There is a good chance that this post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. As ever, all opinions are my own.
Disclaimer: I was invited to Sicily with Jet2holidays as a part of a gifted trip whereby mine and Rob’s flights, transfers and accommodation were complimentary. I was not paid for this collaboration and all opinions, photos and comments are my own.
If you’re looking for a getaway that’s filled with stunning scenery, epic historical attractions and delicious food, then Sicily should be at the top of your travel list. Recently, I had the opportunity to embark on an adventure to this charming Italian island thanks to Jet2 Holidays, and I was so excited!
As a travel blogger, you often see others heading off on sponsored trips to far-flung destinations, but I had never taken one before. You see, I never want to dilute my voice or travel to a destination that’s not my style just for the sake of collaborating with a brand.
But then Jet2 approached me with an offer I couldn’t turn down – a week-long getaway with Rob to Sicily! I’d never travelled with Jet2 before, hadn’t been on a package holiday in years, had never been to Italy, and it was about time Rob saw some benefit from constantly having to listen to me talking about my blog.
The universe was trying to tell me something, so I went for it. It was time to try out one of Jet2’s package holidays to Sicily.
As part of this collaboration, I’m excited to share my experiences with you in this blog post.
Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
Flying to Sicily with Jet2
Jet2 offers flights from London Stansted to Catania, in Sicily, so it was a direct and easy journey.
Stansted is an airport I know well because I pass through there around 12 times a year! What I wasn’t familiar with, though, was how easy the whole airport process was. Online check-in is available from 28 days up until six hours before your flight.
I’m typically a “check-in on the way to the airport” girl, and the budget carriers I usually fly with allow check-in up to two hours before departure. Welp, it turns out that by the time I checked this I had missed the online check-in window!
I was worried that missing the online check-in window would lead to us having to pay to check in at the airport, but that’s not the case with Jet2! We simply checked in at the airport with no extra fee or fuss. I was mightily impressed.
Oh, and there were no check-in queues either – score!
Another thing I was buzzing about was that you get a 22kg check-in baggage allowance included as part of your holiday! As someone constantly travelling as lightly as possible to avoid paying for bags, I was so excited to travel with a full suitcase of my favourite books and clothes.
The flight was just under 3 hours which was totally manageable and would be okay for even a short Sicily weekend break. The Sicily Jet2 flights get a big thumbs up from me!
Airport Transfers with Jet2
The concept of airport transfers being included in my holiday was a totally new thing to me. Normally, I have to work out a new public transport system as soon as I land in a new city. Not with Jet2. As soon as we collected our bags we were directed to a Jet2 bus that would drop us right off at our hotel’s doors. Yay!
We stayed at the Jet2holidays Acacia Resort.
Exploring Sicily
We stayed in a hotel in Campofelice di Roccella, a tiny village on Sicily’s north coast sandwiched between the city of Palermo and the traditional town of Cefalu.
While I wouldn’t recommend staying in Campofelice as a base during your trip to Sicily (it was very isolated!) we did manage to visit Cefalu and Palermo a few times, as well as taking a day trip out to the Agrigento Temples.
Cefalu
Cefalu is just GORGEOUS, there’s no doubt about it. We were able to arrange transfers from our hotel to Cefalu and took the opportunity to visit it three times on our Sicily trip.
The first visit was all about sightseeing – we checked out the impressive Cefalu Cathedral, strolled around the magnificent Old Town, and shared our first bottle of Italian wine together. Oh – and I can’t forget to mention the arancini balls! So yummy!
Our second and third visits were all about the food – we sampled Italian coffee, the best pistachio ice cream I’ve ever eaten, and gorged on pizza whilst overlooking the ocean. What I loved about Cefalu was that it looks just like one of the world-famous towns on the Amalfi Coast – but without the crowds!
It could be the case that it gets really busy during the summer season, but in May it was surprisingly quiet.
Palermo
We took two day trips to Palermo during our Jet2 Sicily trip and had a blast there! It’s a gritty city that has had a pretty tumultuous history thanks to the mafia presence there, but I was pleasantly surprised by how beautiful parts of it were!
We wandered around the Norman Palace and enjoyed a couple of drinks in the sun on our first day in Palermo before heading over to a pizza place for THE BEST PIZZA I HAVE EVER EATEN! Seriously, these guys in Palermo don’t mess around.
On our second trip, we took a tour around a few of the ancient regal homes in the city before heading to a tiny, family-run restaurant to try pistachio pasta, which was surprisingly good.
Sicily is well-known for its pistachios, so you can bet that I wasn’t going to miss out on trying some!
Agrigento Temples
Exploring the Agrigento Temples was one of the highlights of our trip, there’s no doubt about it.
I wasn’t expecting to find ancient Greek temples in Sicily, but that’s exactly what we found! These majestic temples date back to the 5th century BC and are a testament to the incredible architectural feats of the ancient Greeks.
Our tour guide of the temples really knew our stuff, and we both learnt a lot. I’ve been to the real deal ancient temples in Athens, and, to my surprise, these were almost as impressive.
If you’re ever in Sicily, the Agrigento Temples are an absolute must-see!
Enjoying the Resort in Sicily
Unfortunately, we were unlucky with the weather on our trip, but Sicily is famous for its wonderful weather, so don’t let that stop you. We visited Sicily in early May, so it could be better to delay your trip to Sicily until the summer season is in full swing if sunny weather is important to you.
We did manage to have one day of sunshine on our trip, so you can bet your bottom dollar that we took full advantage of that by spending the day reading by the pool and taking a dip. It was much needed after a full week of rain and cloud!
Top Tips For Visiting Sicily with Jet2holidays
If you’ve gotten this far, chances are you’re tempted to check out Sicily and browse holidays to Italy with Jet2holidays! Here are a few things to keep in mind:
People don’t seem to realise how HUGE Sicily is! It’ll be near-impossible to explore the entire island from just one base, and, unless you’re in one of the island’s main towns or cities you’ll struggle to get around without a car. For this reason, you’ll need to be strategic about the area you stay in.
For northern Sicily, pick a resort in Palermo or Cefalu, so that you have restaurants, bars and public transportation on your doorstep. For southern Sicily, Catania or Syracuse are great options.
