Frida apartments by Dimore in Sicily

We stayed in the two bedroom apartment. It is ideally located at the bridge that joins Siracusa and Ortigia. It is a lively location so be conscious of this if you prefer quiet at night. The apartment was very clean, well stocked with plates and utensils and spacious. The manager made the check in easy and was responsive to questions when they arose. The air conditioner stopped working and was repaired immediately.

There is the issue of the scaffolding. By now it will be well known ( from customer feedback) that the building in which the apartment is located is surrounded by scaffolding. The reaction to the scaffolding has been mixed ( from demands to move elsewhere to leaving a day early). The scaffolding is not the fault of the apartment operator ( so I am reluctant to be overly critical) but the scaffolding exists and it has a real bearing on one’s experience of the apartment. I am critical of the way the scaffolding is portrayed by the operator. At the outset, I posed a question through the booking.com question section before I booked the apartment. I simply asked “ is the scaffolding still there?” I received no response. I booked the apartment nevertheless because the location and the photographs were appealing. It was not until two days before check in that the operator emails me to mention the scaffolding. The email suggested that removal was imminent but that supply issues had caused a delay. The email hoped that that would be okay and went on to say that the apartment could still be experienced unaffected if the windows and shutters were kept closed. This is of course true but who wants to keep the windows and shutters permanently closed.? Despite what the email suggests, it is plainly obvious that the scaffolding is not coming down any time soon. There is still work being carried out on the building. The scaffolding is, as one reviewer noted, very dirty and dusty. The dust gets into the apartment if the windows are opened. The shade cloth prevents outward views. I have photos of the scaffolding taken from within the apartment. I have not posted them because the operator might think that is unfair. But, if booking.com is to be effective, full disclosure and objective commentary is necessary. I was given the price of the one bedroom apartment, so I had the benefit of an upgrade.

Location. Quality of fittings. Spacious accommodation.

Two hours before arrival the host informed us that there was scaffolding all around the apartment. We had travelled all day and had no time to re-arrange. The scaffolding prevented any view out of windows or use of balcony. Check-in was to 20.00 and we arrived at 19.30 but the host had decided to leave early so we had a remote check-in. There was no welcome pack or instructions for fittings. We needed to visit a restaurant soon after arrival and did not have time to work out how all the fittings functioned. In bedroom 1 the bedside lighting switch was secretly recessed and we could not work out how to turn off these lights till the next day. In bedroom 2, the compressors driving the aircon for both this and the next door apartment were immediately next to the window. The neighbour's compressor squealed and vibrated all night and it was impossible to sleep. My wife eventually tried to sleep in a coat on a sofa in the kitchen diner but was very cold as she had not had time to work out the aircon controls. Her back spasmed and she was unable to visit anywhere the next day. Our trip to Noto had to be postponed to the day of the rail strike so we had to pay for bus and taxi. Her back has affected the rest of our holiday which is backpacking on the railways. The host did not commit to fixing the problem till late afternoon the following day which was very late. This experience was largely avoidable if the host had bothered to stay for a proper check-in. The host made no apology nor offered any reduction in rate.

size and location

absolutely no natural light just a tiny window I think they have 2 apartments so I would suggest making sure it is the bigger one

the apartment was beautiful, well equipped and in the perfect location

unfortunately the building is under construction and wrapped in scaffolding that hid the view and there was noise and dust from it so we left a day earlier than we intended.

Frida apartments was beautifully decorated, spacious and well appointed. the location is excellent.