GuestHost - Taormina Vintage Loft

Great spot

The location could not have been better. You are right in the middle of everything but also not on a busy street either. We had a rental car so parked at the Lumbi parking garage and took an taxi to Restaurant Relé and then walked up some stairs to the apartment street. Very easy to find and enter. The apartment is extremely charming and unique. Great for 2 people although any more than 2 people probably would have felt tight. Balcony has a view of the water and is nice to sit outside at night time. A lot of people mention bad water pressure in the shower - we did not experience that. Thought it was perfectly fine. Make sure you turn both knobs and you will be fine (and don’t run the sinks at the same time). AC works great! We would wake up cold (which is rare in Italy!). They also have some beach supplies like pool noodles and umbrellas.

The bird poop on the balcony does get bad and there are a lot of birds in the caged off rafters. Just need to use a broom to sweep the poop - it’s not a big deal. Although we could not find broom (not the properties fault, we never asked because we didn’t really care). Also to note, you have to go up 2 flights of stairs to enter the apartment and then 1 small flight from the foyer to the living room and then a flight to the beds. Not a big deal for us but maybe could be a big deal for someone older. The bathroom is a bit outdated and tight and the ledge in the middle is a bit hard to get used to but as long as you are not an extremely picky person this guesthouse is completely satisfiable.

Het was een toplocatie, en het appartement heeft ook veel charme. Het is een vintage loft maar ook moderne zaken zoals goede airco en koffieapparaten zijn beschikbaar.

De sanitaire faciliteiten zijn wel sterk verouderd zoals de douche (geen druk en moeilijk te regelen), en ondanks het balkon heel fijn was, zaten er veel duiven waardoor er veel vogelkak was.

Host was decently responsive, and the loft had a quaint feel to it.

A water pipe burst on our second night, so we shut off water to the unit and were unable to use the bathroom, wash hands, etc., or even walk around the apartment while it was flooded. After the leaking was stopped, the bathroom and entire apartment had a terrible odor for the remember of the stay. When contacting the host about this, they acted as if it was a regular occurrence. The water ultimately dripped through the floor into the below unit, which is how it was cleared up. I'm not sure who owns that unit, but it seems like this was not the first time this has happened, so I don't think the smell or mustiness is a one-off occurrence.

There was mold in the bathroom, not enough hot water for showers. Smelly couch. Quite dark place.

Clean, charming and with a lot of character, if that's what you're into. Location was the best feature, right in the middle of Taormina. The managers helped us out to arrange the Etna tour which was great. The balcony is a great feature, unfortunately the weather didn't help us make the most of it.

It was dark and quite old fashion. The bathroom was very old and the hot water ran out quite quickly, not suitable for 4 people taking showers, Some appliances were not working like the washing machine and the toaster, and the fridge ended up freezing up our food everyday. Crockery and cutlery was not very considered either.

Excellent location and a very pleasant apartment. Ornella was a first-rate host - very patient when we couldn't find the apartment and again when there was a minor incident with the door lock refusing to open! I would certainly stay there in the future... were there not one MAJOR PROBLEM, which I'm afraid would cause me never to make such a booking again: see below.

Ornella employs a management company, CleanBnB, based in Milan. After booking and paying for her apartment through Booking.com, a week before you plan to arrive, this management company sends you a link, demanding that you upload to them via the internet a lot of personal information - the passport pages of everyone staying; a selfie of the principal guest, holding up his or her passport to the camera (I'm not joking: they really do demand this); the home address and phone number of each person; your credit card details in order to pay the local tax of 2E per person per night, and, as they helpfully explain, 'any other charges which may arise'; and finally, they demand that you sign a leasehold agreement of several pages... for a two-night stay! If you object - as I did - they will reply that this is required by Italian law - which is A FLAT-OUT LIE. Italian law requires guests to provide ID cards or passports to register with their host when they arrive, and to pay the local tax on arrival. No Italian law requires guests to provide ID in advance of their arrival - and still less to upload it to the internet with all the risk of data theft that that implies. Nor does Italian law require guests to provide home addresses, phone numbers, sign a leasehold agreement and pay local tax in advance - let alone provide a selfie! When I balked, CleanBnB told me that in that case we would not be allowed to stay... at an apartment which we had already paid for! This is outrageous. I am asking Booking.com to investigate, and either ban the use of this unverified third party company, or, at a minimum, insist that hosts which use its services make clear upfront what is involved. To add insult to injury, CleanBnB then asked me to give the apartment a 10/10 rating, promising a discount on their other properties if I did so. That is called bribery.

Central with plenty of space

Rather dated and cluttered. Needs updating and reviewing facilities. Fridge needs replacing (freezing contents even on lowest setting)