casa vacanza La Sicula

Spacious apartment on the first floor with a large terrace and kitchen. Perfect location—very close to the main station and a 15-minute walk to the city center. The hosts were kind and helpful. We'd gladly stay here again

Everything

It was the perfect apartment

Nice unit overall but I can’t give no higher than 2 for its “known gas leak” and no reply from host for up to an hour during emergency circumstance. The host did try to compensate by giving us more time on our check out date. However, this is not a compensate we could take advantage of. Here is the full story: The check-in day, the host met us in person. Everything went well but he did not mention anything about the LOCK and GAS SMELL. We smelled gas on arrival, but during the whole introduction/orientation, he did not mention a thing until we questioned why there’s a gas smell in the room. Then he explained that he is aware of the issue and he’d tried to solve but he can’t. He apologized for it and said as long as we turn off the gas line after cooking we should be fine. The reality is, even after cooking with the gas line off, at night, we can still smell gas. Reported to him the second day again, he replied there’s nothing he can do now. THEN WHY WILL YOU EVEN RENT OUT A ROOM WHEN YOU KNOW THERES A POTENTIAL GAS LEAK? THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN! Second, we got locked outside twice with the key stuck in the key hole within 12 hours. The first time, neighbor helped us, the neighbor were able to pull the key out. The second time it happened around 11:30 in the morning. Key stuck in key hole again unable to pull out or lock. Contacted host at 11:40, no reply. Called like 10 + times on WhatsApp and phone number ( the host instructed us to contact him by WhatsApp), no reply. Several neighbors came and helped with the key, still unable to pull out. Neighbor helped contact the host, no reply. We had to contact Booking.com to get a reply from host, and by the time we got reply, it was already 12:37. An hour wait without any reply from host. (to be continued below)

(Continue)The host replied he is coming at 12:37, no one arrived until 13:42. We could have already missed our plane. At 13:42, an old guy (non-English speaking) came and claimed to be the host (not the host we dealt with on the first day). After 2hrs being locked outside the apartment, imagine how frustrating it can be. Plans are ruined. At this point, we were NOT expecting to deal with a completely non-english speaking guy as we know the host himself speaks good english. (All written conversation and timing screenshoted and saved as evidence.) This is what I said to the host over the phone We have been stuck here for 2 hours with the key stuck in the keyhole, and you send a guy that completely doesn’t speak English that we can’t even communicate with. Here’s his reply: You’re in Italy. I’m sorry if I don’t speak Italian. I did not know speaking Italian is a requirement to rent the place. Apparently, lock issue is not new, must turn lock a specific way which was never mentioned in check-in.( if it was that easy to open, neighbors we came to help should be able to solve it already before the host’ arrival). Complained again to the host over the phone about the gas smell issue. Same answer, nothing that he can do. Therefore, lessons learned: 1. Be aware if you are not Italian speaking (even if you’re just a guest renting a apartment) 2. Be prepared for being locked outside and not being able to contact host. Good luck if you have a train/plane scheduled. 3. Be prepared to have to find another apartment on the day/ or next day of arrival because there’s a potential gas leak in the house which the host has already known but could not fix. In conclusion, leave and find another accommodation without compensation or endure the situation during your stay. An advice for someone reading this review and plan to book? Contact the host first to see if the gas leak issue is solved. And hope for the best with the door/reach the host.

Wonderful spacious appartment located 10 min walk from Palermo centrale Stazione, bus station to airport. Nice bathroom and terrace, fully equipped with A/C in the room, all you need to cook and shops nearby. It was perfect for our one night stay in Palermo. The hosts were very nice and allowed us to check in early, gave us advices for visiting the city. Thanks

The accommodation was exceptional, the apartment is very spacious, clean and has a large terrace. It is ideal for several people. It is not located in a street area, so it is quiet in the evenings. It's a 10 minute walk to the train station where you can take trains, buses to the airport or city buses. Not even a 5-minute walk from the station starts the old town centre. The host was exceptional, on the first day we had lunch together and got recommendations on places to visit and restaurants that don't cater so much to tourists. I highly recommend both the host and the apartment.