Casa Giuditta Appartamenti

well,very inside in palermo

We very much enjoyed our stay in Palermo, a fascinating city with an extraordinary range of architecture, friendly people, great food and nearby beaches, however, our accomodation was not what we expected. Two days before departure we emailed the manager/owner with our expected time of arrival and received a return email with instructions on how to find the apartment. When we arrived we were met at the entrance by the manager/owner who told us that due to a recent adjacent building collapse there was a problem with the water and we would have to stay at another of his apartments nearby in a narrow alley off Via Giovanni Meli. Although we didn't have a chance to see the original apartment we would guess from your website photographs that this alternative was a good deal inferior. It had the feel of student hostel accomodation - very basic matresses, a coffee pot with a broken handle, cracked mugs, very little cooking equipment etc. We were determined that this wouldn't affect our holiday and managed with what was available and would probably not have bothered to write this review if my daughter, an Italian speaker, had not discovered that the 'recent' building collapse had been in February this year. This can be confirmed on Google with the search term 'edificio crollo palermo via savona'. If there really is a problem with water why were we not informed in the return email, also, why is the property still advertised on your website?

We booked this apt as the hotel we wanted was booked. However, the apt access, location, and neighborhood provides an interesting slice of Palermo life that you probably would not get at a hotel location. Definitely liked the location - great low cost restaurants with seafood caught that day. The street life is dynamic and changing. Easy access to botanic garden and other Palermo landmarks. The apt is located OVER a business location that operates from 7am to 1am -- in the AM it is a quiet fruit market and street snack shop. In the evening all this closes and it turns into a busy outdoor restaurant with more wiggly fish and shellfish choices than other street spaces we have seen in Palermo. Great ambiance. The apt room (there are 2 or 3 in this building rented by the same person) had a clothes washer to our amazement. However, the shower head did work and to the manager's credit he replaced it with one that did. However, we had one day with no shower water. The kitchen was nice but roaches roamed all night over the cabinets. We mentioned this to the maid and she dismissed it as nonsense. We also rented it because it claimed to have FREE WIFI. When asked, the manager gave us the code, but the WIFI was not working (no IP given out - probably needed a reboot) and he was not responsive about fixing it. That was a bummer as WIFI is harder to find in Palermo than the travel sites suggest. We had just landed from the USA and needed to tell family we were ok & couldn't.

Room with a washing machine.

Casa Giuditta provided me with a comfortable room with a balcony overlooking Piazza Kalsa. I had everything I needed including cooking facilities, refrigerator, air conditioning, a really good shower with instant hot water, TV, hair dryer..... there was also free wi-fi if I had wanted it. The room was spotless and I was very happy there. Casa Giuditta is ideally situated for seeing the most interesting sights of Palermo, most within walking distance. It is a short walk from the Central Station where most of the buses both local & long distance stop. The man on a scooter who handed over the keys to the apartment gave me the address of the nearest supermarket which I doubt whether I would have found by myself as it was well tucked away in a corner of Piazza Marina. Needless to say, this was very useful !

The room is modern and clean, but there is a lack of some common things (like something to hang the clothes on, maybe on the back on the front door, and also some hangings at the bathroom door). We've been in March so in the night we stayed with the air conditioner turned on heat, because in the first night we felt a little bit of cold. Because the floor is tiled, you have to have some shoes to stay with, inside, or some solid socks, because the tiled floor is quite cold. Overall, I recommend this for everyone, it's modern, there is a (mini) kitchen inside so you can cook inside, having the fantastic fresh food from Palermo markets (great fish, excellent vegetables, etc). With more attention for some important details, this could be a 5 star location, but for the moment is just 4 star.

This place is a must for those looking for a real old world stay. Apartment is beautiful and clean inside. Area around is a bit messy - but that is Palermo! You must call 3 hours in advance of arrival, otherwise you will wait! Easiest way to explain how to find it is look for Piazza Kalsa - it is right in the piazza. A lovely stay really, would definetely go back.

If you insist on staying in Palermo just make sure there isn't an ongoing garbage strike! Hotel is actually more like private apartments and the location gives you a real feel for Sicily... Amazing rice balls down the street and really great restaurants. About 15-20 minute walking distance of train station.

Our third stay at the Casa was just as great as previous visits. Helpful airport pick up, the owner plotting out sites of interest on the map. Stay here if you want to see the real Palermo. The location is perfect, right off Piazza Kalsa in the heart of the most interesting part of town. The sea is right there, have sea urchin at midnight from the stand, gelato, snails with the after work crowd. The best arrancine in town are around the corner at Bar Touring. Would not stay anywhere else in Palermo!!!

We stayed at the appt twice on our trip. We organised it via the internet for the beginning of our holiday and liked it so much stayed at the end - we phoned to make reservations then and their English was very good. It is spacious and airy and well appointed. It is central and a short walk to the center of the city but the accomodation is quiet and peaceful. For dinner you can not do better than go to the fish restaurants in the square - by the alley that leads to the appt building by the church. Both are great, lively and reasonably priced. The fish is first rate and the owners and servers are very accomodating. We speak no Italian and they speak no English but no problems. There are also great coffee places, ice cream places and bars in the neighbourhood - one very modern one to the right through the arch on the square on the esplanade. Everybody was very friendly - a great time.