My husband and I have just returned from a week at the Residence San Domenico. We were a little apprehensive after reading the previous review just before we left for Sicily.
However, I really cannot fault the apartment (Number 3) which we stayed in. The rooms were large, airy and very well equipped - with all necessary kitchen equipment, including iron and ironing board. The rooms very clean with spotless linen and towels which were changed midweek. We asked for a DVD player to be placed in the lounge and this was arranged at no extra charge. It was particularly welcome as we had some days and evenings of unseasonal heavy rain and thunderstorms and so didn't alway go out in the evenings as we would normally do.
Guiseppe and Andrea from the management company were very thorough in explaining everything regarding the apartment and also in providing tips and information on seeing the best of the Island. We had their mobile phone numbers and were assured that we could call them at any time, should the need arise. Guiseppe visited us a couple of times during the week to ensure that all was OK . With regard to the litter on the approach road, yes there was some at certain points - but probably no different to that seen on similar quiet roads in England. We were assured that the management company had contacted the Siracusan council on several occasions regarding the matter - but obviously they can't be blamed for things outside their control.
I would say that apartment 1, 2 and 3 are probably in the best position with their convenient position by the pool. By the way, the pool area actually looks better than on the web-site as the Bouganvillea has now grown higher and there were Cactus plants, olive trees and flowering plants around the border.
We were rather disappointed with the weather , which we were told was unusually wet for September - however it was pleasantly warm all of the time that we were there. Luckily it was warm and sunny when we visited the lovely city of Noto and the Vendicare national park area, which were both worth a visit and it was very pleasant eating in the restaurants with sea views on the island of Ortigia. We also managed to see most of Taormina before heavy rain reached us and we had stunning views from the Greek Amphitheatre. Unfortunately Etna was covered in cloud -which was a shame.
I think that if we were to visit Sicily again, we would perhaps go in the springtime when the Fruit trees were in blossom and the Island was looking greener. I'm sure it would be quite stunning at hat time of year.
Please remember to take insect repellant when you go as we got quite badly bitten at times.

I booked this based on the reviews on tripadvisor.

I was terribly disappointed. We tend to be budget travelers, so we do not require fancy accommodations. We had a ground floor one bedroom apartment. There were ants by the door. The bathroom smelled terribly. The structure was no longer well-kept. There were no flowers around as shown in the photos. The breakfast consisted largely of bags of cookies, a rather inauthentic way to experience Sicily. The pool area was not as shown in the photo with weeds everywhere. To get to the property it was quite a drive, and the road was strewn with garbage everywhere (not atmospheric). There were two other oddities. We were the only tourists there. There was a caretaker family there, and their children would peer into our windows. The family lived there, and sat at an outdoor table, all night long. When walking to the pool, we had to walk by them. Not a huge deal--but we felt "watched" and they were not friendly at all (rarely have we ever encountered this anywhere in Italy). I'm sure it was safe, but it felt a bit unsafe, nefarious to me (we had small children).

To book, there were at least 15 emails, we had to meet the company in Syracuse (and not drive there directly), and the person who checked us in talked to us about the room for at least an hour. Very friendly, but I don't need a tour of each pot and pan on a three day vacation. It is managed by a travel agency, by the way, not a personal owner. There is not a lot of personal contact, so it did not feel warm.

There appear to be many local families living there, and actually new apartments there.

We truly loved Syracuse. But we did not love this hotel/apt, or the area around it. The area around Noto is better in terms of countryside, or stay in Syracuse.

Overall, this was the worst travel experience in 10 years of annual travel to Italy. I would not recommend a stay here at all, and felt the online literature was misleading. I cried when I arrived, left livid. I also filled out a negative review and left it on the table, receiving an email that they were "glad I had a pleasant stay."

We stayed in Unit 2 at St.D for a week.The owners could not have been more helpful or considerate.They provided a welcome pack of food and even a talk on all the local places of interest /restaurants etc.The unit was immaculately clean with excellent bed and linenThe linen was changed halfway thro' the stay.St.D is about 4 miles from Syracuse .Be warned driving in the town is an experience and not for the feint hearted.

One other point the pool was lovely and much appreciated in the hot weather

Rob and Leonora

We found this residence by chance on the internet.
They coudln't have been more helpful, even meeting us at the outskirts of Siracuse and driving us into the countryside to find the apartments.
Very quiet, in a converted dominican monastry, this block also has residents, who were friendly, but happy to leave us be to holiday if we wished, we didn't, and our daughter aged 8 made a new sicilian friend.
Would be a bit tricky to find without help, but this base was covered.
Good sized apartments with full facilities, including one apartment with disabled facilities, which we took off season as it was the biggest.
The apartments are surrounded by orange and lemon groves, and we had a good view of Etna on clear days. Swimming pool too, but also 5 mins drive from the beautiful costal nature reserves.
The owners welcome you, give you lots of tips for off the map places to eat drink and admire. We had an amazing holiday and felt that we had experianced the real Sicily, but this was due to the help of Residence San Domrnico, even when travelling completely out of season in January, which I would thouroughly recommend.
Did I mention great value for money too?