged separately.
What is nearby for a day off the resort?
Syracuse and Ortigia are about 40 minutes south, Etna and Etnaland about an hour north-west, Catania half an hour. You need a car for all of them.
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