Elegant två rum (apt. Nr 11) i centrum av Palermo

We stayed in room 14 for five nights. The location is great, in a 'typical' neighbourhood near the end of Via Roma. The apartment itself has a good layout and there is a little balcony too. However, the flat has a tired appearance and many bathroom and kitchen fixings are loose. The flat had not been cleaned well: there was chewing gum on the wall next to the bed, hair around the bathroom and a number of small cockroaches were seen.

Sadly, we did not warm to Mr Rossi. Unlike our previous homeaway hosts, we found him rather officious. Contrary to the apartment information he speaks no English (though he did later telephone someone who could translate) (we can't do conversation Italian). This would not normally be a problem except Mr Rossi made no attempt to slow his Italian down, so it was obvious that we did not understand what he was saying. Things become more disconcerting when he produced a 'contract' which stipulated that if we used more than a certain amount of electricity or water we would be liable for a surcharge. There had been no mention of such a contract when we had booked. I said in Italian that I thought this was irregular, so he struck out the surcharge part of the contract. Nevertheless this kind of thing is unwanted.

We managed to ask for some things that were missing from the kitchen, which were supplied to us later. However, our complaint about the cockroaches did not appear to have resulted in a better cleaning of the apartment.

Our emails to Mr Rossi when we were booking were answered promptly and courteously. However, the impression that is given of a family-run, clean and friendly apartment was not regrettably borne out in our experience, and for that reason I would not recommend staying here.

NJ Fox Tavistock, Devon, UK

We really enjoyed our time in Palermo. Our apartment was just perfect for us, and we found the bustling life around us fascinating. There are some excellent trattorias within walking distance, and markets stalls with fresh produce right on the doorstep. Dont forget your Italian phrase book...you will need it, this is the real Palermo

A huge thanks to Enrico for our welcome and all his help.

Joyce and Steve

We landed in Palermo at 2.0 PM, took the bus to the city at 2.30 PM, arrived at the bus stop in thirty minutes. The apartment was 2 minutes walking. The owner was very friendly and helpful, he made a coffee for me and gave a juice to my wife. The apartment itself was just what we were looking for. Two sunny rooms, a nice balcony, a small kitchen and a clean bathroom. Perfect WI-FI connection and very nice furniture in the apartment (nothing extraordinary like playstation or the like, but we did not want it). During the three days we stayed there, the apartment become our strategic basis to explore the city. It is beautifully placed: in a central yet very safe area of the city. By contrast, the area around the central station looked pretty doggy to us (especially at night). So we were glad to stay there. In the mornings we explored some local gems – Monreale Dome and the Royal palace “Palazo Realle”. Monreale is not in the city but we took a bus (4 minutes walking from the apartment) which brought us there in half an hour. In the afternoon, after a refreshing siesta, we explored the centre by walk. Then we came back to the apartment and did our shopping at the local market. There is a nice supermarket almost in front of the apartment, but my wife preferred to go to the open market behind it, it’s called “borgoveccio”, we got delicious local food and ate home – way cheaper than going to the restaurant, paying seven times as much for less quality food. In short, I would recommend this place to anyone wishing to explore the city without spending a fortune. I would surely come back.

We arrived after informing our host's at the appointed time. No one was there to greet us and we were locked out on the street. Approximately 20 minutes later the husband of the wonderful woman I had been communicating with showed up to let us in. HE SPOKE NO ENGLISH and we could not get any questions answered. We also could not get internet connection, which was very important because I had a sick mother back home in the US. The apartment was not supplied well. There were no paper towels, only 1 dish towel, no cutting knife, only 2 mugs for 3 people, no bath soap and no blow dryer. WE STAYED ONE NIGHT AND LEFT-NOT STAYING THE OTHER 4 nights booked. The problem I am having is that people say they speak english and they don't. They are using a Google Translation program that would make it appear they speak english in our communication. They did refund my money and I appreciated this.

We stayed at this apartment for a long weekend we were 2 couples and found it very central to everything and it was renovated with a lot of taste and everything one would need for a short stay. The owner was delightful for a small price he picked us up from the airport and gave us a guided tour of the city. I can highly recommend this apartment